What is it about walls that seems to bring out a collective reaction of distaste? Let’s face it our political discourse has taken on a polarized view of such things. But the wall I’m referring to is a wall we can all agree on. Brickyard Farms uses “The Wall” to showcase our amazing hard-neck garlic. The first week we have German White and the next week is for Music (yes the hills are alive). It is incredibly satisfying to sell about 2500 head of garlic each of those weeks. For those of you not familiar with hard-neck garlic, it is distinctly different from the soft-neck garlic you purchase in your local grocery store. Most soft-neck garlic is grown in China and is required by law to be refrigerated during overseas transport. When garlic is refrigerated it changes the sugars to starch and makes the garlic bitter. It also signals to the garlic that spring has arrived and it needs to grow. This is why you typically find a green sprout in the center of each clove.
Many of our customers purchase in bulk; anywhere from 60-250 at a time. We are humbled by the support and enthusiasm over the years for this savory allium. We typically store 200 heads for our personal consumption. In addition to this I roast an additional hundred head to use in soups and stews. When garlic is roasted it becomes beautifully sweet and nutty. Typically garlic is roasted as a whole head with most of its papers in tact. You simply cut the tips of each clove, baste it with olive oil, wrap it in foil and roast it in a 375 oven or on your grill for 50-60 minutes. This works well when you are thinking of a luscious appetizer; but I want to freeze it for future use. The method I describe here will yield two six-cube silicone ice cube trays of roasted garlic; each cube being the amount of one large head of garlic (although you can purchase bulk quantities of pre-peeled garlic I would NOT recommend it). My suggestion is that you go to your local farmers market and stock up! Fresh garlic season is usually July-August; and if you’ve never had fresh garlic you are in for an incredible treat! Once they’re frozen, you just pop out the cubes and place them in a zip-lock freezer bag or container and they’re ready for something yummy when you are.
Roasted Garlic In Quantity
Ingredients:
15-20 medium size heads of garlic (remember, fresh is best)
Good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt (I use Maldon)
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel all your garlic and place in an 8×8 or 9×9 ceramic dish.
Pour enough olive oil in the dish to cover the garlic cloves halfway. Toss to coat.
Sprinkle coarse salt over garlic and cover with aluminum foil.
Roast in oven for 30 minutes, then remove foil. Roast for an additional 30 minutes or until soft and slightly golden. Let cool. Place in ice cube trays using any oil in the dish to cover each cube (I use a teaspoon in each one, then cover with additional oil if needed).
Freeze overnight. Remove from trays and put in zip lock bags or freezer containers.
“There is no such thing as a little garlic!” —Arthur Baer
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