10 Things Local Author Says You Should Know About Garlic

Garlic is a natural super power that can:

• Prevent and reverse heart disease,
• Reduce and stabilize blood pressure,
• Reduce the chance of stroke,
• Fight infection and cancer,
• Protect against harmful toxins and pollution,
• Help regulate blood sugar and
• Help achieve weight-loss goals.

Here's a garlic-focused quiz to amuse and educate. Want to learn more? Come to the on Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. for "" a book signing and discussion with Trina Clickner, author of "A Miscellany of Garlic." (Bring mints!) 

1) Which country consumes the most garlic, per person/capita, per year?

a. Italy
b. France
c. China
d. Korea
e. Japan
f. England

(ANSWER: c. China. Some Chinese eat up to 12 cloves a day to stay youthful, strong and healthy. China also produces the most garlic worldwide.)

2) "Elephant garlic" is the common name for the largest and most potent garlic variety available.

a. True
b. False

(ANSWER: b. False. Elephant garlic is really a leek. It is not a garlic at all and is milder. It tastes more like a leek than a garlic.)

3) Garlic's almighty amino-acids and enzymes combine to activate garlic's amazing healing properties only when garlic is cut or crushed. These healing powers are unleashed in what timeframe once combined?

a. Immediately
b. In about 5 seconds
c. In about 10 seconds
d. In about 20 seconds
e. After 90 seconds

(ANSWER: c. In about 10 seconds. When a clove is crushed or cut, garlic's amino acid alliin combines with garlic's enzyme alliinase to produce allicin. Allicin is fragrant and medicinal. It is a natural insecticide and powerful antibacterial agent.)

4) Garlic should be ______________ to ensure a long shelf live after purchase. Which two of the following are correct?

a. Stored in the refrigerator
b. Stored in the dark
c. Stored in an airtight container
d. Stored with good ventilation
e. Hung on the wall

(ANSWER: b & d are correct. Cold signals garlic to grow so keeping in the refrigerator is a sure way to make it sprout. Garlic is alive. It needs to breathe and requires good ventilation.)

5) The types of garlic that is best suited for making decorative garlic braids are:

a. Hardneck
b. Softneck
c. Artichoke
d. Redneck
e. Purple glazer
f. Decorative, giant alliums

(ANSWER: c and d. Softneck garlic is best suited for braiding because it has a soft neck and no hard stem. Artichoke garlic is a variety of softneck garlic.)

6) Which of the following are related to garlic, allium sativum, a member of the lily family?

a. Leeks
b. Shallots
c. Onions
d. Tulips
e. Scallions/welch onions
f. Chives
g. Ramps
h. Aloe
i. Lilies
j. Daffodils

(ANSWER: All are related to garlic but the closest relatives in the Lily family are a, b, c, e, f, and g. Aloe [h] is the most distant relative.)

7) Garlic is used for all of the following feats except for one of the following. Which one?

a. A hemroid remedy
b. A love potion
c. An amorous coverup
d. To repel vampires
e. As an emergency guitar pick
f. For facials
g. As glue
h. As a food preservative
i. As a flea repellent

(ANSWER: e. Garlic does it all but we've yet to see it used as a guitar pick in a bluegrass or old-time jam!)

8) Garlic supplements provide most of the health benefits that raw garlic provides but which of the following is also true for garlic supplements?

a. Minimize garlic body and breath order
b. Allow more accurate dosing
c. Stay fresh longer and are more portable
d. Have fewer "side effects"
e. Require less preparation

(ANSWER: All are true.)

9) In recipes, a "clove" of garlic means:

a. 1/2 teaspoon, minced
b. 1 teaspoon, minced
c. 1 Tablespoon, minced

(ANSWER: b: 1 teaspoon, minced. Silverskin and artichoke garlic often has inner cloves that are as small as or smaller than your little fingernail. It will take a few of these tiny cloves to fill the teaspoon that equates to the recipe "clove.")

10) Which of the following California cities is known as the garlic capital of the U.S. and what is grown / produced in the surrounding area?

a. Salinas and lettuce
b. Napa and grapes
c. Sonoma and goat cheese
d. Modesto and beef
e. Mendocino and marijuana
f. Gilroy and onions
g. Truckee and pinenuts

(ANSWER: f. Gilroy and onions. Gilroy hosts the world's largest garlic festival during the last weekend in July. It is a three-day garlic jamboree!)