Is Garlic Considered a Vegetable?
Is Garlic an Herb, a Spice, or a Vegetable?
I have always tended to categorize garlic as a spice or an herb. But did you know that garlic is considered a vegetable? Garlic is part of the food category that includes onions, leeks, and chives.
Garlic is one of those ingredients that I always saw my mother use in her cooking growing up. I remember she would buy garlic in long strands that had about a dozen or more garlic bulbs. When we crossed the southern border into Mexico is when I would see it more often. At times, I would see them at local markets, but I haven’t seen these in a long time.
I was an adult when I realized that the bulky strands were individual bulbs with long dry stalks braided together.
I love garlic. Sometimes, I like to serve it as it appears on the photos below, as a garnish, or on the side. Cooking it this way requires close monitoring, as it can burn rapidly. I cook it in low heat for a short while, scoop it out, and then continue cooking with the infused oil.
Growing up, I heard many times that garlic had medicinal properties. I could not recite what those benefits are without looking them up. However, it is common knowledge that garlic is good for us cook with and eat.
In this article, Medical News Today provides some details about the history of garlic, its uses, and its benefits. It summarizes several research studies conducted in different parts of the world. Each lists some of the findings which point to the benefits of garlic.
Garlic contains Vitamin C, Selenium, and protein, among other nutrients.
You can find more details on this database at the USDA website.
Can Dogs and Cats Eat Garlic?
What I learned recently is that the benefits of garlic do not extend to dogs or cats. I read this on a bulletin board at a veterinarian’s office. It was somewhat shocking. Garlic and all of the vegetables in the same family, including onions, have a chemical that can cause damage to the pets’ red blood cells. The level of toxicity varies according to body weight and the amount of product consumed.
In this article, a pet service provider goes into detail about garlic and pet toxicity.
Since acquiring this knowledge, I avoid using garlic or onions when I share food with my puppy. This is simpler than cooking a small portion separately, although I do that sometimes.
I have not yet attempted to prepare large portions of home made dog food to replace store bought dog food altogether. A goal for sure.
More Garlic Facts for Foodies
I came across additional information that may be of interest to foodies and chefs. Article 1 and Article 2 talk about a once unused part of the garlic plant. These parts are the tender stalks that form early in the plant’s growth. Farmers used to cut tender garlic stalks and leave them in the fields. They did this to improve the bulb growth underground and saw no value in preserving them.
Farmers learned that chefs were cooking and serving tender garlic stalks in their restaurants to the delight of their customers. Farmers changed the way they pruned the early tender garlic plants. Now farmers sell the pruned stalks at farmers’ markets and more people enjoy them.
Garlic is not something that grows in this area. According to one of the articles, some garlic growers sell garlic scapes online. I would definitely like to taste them.
Have you ever tasted garlic scapes?
I din’t find garlic scapes gardening seeds, maybe you will have better luck.