# I loved boiled garlic and eat dozens daily...is this healthy?



## proverbs (Jul 9, 2014)

Hello everyone.

Well, I love garlic.  Unfortunately, I can't eat them raw because I stink and everyone I come in contact with wants to run away from me if I do.  But I do cook a ton of my dishes with garlic.  Most of the time, I will boil them so they are easily mash-able so I can put them in my dishes.  However, since I love them so much, I can easily eat 10+ garlic cloves with one meal.  For example, today I cooked a chicken breast with a soy sauce based soup/sauce.  I boiled about 15 garlic cloves in the sauce for about an hour.  I then mashed them all up and ate it with my chicken.

Is it ok to consume this much garlic?  I do love the flavor, but a big part of why I try and add garlic in my cooking is also for the health benefits.  Am I still receiving nutrients from the boiled garlic, or are all the health benefits gone after they are boiled?  Is there a better way to cook them?

TIA for any advice and suggestions!


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## menumaker (Jul 9, 2014)

Hi Proverbs,
Welcome to DC. 10-15 cloves a day, every day does seem rather a lot but if you haven't got any health issues such as tummy upsets or overheated blood system with it then I suppose it is OK. Garlic does infuse the skin so your body could still smell of garlic even if your breath doesn't smell ( ask a mate, a good mate, perhaps to have a sniff?? ). Maybe run your query past your health server or local pharmacist for some dosage info just to be sure otherwise, on you go!.


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## Steve Kroll (Jul 9, 2014)

This reminds me of a drummer I used to work with who ate lots and lots of garlic. Normally, he was fine to be around. But when he would play drums and begin to sweat, the smell of garlic was almost overpowering if you were within the vicinity. It was coming out of his pores. 

Strangely enough, he couldn't smell it himself.


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## Cheryl J (Jul 9, 2014)

I've never boiled it before, but I do love it roasted and mashed on toasted French bread.  I eat a fair amount but nowhere near 10-15 cloves a day. 

Welcome to DC!


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## GotGarlic (Jul 9, 2014)

It is indeed possible to eat too much garlic and cause problems for your health. People often think that if some of something is good for them, then more must be better, but this isn't necessarily true. Too much of some healthy substances can be poisonous. 

Towards the bottom of this page there are sections for Precautions and Interactions. Take a look: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/garlic


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## GotGarlic (Jul 9, 2014)

Menumaker, what do you mean by an overheated blood system?


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## Greg Who Cooks (Jul 9, 2014)

You can't overheat your blood system unless you are dehydrated or in a high temperature environment, or of course if you are sick or have an underlying medical condition. Otherwise your body's thermostat controls your body temperature. Incidentally having an increased temperature when sick is part of your body's defenses against disease.

Eat too much garlic? Hah! Only socially I imagine. My motto is, when I'm dating somebody and out to dinner, I make sure she orders something with garlic before I order my own dinner.

Your best sources of an authoritative answer are to ask your physician, or possibly a pharmacist although the latter are often evasive in their answers not related to specific medications.

My quick answer: AFAIK no way will garlic hurt your health, might even help it.


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## Addie (Jul 9, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> It is indeed possible to eat too much garlic and cause problems for your health. People often think that if some of something is good for them, then more must be better, but this isn't necessarily true. Too much of some healthy substances can be poisonous.
> 
> Towards the bottom of this page there are sections for Precautions and Interactions. Take a look: Garlic | University of Maryland Medical Center



So true GG. Just like drinking too much water in a short time can cause a person to drown. 

They know that garlic is beneficial for the heart. There is a product that you can purchase OTC called Garlique. But it can be deadly for diabetics. It can cause a sudden drop in your sugar. There is even a warning that can't be missed right on the package. 

Too much  of most animal livers can cause an overdose of Vitamin A. Even  predatory animals do not eat the liver of their kill.


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## CraigC (Jul 9, 2014)

Forty clove chicken!


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## GotGarlic (Jul 9, 2014)

CraigC said:


> Forty clove chicken!



That generally serves four people.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 9, 2014)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> My quick answer: AFAIK no way will garlic hurt your health, might even help it.



You might want to read the link I posted.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 9, 2014)

proverbs said:


> Hello everyone.
> 
> Well, I love garlic.  Unfortunately, I can't eat them raw because I stink and everyone I come in contact with wants to run away from me if I do.  But I do cook a ton of my dishes with garlic.  Most of the time, I will boil them so they are easily mash-able so I can put them in my dishes.  However, since I love them so much, I can easily eat 10+ garlic cloves with one meal.  For example, today I cooked a chicken breast with a soy sauce based soup/sauce.  I boiled about 15 garlic cloves in the sauce for about an hour.  I then mashed them all up and ate it with my chicken.
> 
> ...


There has been some work carried out which suggests that excessive consumption of garlic can caused haemolytic anaemia. 

Prevention of garlic-induced hemolytic anemia usi... [J Med Food. 2004] - PubMed - NCBI

I don't know what constitutes an excessive amount in humans but in horses a study showed that they had to consume 750 grammes a day (roughly a pound and a half) to induce the anaema. (The recommended dose of the 100% garlic powder I give Horse in one level teaspoon twice a day - nowhere near the equivalent of 750 grammes of fresh garlic!)

On the good side it has been shown to help the heart (a friend's husband was advised by his cardiologist to eat garlic for his heart's sake), in dogs and horses (and probably humans) it deters intestinal worms (although it shouldn't be used as an alternative to conventional antihelmintics), it's said to be good for the respiratory system and it deters flies and midges (it works for Horse in this last case). During the WWI they used to mash up garlic and use it on field dressings as an antiseptic. 

There is a French (unscientific) theory that the more you consume the less you smell of it. I can't vouch for the truth of this.


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## Addie (Jul 9, 2014)

CraigC said:


> Forty clove chicken!



I had that once. The person who made it had peeled every clove. I had most of the cloves and a thigh. Usually you don't peel the garlic cloves. You're right Craig. YUM!


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## Addie (Jul 9, 2014)

Cheryl J said:


> I've never boiled it before, but I do love it roasted and mashed on toasted French bread.  I eat a fair amount but nowhere near 10-15 cloves a day.
> 
> Welcome to DC!



I put a couple of peeled cloves in the water with the potatoes and leave them there. Then when I mash them I mash them right with the potatoes.


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## menumaker (Jul 10, 2014)

Fair question GG, Sorry I did not get back to you quicker, just time differences.There are certain foods that can have an adverse affect on the blood/liver/heart when eaten to excess. It doesn't mean as in 'getting hot' because of the external temperature (weather for instance) but internally  by making these organs work much harder, so like any engine, can overheat  Overdosing on vitamins is another cause sometimes. Check out this site as I am sure it will explain it better than me.  Heat Stress - Princeton University
web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/heatstress/heatstress.htm


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## CraigC (Jul 10, 2014)

Garlic fudge.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 10, 2014)

menumaker said:


> Fair question GG, Sorry I did not get back to you quicker, just time differences.There are certain foods that can have an adverse affect on the blood/liver/heart when eaten to excess. It doesn't mean as in 'getting hot' because of the external temperature (weather for instance) but internally  by making these organs work much harder, so like any engine, can overheat  Overdosing on vitamins is another cause sometimes. Check out this site as I am sure it will explain it better than me.  Heat Stress - Princeton University
> web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/heatstress/heatstress.htm



Thanks, MM. I understand what you mean, although that article is about too much exposure to environmental heat.


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## menumaker (Jul 10, 2014)

Oops! Should have read it more carefully shouldn't I?. Still, you get what I mean.


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## proverbs (Jul 10, 2014)

Thanks for all the replies!

Ok, so I will cut my garlic consumption down to about 3-5 cloves a day I guess.  It's just that when you boil them and mash them, they are so easy to eat.  The flavor is not strong at all and you can easily eat 10 cloves.

How about as far as nutritional benefits when eating the garlic raw vs. cooked?  From what I've read, it's best to eat it raw, AFTER they have been chopped up.  However, since the smell is so strong, I usually boil and eat them.  Does this strip the nutrients from the garlic?


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 10, 2014)

proverbs said:


> Thanks for all the replies!
> 
> Ok, so I will cut my garlic consumption down to about 3-5 cloves a day I guess.  It's just that when you boil them and mash them, they are so easy to eat.  The flavor is not strong at all and you can easily eat 10 cloves.
> 
> How about as far as nutritional benefits when eating the garlic raw vs. cooked?  From what I've read, it's best to eat it raw, AFTER they have been chopped up.  However, since the smell is so strong, I usually boil and eat them.  Does this strip the nutrients from the garlic?



Personally unless you are on the dating circuit, who cares about garlic smell?
I love the stuff and pay little if any attention this perceived problem.

Has anyone told you they smell garlic on you?  I may smell like garlic (i hope not) but no one ever mentioned it including my close family.
My wife would tell me if there was an issue.

So, whats the real issue.  Love of garlic or concern about others perception of you?


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## proverbs (Jul 10, 2014)

Roll_Bones, I've had numerous friends tell me that I stink LOL!  I could be standing 10 feet away from them and they would still be dying from the stench.  And of course I can't eat raw garlic when working, because everyone in the office complains 

However, with the boiled garlic, I don't really have a problem.  I can eat 10+ without having as strong of the garlic-y smell.  I just mash 'em and eat them!


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## menumaker (Jul 10, 2014)

If I ate raw garlic at that rate I wouldn't get out the rest -room for a week!! But that is between me and my digestive system. However, it is really good for all kinds of reasons, so enjoy but I suggest that 'all things in moderation' is a good rule of thumb in this case perhaps except for the odd occasion such as Chicken with 40 cloves and that is wonderful?


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## Mad Cook (Jul 10, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> Personally unless you are on the dating circuit, who cares about garlic smell?
> I love the stuff and pay little if any attention this perceived problem.
> 
> Has anyone told you they smell garlic on you?  I may smell like garlic (i hope not) but no one ever mentioned it including my close family.
> ...


The answer is to choose your friends and partners from the garlic-loving community.


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 11, 2014)

proverbs said:


> Roll_Bones, I've had numerous friends tell me that I stink LOL!  I could be standing 10 feet away from them and they would still be dying from the stench.  And of course I can't eat raw garlic when working, because everyone in the office complains
> 
> However, with the boiled garlic, I don't really have a problem.  I can eat 10+ without having as strong of the garlic-y smell.  I just mash 'em and eat them!



I see. Sorry to hear that.  I have never had boiled garlic. I roast garlic all the time though.
It has to taste much better than boiled garlic.



Mad Cook said:


> The answer is to choose your friends and partners from the garlic-loving community.



Hear Hear!  
I have a personal story concerning garlic and those not so familiar with garlic.
I'm in SC and my wife is from here.  So my wifes family are all southerners and my MIL had never seen a garlic bulb until she moved here.  In with us.

Garlic was some mysterious, devilish ingredient that only non - Americans ate in far away lands.
They never associated garlic bread or any other Italian foods with garlic either. I had a co-worker think that the oil and vinegar at Subway somehow think it was "garlics" as he called it.
"we don't eat garlics" were his words.

One Christmas I made a flat bread with onion and garlic topped with Parmesan.  I used lots of fresh garlic.  No one complained, but I did get several inquisitions as to how it was prepared.
To this very day, people i may have met once or twice in my life bring up this bread.
They must have been talking all these years about that bread and how "garlicky" it was.

I guess/hope the garlic mystery is solved for them or they hate it even more.  Not because they don't like the taste, but because in these parts people just don't use garlic. And those that do eat and appreciate garlic are from other lands.
Just my take.


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## Steve Kroll (Jul 11, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> ...in these parts people just don't use garlic. And those that do eat and appreciate garlic are from other lands.


Forgive me for saying so, but that's the most outlandish thing I've ever heard. I've lived in both Florida and Texas (which some may say is not part of the south, but that's hogwash. It's about as far south in the US as one can go). I have many friends who live in southern states, and have eaten at their homes numerous times. I don't know of any that don't use garlic, at least occasionally. How would you make Cajun/Creole cuisine without garlic? Or shrimp and grits? Or Tex-Mex? Or even pizza? The list goes on.

There's even an annual Garlic Fest in Delray Beach, Florida
http://dbgarlicfest.com/

Anyone who isn't at least familiar with garlic - and I don't care where they live - probably needs to get out more. But I sure wouldn't lump everyone in an entire region into that category.


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## Addie (Jul 11, 2014)

With all the chefs on television, food forums such as DC, published recipes in any language, garlic festivals and many other references, I don't think there is anyone of this earth who hasn't heard of garlic, except maybe the hermit that no one has seen for eons. It is no longer considered just an Italian or Mediterranean secret seasoning. When the Italians first started to immigrate to this country at the turn of the 20th century, one of their foods that they grew because they couldn't find them in the stores was tomatoes. The rest of America found out all the great things you can do with them. Like garlic, they no longer are just an Italian oddity.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 11, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> Forgive me for saying so, but that's the most outlandish thing I've ever heard. I've lived in both Florida and Texas (which some may say is not part of the south, but that's hogwash. It's about as far south in the US as one can go). I have many friends who live in southern states, and have eaten at their homes numerous times. I don't know of any that don't use garlic, at least occasionally. How would you make Cajun/Creole cuisine without garlic? Or shrimp and grits? Or Tex-Mex? Or even pizza? The list goes on.
> 
> There's even an annual Garlic Fest in Delray Beach, Florida
> http://dbgarlicfest.com/
> ...



Like.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 11, 2014)

Addie said:


> With all the chefs on television, food forums such as DC, published recipes in any language, garlic festivals and many other references, I don't think there is anyone of this earth who hasn't heard of garlic, except maybe the hermit that no one has seen for eons. It is no longer considered just an Italian or Mediterranean secret seasoning. When the Italians first started to immigrate to this country at the turn of the 20th century, one of their foods that they grew because they couldn't find them in the stores was tomatoes. The rest of America found out all the great things you can do with them. Like garlic, they no longer are just an Italian oddity.



This makes no sense to me. My mother's family is from Virginia and North Carolina and serving sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with meals is a long-standing tradition. Italian immigrants did not bring tomatoes to America with them. They probably grew them for the same reason my ancestors did - the old-style tomatoes didn't travel well, which is why they weren't in the stores.


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## JGDean (Jul 11, 2014)

I remember Jeff Smith, "The Frugal Gourmet" on his TV series saying something to the effect of - If your lover doesn't like garlic, find another lover...


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## Mad Cook (Jul 11, 2014)

Garlic is said to have been introduced to Britain in the 1540s although there may be a reference to it in a fourteenth century book "The Forme of Cury" ("cury" coming from the french "cuire" and nothing to do with curry)

Some people here still refer to it as "foreign muck"  

I would have thought with the French and Spanish influences on food in the south of the US garlic would have been an early introduction.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 11, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> Personally unless you are on the dating circuit, who cares about garlic smell?
> I love the stuff and pay little if any attention this perceived problem.
> 
> Has anyone told you they smell garlic on you?  I may smell like garlic (i hope not) but no one ever mentioned it including my close family.
> ...


"Personally unless you are on the dating circuit, who cares about garlic smell?" - Possibly the person you sit next to on the bus, at work, at the cinema, your partner, your dentist, etc. It's not about how people perceive you it's about how uncomfortable you make people feel.

And _some _people who eat excessive amounts of garlic don't take excessive amounts of baths and second hand garlic the next day is seriously disgusting.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 11, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> Garlic is said to have been introduced to Britain in the 1540s although there may be a reference to it in a fourteenth century book "The Forme of Cury" ("cury" coming from the french "cuire" and nothing to do with curry)
> 
> Some people here still refer to it as "foreign muck"
> 
> I would have thought with the French and Spanish influences on food in the south of the US garlic would have been an early introduction.



There are at least (off the top of my head) a dozen states in the American South. RB is speaking of his own experience in the state of South Carolina. I have no idea why garlic would have skipped that one state.


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 11, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> Forgive me for saying so, but that's the most outlandish thing I've ever heard. I've lived in both Florida and Texas (which some may say is not part of the south, but that's hogwash. It's about as far south in the US as one can go). I have many friends who live in southern states, and have eaten at their homes numerous times. I don't know of any that don't use garlic, at least occasionally. How would you make Cajun/Creole cuisine without garlic? Or shrimp and grits? Or Tex-Mex? Or even pizza? The list goes on.
> 
> There's even an annual Garlic Fest in Delray Beach, Florida
> Delray Beach Garlic Fest | The Best Stinkin' Party in Delray Beach
> ...



Ever watched the Beverly Hillbilly's on TV?
I am talking extremely rural southern mountain people.
They don't use garlic, they don't eat garlic on purpose and they could care less if they ever used garlic or tasted it in their lives.
Of course you will find the exception if you look hard enough. 



Mad Cook said:


> "Personally unless you are on the dating circuit, who cares about garlic smell?" - Possibly the person you sit next to on the bus, at work, at the cinema, your partner, your dentist, etc. It's not about how people perceive you it's about how uncomfortable you make people feel.
> 
> And _some _people who eat excessive amounts of garlic don't take excessive amounts of baths and second hand garlic the next day is seriously disgusting.



  I can see where the lack of bathing and the overuse of garlic could lead to off odors?
Just never really noticed garlic smell coming from anyone.  I hear about it though.


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## Addie (Jul 11, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> This makes no sense to me. My mother's family is from Virginia and North Carolina and serving sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with meals is a long-standing tradition. Italian immigrants did not bring tomatoes to America with them. They probably grew them for the same reason my ancestors did - the old-style tomatoes didn't travel well, which is why they weren't in the stores.



I didn't say they brought them here. What I said was that they could not readily find them so they grew their own. The majority of Italian immigrants were mostly from the land. And you are right. The tomato didn't travel very well. There were no canneries right next to the fields as there is today. The Pirates MIL and FIL every year had a garden that was abundant with fresh produce. What they didn't eat, was canned or frozen. They still do it to this day. Even though they are well into their last years. They were born and lived in Italy during the war, so they knew what hunger was. When they came to this country, the mother was determined her children would never know hunger. They not only had an abundant garden, but also made their own sausages, and other foods. But she had to have those tomatoes. Most of her dishes were dependent on those tomatoes. 

Because the south has a longer growing season, the immigrants that settled down there were able to have even greater gardens. She had two sisters that settled in Alabama. She went to visit them in the fall, and their gardens were full and waiting to be picked. She was so impressed, she tried her darnedest to convince her husband to move down there so they could have a better garden than what they were able to grow in the small back yard plot. For her and others like her it was always about growing your own food. Tomatoes included.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 11, 2014)

Addie said:


> I didn't say they brought them here. What I said was that they could not readily find them so they grew their own. The majority of Italian immigrants were mostly from the land. And you are right. The tomato didn't travel very well. There were no canneries right next to the fields as there is today. The Pirates MIL and FIL every year had a garden that was abundant with fresh produce. What they didn't eat, was canned or frozen. They still do it to this day. Even though they are well into their last years. They were born and lived in Italy during the war, so they knew what hunger was. When they came to this country, the mother was determined her children would never know hunger. They not only had an abundant garden, but also made their own sausages, and other foods. But she had to have those tomatoes. Most of her dishes were dependent on those tomatoes.
> 
> Because the south has a longer growing season, the immigrants that settled down there were able to have even greater gardens. She had two sisters that settled in Alabama. She went to visit them in the fall, and their gardens were full and waiting to be picked. She was so impressed, she tried her darnedest to convince her husband to move down there so they could have a better garden than what they were able to grow in the small back yard plot. For her and others like her it was always about growing your own food. Tomatoes included.



This part - "no longer are just an Italian oddity"  - makes it sound like you think America didn't have tomatoes before the Italians taught us what to do with them. And you make it sound like the only people who preserved their food were the Italians you're familiar with in Boston. 

Before there were supermarkets, just about everyone grew and preserved their own food, including my German great-grandparents in Michigan and their relatives in Minnesota, and they made their own sausages and sauerkraut as well. My mom, who is about your age, told me that the women in the Virginia town where she grew up used the big kitchens in the local schools to have canning parties - it's more fun, and economical, to do it with a group. Too bad we can't do that anymore.


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## Addie (Jul 12, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> This part - "no longer are just an Italian oddity"  - makes it sound like you think America didn't have tomatoes before the Italians taught us what to do with them. And you make it sound like the only people who preserved their food were the Italians you're familiar with in Boston.
> 
> Before there were supermarkets, just about everyone grew and preserved their own food, including my German great-grandparents in Michigan and their relatives in Minnesota, and they made their own sausages and sauerkraut as well. My mom, who is about your age, told me that the women in the Virginia town where she grew up used the big kitchens in the local schools to have canning parties - it's more fun, and economical, to do it with a group. Too bad we can't do that anymore.



Canning and quilting parties sadly gone by the wayside. When I was living in Tacoma, I had the privilege of attending both. By way of the church. Lots of fun and laughter. Sharing was just part of the equation. 

If my memory serves me right, the tomato, potato, corn and cocoa found their way to Europe via the Native Americans then back. The tomato with great suspicion. And rightly so. Like the potato they are members of the nightshade family. As Martha would say, "Not a good thing."


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## Greg Who Cooks (Jul 12, 2014)

Addie said:


> If my memory serves me right, the tomato, potato, corn and cocoa found their way to Europe via the Native Americans then back. The tomato with great suspicion. And rightly so. Like the potato they are members of the nightshade family. As Martha would say, "Not a good thing."



I would say New World or The Americas... Yes, all came from there. I was surprised that both tomatoes and potatoes are _Solamum_ but it's true. I don't see how such different species could be so closely related.

Garlic of course came from Asia. Speaking of which, all this talk decided me to have garlic mashed potatoes tonight!


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## GotGarlic (Jul 12, 2014)

We're back from a week's vacation and I found one garlic bulb and a separate clove sprouting. I'll plant them in the garden tomorrow.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 12, 2014)

Addie said:


> If my memory serves me right, the tomato, potato, corn and cocoa found their way to Europe via the Native Americans then back. The tomato with great suspicion. And rightly so. Like the potato they are members of the nightshade family. As Martha would say, "Not a good thing."



Native Americans grew corn, beans and squash. I believe tomatoes, potatoes, cocoa and bell and hot peppers came from further south - Mexico and Central and South America.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jul 12, 2014)

Greg Who Cooks said:


> I would say New World or The Americas... Yes, all came from there.* I was surprised that both tomatoes and potatoes are Solamum but it's true. I don't see how such different species could be so closely related.*
> 
> Garlic of course came from Asia. Speaking of which, all this talk decided me to have garlic mashed potatoes tonight!



It has to do with their pH values.  They are alkaline.


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## CrazyCatLady (Jul 12, 2014)

Well, about eating too much garlic, I don't know. Depending on how many bats are in your belfry could make a difference, I reckon.

LOL!

Once when I was a kid, I was in the kitchen with Mom as usual, at her elbow as she cooked. I wanted a taste of uncooked garlic, so I picked up a clove and bit right into it.

*I...
NEVER...
DID...
THAT...
AGAIN...
EVER!!!*


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## Cooking Goddess (Jul 13, 2014)

Since garlic can pair nicely with tomatoes I guess we haven't strayed too far OT, right? 

In case you're interested, this is a short-and-sweet history of the Love Apple. (*tomato (fruit) -- Encyclopedia Britannica*) I especially like the part about tomatoes being grown in Thomas Jefferson's garden. I'm rather fond of our 3rd president.


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## Addie (Jul 13, 2014)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Since garlic can pair nicely with tomatoes I guess we haven't strayed too far OT, right?
> 
> In case you're interested, this is a short-and-sweet history of the Love Apple. (*tomato (fruit) -- Encyclopedia Britannica*) I especially like the part about tomatoes being grown in Thomas Jefferson's garden. I'm rather fond of our 3rd president.



Well, we finally have someone who can spell long words. YEA  Thank you CG. You didn't run to Wiki. And we all know how reliable that source is.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 13, 2014)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Since garlic can pair nicely with tomatoes I guess we haven't strayed too far OT, right?
> 
> In case you're interested, this is a short-and-sweet history of the Love Apple. (*tomato (fruit) -- Encyclopedia Britannica*) I especially like the part about tomatoes being grown in Thomas Jefferson's garden. I'm rather fond of our 3rd president.



If you've never been to his home in Monticello, it's worth a visit. The foundation that maintains the property has planted the garden the same way he did - he kept detailed notes on everything he did. The rest of the house is pretty interesting, too.


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 13, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> We're back from a week's vacation and I found one garlic bulb and a separate clove sprouting. I'll plant them in the garden tomorrow.



Do you just plant a clove and get bulbs from it!



Addie said:


> Well, we finally have someone who can spell long words. YEA  Thank you CG. You didn't run to Wiki. And we all know how reliable that source is.



I think Wiki is fairly accurate on many things.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 13, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> Do you just plant a clove and get bulbs from it!



Yes, that's exactly how it works  It takes about 6-8 months.



Roll_Bones said:


> I think Wiki is fairly accurate on many things.



It's more accurate than it used to be. I think they tightened up on the idea of allowing anyone to edit anything.


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## Addie (Jul 13, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> It's more accurate than it used to be. I think they tightened up on the idea of allowing anyone to edit anything.



And it is because anyone could go in and change the information to their liking. Most of the correct information has been copied from reliable sources. But some of it is way out of date, needs updating and just plain garbage.


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## Cooking Goddess (Jul 13, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> If you've never been to his home in Monticello, it's worth a visit. The foundation that maintains the property has planted the garden the same way he did - he kept detailed notes on everything he did. The rest of the house is pretty interesting, too.


GG, we've been there two or three times. I think my favorite thing is the hole in the foyer so that the clock weight can drop down. It gives me a smile knowing even super-smart Jefferson could make a mistake.  We've also been to Poplar Forest at least twice. I think I like that one even better just because that's where he would go to "relax".


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## GotGarlic (Jul 13, 2014)

Cooking Goddess said:


> GG, we've been there two or three times. I think my favorite thing is the hole in the foyer so that the clock weight can drop down. It gives me a smile knowing even super-smart Jefferson could make a mistake.  We've also been to Poplar Forest at least twice. I think I like that one even better just because that's where he would go to "relax".



We've had six exchange students, so I'd guess we've been there are least five times  DH took pictures of his book holder at the Jefferson Memorial in DC and sent them to his dad, who is a retired Ford engineer and enjoys wood-working. He made me a replica of the book holder from the pix alone!


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## Addie (Jul 13, 2014)

This man was smart enough to leave a his genius.


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## Cheryl J (Jul 13, 2014)

GG, that is VERY nice!!  My son-in-law does wood working, too - I so appreciate hand made wood work from talented folks.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 13, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> I think Wiki is fairly accurate on many things.


The problem is knowing which things it's accurate on.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 13, 2014)

Cooking Goddess said:


> GG, we've been there two or three times. I think my favorite thing is the hole in the foyer so that the clock weight can drop down. It gives me a smile knowing even super-smart Jefferson could make a mistake.  We've also been to Poplar Forest at least twice. I think I like that one even better just because that's where he would go to "relax".


Monticello and it's garden is on my list of "to does" if and when I ever get to the States. There are several references to it in Jane Grigson's veg book


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