Eat Better! And Why Grow Your Own Garlic?

In the tapestry of culinary traditions that weave through our lives, one thread stands out with profound significance: the act of growing our own food. It's a practice that transcends mere sustenance; it embodies a deeper connection to our land, our health, and our traditions—traditions that endure through the ages, resonating with the principles of natural selection.

Today, as we navigate the complexities of modern food systems, the question arises: where do our ingredients truly come from? Are they cultivated with care, free from harmful pesticides that threaten both our health and the environment? When we relinquish control to faceless corporations, the transparency and integrity of our meals fade into obscurity. Can we afford to remain detached from the source of our sustenance, or must we reclaim our culinary autonomy?

Growing our own food isn't merely a return to simpler times; it's a declaration of self-sufficiency and conscientious living. It empowers us to nurture not only our bodies but also our communities, fostering resilience against the uncertainties of global supply chains. By cultivating our own gardens, we cultivate resilience and self-reliance. We redefine ourselves not as passive consumers, but as stewards of our own nourishment.

In a world where convenience often trumps connection, the act of growing food becomes an act of defiance—a reclaiming of heritage and a commitment to health. It's a journey that invites us to savor the flavors of homegrown produce, knowing each bite is a testament to our dedication to quality and sustainability.

As we look to the future, let us not overlook the wisdom of traditions that have sustained generations. Let us embrace the challenge of cultivating our own food, not as a burden, but as a celebration of our ability to shape our culinary destinies. For in the fertile soil of our gardens lies not just sustenance, but the seeds of a healthier, more connected future—one where every meal is a testament to our independence and reverence for the land.

Join the movement. Grow your own food. Rediscover the joy of nourishing both body and soul from the ground up. The journey begins in your own backyard, where tradition meets innovation, and every harvest is a triumph of flavor and freedom.

How about staring by growing your own Garlic? Sure Garlic gives us really bad breath. And many keep their distance from garlic and rarely use it in cooking because it just streams out of our skin pores like nothing else. Nonetheless, garlic makes everything savory (or sweet in some cases) and helps many dishes simply taste much better. Because I love garlic so much, I grow my own. And you can too. Here are 9 reasons to grow your own garlic.

The Transformative Power of Cooking: A Deep Dive into Michael Pollan’s Cooked

In an era where convenience dominates the food landscape, where takeout apps dictate our dinner choices, and where processed foods crowd grocery store aisles, Michael Pollan’s Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation stands as a powerful manifesto urging us to reclaim one of the most essential human activities—cooking. Pollan, a journalist, food philosopher, and advocate for mindful eating, embarks on a fascinating journey in Cooked, exploring the history, science, and cultural significance of cooking through the four classical elements: fire, water, air, and earth. Through these elements, he reveals not just how we prepare food, but how food shapes us—our health, our communities, and even our identity.

This book is more than a treatise on food; it’s a call to arms for anyone who has ever felt disconnected from their meals, who has questioned the hidden ingredients behind processed foods, or who has longed for a deeper connection to the act of making something with their own hands. In Cooked, Pollan urges us to see cooking not as a chore but as a form of liberation—an antidote to the passive consumption that industrial food culture promotes.

Fire: The Element of Transformation and Community

Pollan begins his journey with fire, the first and most primal method of cooking, one that links us directly to our ancient ancestors. Fire, he argues, was not just a tool for survival but a force that shaped human evolution itself. Cooking over fire allowed our ancestors to access more nutrients, making food easier to digest and absorb, which in turn supported the development of larger brains. In this section, Pollan immerses himself in the art of barbecue, learning from pit masters in the American South who have preserved the slow, smoke-infused traditions of wood-fired cooking.

But this isn’t just about barbecue—it's about what fire represents: a communal, almost sacred act that brings people together. He contrasts the visceral, hands-on nature of fire-based cooking with the sterile, pre-packaged world of modern fast food. Fire cooking requires patience, skill, and an appreciation for the slow process, something that mass food production has all but erased from our collective consciousness.

Water: The Alchemy of the Pot

Moving from fire to water, Pollan explores the realm of braising, boiling, and stewing—the techniques that allowed civilizations to harness the power of grains, vegetables, and tougher cuts of meat. If fire was the domain of hunters, then water was the domain of civilization, giving rise to domestic kitchens where cooking became an everyday ritual rather than an occasional necessity.

In this section, Pollan apprentices with professional chefs and home cooks, learning the magic of slow-simmered dishes like stews and braises. He examines how cooking with water allows for the development of deep, complex flavors, and how the rise of processed foods has led to a generation of people who have lost their connection to these time-honored methods. Supermarkets have conditioned us to believe that good food comes from boxes, packets, and microwaveable trays—yet nothing compares to a pot of homemade soup, simmering on the stove for hours, filling the home with rich, intoxicating aromas.

Pollan’s argument is clear: the convenience of pre-packaged meals has not only stripped us of cooking skills but has also distanced us from the pleasure of food. Cooking with water is about patience, tradition, and the simple act of nurturing ourselves and those we love.

Air: The Miracle of Bread

In the section on air, Pollan dives into the world of bread-making, one of the oldest and most fundamental human food traditions. Here, he examines the process of fermentation, leavening, and the science behind what makes bread rise. He explores why industrial bread, stripped of its natural complexity, pales in comparison to traditional, slow-fermented loaves made from just flour, water, salt, and wild yeast.

Pollan takes a deep dive into the history of bread, tracing its origins back to ancient civilizations that relied on naturally occurring microbes to produce loaves rich in nutrients and flavor. He contrasts this with modern commercial bread, which is pumped full of preservatives, bleached flours, and chemical additives that compromise both its nutritional value and its taste.

Perhaps the most striking argument Pollan makes in this section is that our bodies were designed for real bread—bread made with patience and care—yet industrial food systems have manipulated this staple into something that is barely recognizable. By making his own bread, Pollan discovers a truth that applies not only to baking but to all of cooking: when we take the time to do it ourselves, we create something vastly superior to anything we can buy.

Earth: The Invisible World of Fermentation

The final section of Cooked delves into the fascinating, microscopic world of fermentation. Pollan explores how the process of controlled rot—through bacteria, yeast, and fungi—has played an essential role in human diets for millennia. From cheese to beer, kimchi to sauerkraut, he highlights the transformative power of microbes in enhancing flavors, preserving foods, and even improving gut health.

He spends time with fermentation experts, learning how to craft homemade cheese, brew beer, and ferment vegetables, uncovering the lost wisdom of cultures that relied on these techniques long before refrigeration and artificial preservatives. What emerges is a powerful argument that industrial food systems have stripped our diets of beneficial bacteria, replacing them with sterilized, highly processed alternatives that harm rather than nourish.

Pollan makes a compelling case for the importance of reintroducing real, living foods into our diets. He explains how fermentation not only makes food more digestible and nutritious but also connects us to an ancient, invisible world that we have largely forgotten in the modern age.

The Larger Message: Reclaiming Our Kitchens, Our Health, and Our Food Culture

At its core, Cooked is more than a book about cooking—it’s about reclaiming something fundamental to our humanity. Pollan argues that cooking is not just a domestic chore but a radical act of independence. When we cook for ourselves, we reject the corporate food industry’s control over our meals. We take back power over our health, our traditions, and our cultural heritage.

Pollan exposes the hidden costs of convenience—how ultra-processed foods have contributed to rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and chronic illness. He challenges us to consider what we’ve lost by outsourcing our meals to corporations that prioritize profit over nourishment. And, perhaps most importantly, he shows us that cooking is not only necessary but deeply rewarding.

In Cooked, Pollan is not advocating for a return to the past, but rather for a balance—one in which we learn from tradition while embracing modern knowledge. He invites us to rediscover the satisfaction of preparing meals with our own hands, to slow down and savor the process, and to recognize that food is more than fuel—it’s culture, history, and a deeply personal act of care.

The book leaves us with an undeniable truth: cooking is a transformative experience, one that connects us to our roots, our families, and the very essence of what it means to be human. And in a world where food has become increasingly industrialized and detached from its origins, Pollan’s message is more urgent than ever.

So, let’s step into our kitchens. Let’s light the fire, simmer the pot, knead the dough, and watch as nature itself transforms our ingredients into something extraordinary. In doing so, we don’t just make a meal—we reclaim a vital piece of ourselves.

Garlic: Another Message

1. Some of the supermarket garlic is imported from China, where it may be grown under questionable conditions, then bleached and fumigated before it enters the U.S. What we see in supermarkets is generally one type of garlic - a white softneck.  Garlic lovers with a taste for something a bit more diverse might try growing hardneck garlic (Get your seed garlic: GroEat Garlic Farm.)  By growing your own hardneck garlic, you will get more of the true diversity of garlic, like the hardneck porcelain to purple-stripe types;  all with wonderful, mild to fiery hot tastes.

2. Homegrown garlic has been found to have higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and allicin, the compound that is responsible for garlic’s health benefits. You need to plant your Garlic bulbs in an open, sunny site with fluffy, fertile soil with plenty of organic matter.

3. Garlic is easy to grow at home by following a few simple guidelines. Begin by ordering your seed in August or early September for good availability. (Order Hardneck seed garlic from: GroEat Garlic Farm.)  Garlic sold in the grocery store is not recommended for planting. If you are unable to purchase garlic by mail order, check at your local farmers market where you can find named varieties for sale. In simple terms, there are two types of garlic to choose from: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck varieties of garlic grows well in cooler climates (northern hemisphere of the United States). Softneck grows well in warmer regions. One advantage of softneck varieties is that they store longer than hardneck varieties. The big advantage of hardneck garlic is it is more flavorful as compared to softneck. A few hardneck varieties that are easy to grow include "Music", "Spanish Roja", "German Extra Hardy", and "Chesnok Red". Growing your own garlic allows you to experience entirely new flavors that vary from mild and nutty to hot, zingy and spicy. Begin by separating a bulb into cloves. Plant only the largest, plumpest cloves 6-8 inches apart.  The bigger the clove the bigger the bulb it will produce.  Tuck the cloves into your prepared site with the flat side down and the pointy side up.  The top of each clove should be about three inches below the soil surface.

4. Garlic plants are unique and beautiful. They are one of the first plants to emerge in the spring (sometimes they pop out of the snow!) and grow tall with beautiful broad leaves. They develop a gorgeous "pig tail" called a garlic scape that is attractive and delicious. It is recommended you remove this scape, so the plant can pour its energy into building large garlic bulbs.

5. Garlic uses garden space at a time it would normally go unused. You can plant another crop of peas or beans after you harvest the garlic in late July of next year. Most home gardeners put a great deal of energy and time into planting seeds in the spring. By growing your own garlic, you'll be planting in the fall. It will be one less thing you have to worry about in the spring, and you'll have cute, green plants to look at when you're planting the rest of your garden.

6. For every garlic clove planted into the soil (pointy side up), you’ll get a big return. Hardneck garlic, grown in ideal conditions, can produce 5 to 6 times more than planted. For example, if you order a pound of "Music" garlic for planting, you'll probably have 4 or 7 bulbs (depending on the size) 4 to 7 cloves per bulb to plant. At harvest, you could potentially end up with more than 5 pounds of fresh garlic.

7. By growing your own garlic, you can save your own "seed" for planting in the fall. Garlic is typically grown from cloves, not garlic seed. There’s a big difference between ‘garlic seed’ and ‘seed garlic.’  Most people plant seed garlic, which means planting large well-formed garlic cloves from healthy disease-free stock.  Garlic seed, on the other hand, is produced at the end of the "pigtail" garlic scape, in the garlic plant's flower. Because you will be removing the scape in early summer, you may never see these "seeds". After harvest, select the largest bulbs and cloves for planting in the fall. Keep in mind, that seed garlic obtained from a distributor will probably need to go through acclimatization where it settles into your climate, location, and garden soil. In other words, it may take a couple of years for garlic to settle into your soil and climate before it grows big and bold.

8. By growing your own garlic, you just might eat more garlic! If you eat garlic on a regular basis, it may provide you with important health benefits. Garlic has been used as medicine for thousands of years and it is still regularly prescribed, either as food or in supplement form, for a wide array of ailments. Garlic is considered possibly effective for: certain types of cancer; high blood pressure; and several fungal conditions including ringworm and athlete’s foot. For more detailed information on the health effects of garlic, see this article by the National Institute of Health.

9. Having your own garlic patch has many health benefits: It helps you eat more fresh food as you decide what kinds of fertilizers and pesticides come in contact with your food. It saves you money at the grocery store. Growing garlic in your garden gives you a new appreciation for nature when you can have the opportunity to see how garlic grows. Growing Garlic may also stimulate many new interests. You may want to learn more about botany and nutrition. Growing garlic also gives you the opportunity to give back to your community. If you have abundant garlic bulbs, you might give these bulbs to the local soup kitchen or food bank. Growing garlic can be a great time to create memories with your children, memories that can last a lifetime. Growing garlic can lead to new skills and knowledge for you and your family. For more information, see this article by Harvard Medical School.

Mr. Jere Folgert is the owner of GroEat Garlic Farm in Bozeman, Montana. GroEat Farm is a small, sustainable family farm located in the beautiful Hyalite Foothills, in the shadows of the Gallatin Mountain Range.  The hardneck varieties that they grow on their farm flourish, due to the combination of the cold winters, temperate summers, moist spring, and the dynamic alluvial soils, washed down from the Gallatin Range.

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