The secret’s out! Our premium black garlic is made through a proprietary process but it starts with the best. We use organic, on-farm grown and hand-harvested elephant garlic — have you heard of it?
You may or may not know that elephant garlic is actually in the leek family (still both a part of the allium family alongside onions, chives, etc). Many people use it just as they would true garlic and do so to enjoy its unique garlic flavor and easy-to-work-with large cloves. It looks and grows just like garlic and it was the very first garlic we grew. All garlic species are botanically classified as Allium Sativum but elephant garlic is Allium Ampeloprasum!
Elephant garlic can grow to be over twice the size of its largest “true garlic” cousins and has a milder taste, but with a sharp onion-like edge to it and a distinctive aftertaste. They average five monstrously large cloves that are somewhat yellowish compared to the milky whiteness of true garlic cloves. It grows extremely clean and disease free, and does not seem to be bothered by insects. In our experience, it stores very well (much longer than other garlic). Even when separated into individual cloves it will store about a year at room temp in a dark, cool, dry place.
The bulb’s papery skins on elephant garlic are extremely white and when they cure they become very thin and flaky and so are intact only on freshly harvested bulbs. After a few months they seem to evaporate, leaving bare or almost bare bulbs that have a rather rough look; but that does not seem to affect their storability much and makes use in the kitchen so easy!
Elephant garlic is versatile – mild enough you can take a whole bulb of it and slice the cloves into 1/4″ thick slices, sauté them in butter or olive oil and serve them as a side dish if you really love them! They do still pack a punch raw and we love that so use in whatever way suits you best! Elephant garlic it is the king of roasting garlic as the bang for your buck is incredible and of course as you now know — it makes the best black garlic around!
