The Garlic Companion is a well written and curated monograph on humble but wonderful garlic written by 5th generation farmer Kristin Graves. Due out 17th Sept 2024 from Storey, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is an all-in-one collection about garlic, from culture and properties, to using/showcasing the bulbs in food and crafts. The author is knowledgeable and writes well. The information is organized logically and is accessible and understandable. The introductory chapter contains botanical, historical, and pharmacological info (it's one of the most ancient agricultural products known to mankind and has been used as an ingredient in food and medicines since Neolithic times).
The following chapters are arranged logically: recipes for food, crafts, culturing garlic for the home gardener/DIY, and finally pickling & preserving.
Recipes contain an introduction and description, ingredients in a bullet list, followed by step-by-step cooking and prep. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units with metric measurements in parentheses (yay!). Recipe ingredients are mostly easily sourced and will be available in any well stocked grocer or farmers' market in North America.
The crafts range the gamut from utterly practical (how to make a garlic braid) to a bit frou-frou but still on the good side of fun and quirky (a garlic harvest crown with wheat, flowers, and whole garlic bulbs).
Each of the recipes and tutorials is accompanied by one or more color photos. The photos are clear and professionally styled. Serving suggestions are appealing and appropriate.
Five stars. This would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, gardening groups/allotment garden groups, smallholders, and home use. Really the definitive up-to-date volume on garlic.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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