Garlic & Popcorn pack an antioxidant punch!

Did you know that popcorn is one of the healthiest snacks around?

Popcorn is loaded with antioxidants, even more than many fruits and vegetables.

However, skip the microwavable stuff and pop your own in an air-popper or the stove top kind. It’ll save money and be much healthier. 

According to a study from the University of Minnesota, diacetyl, the flavoring that gives microwave popcorn its buttery flavor could trigger a buildup of plaque causing Alzheimers. The research found that diacetyl increases the clumping in the brain of a protein, beta-amyloid, and hinders the brain’s ability to clear it.

You’ll further add to popcorn’s healthful properties by cutting down on the butter. 

Try this instead for mouthwatering popcorn: Mix extra virgin olive oil half and half with real butter, sprinkle in some Garli Garni or Garlic Festival Popcorn Seasoning and melt. Pour over your popcorn and toss.  (For cheesy popcorn, try Garli Ghetti instead)

Garlic in the Garden

If you had planted your garlic last fall, and live in a more temperate climate (sorry midwest) your garlic plants might look a little like this right about now.

Our fearless leader, Caryl, took home some of the fresh garlic from our warehouse last fall and planted them in her garden along with another hardneck (rocambole) variety that she got from a gardener friend. You can see in the picture at the left that the tops of the hardneck garlic form a round stem with a little bulb at the end. These turn into
curly stems or "scapes". Scapes are not only pretty to look at in the garden and flower arrangements but can be eaten just like the garlic bulb itself.

At this time of year, one might wish to pull some of their garlic and use it as "green garlic". Green garlic is the early bulb formation or "green" stage of garlic bulbs before the cloves begin to mature. Like scapes, it is fresh and tasty for use in cooking.

If you haven't planted garlic in your home garden ( like me.. whomp whomp), you can check out Farmer's Markets in your area. Many markets carry scapes and green garlic in Spring and early summer. If you score some, you might want to try out one of these yummy recipes:

- NY Times Quinoa Pilaf with Sweet Peas and Green Garlic
- Saveur's BLTs with Green Garlic Aioli
- About.com's Roasted Green Garlic
- Saveur's Garlic Scape Pesto
- Cold Garden, Warm Kitchen's Bacon Wrapped Garlic Scapes

and of course you can do a websearch for either Garlic Scapes or Green Garlic for tons of other tasty ideas. Now I need to go find some lunch. The hazards of foodblogging :)