These big, beautiful, juicy, meaty bulbs will entice and seduce you with their beguiling aroma. Be taken…
Green garlic is simply the uncured mature head of garlic. Curing the garlic is a method of drying the bulb to make it last longer and not need refrigeration. If garlic is to be cured, it is left with the full stalk on–several feet of it–so the the stalk will help to draw the moisture from the bulb (this is the very reason we suggest separating any root veggies from the tops, when they come in bunches with the greens on).
The skin on the outside of the head and the membrane around each clove becomes papery as the head dries, but is quite soft, and likely edible when the garlic is still green. Just slice the head like an onion, and you can use the stalk, too.
If the membrane is tough, remove it, but if not, just use the whole thing. It tastes like regular garlic–the flavor may be a little less concentrated than cured garlic, but more intense than garlic scapes. It’s delicious fried/sauteed in olive oil. Slice the stalk into thin strips before frying and they get like crispy straws that are great over a salad, or just for snacking. Saute the slices until soft and eat on crusty bread with the garlicky olive oil. Do your own experimenting.
And look, it’s a snow man.
