The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers, and Serious Cooks [Hardcover]

Ted Jordan Meredith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2008

An essential element in cuisines around the world, garlic enjoys near mythic status among cooks, chefs, foodies, and enthusiasts of natural remedies. Worldwide, garlic cultivation occupies over 2 million acres of farmland, an area that has more than doubled since 1970. Yet even garlic fanciers may be unable to tell hardneck from softneck, or Purple Stripe from Rocambole, not to mention the hundreds of cultivated varieties grown today, many with distinct differences in taste and character.

In fact, the wealth of garlic varieties in nearly a dozen horticultural groups rivals that of corn, carrots, apples, and peaches. This book is the most comprehensive and in-depth guide available to what surely should be the next gourmet frontier. From 'Ajo Rojo' to 'Zemo', Meredith presents illustrated profiles of nearly 150 cultivars. Detailed chapters cover natural history, the history of garlic in cultivation, the nuances of cuisine and culture, therapeutic benefits, plant structure, how to cultivate, curing and storage, taxonomy, pests and diseases, and chemistry.

Especially useful are the Quick Guides, which summarize information on growing and buying garlic and provide recommendations for the best-tasting cultivars for specific uses and climates. Lists of garlic sources and organizations are a boon to the aficionado. Whether you share Ted Jordan Meredith's "garlic affliction" or just find the pungent bulb indispensable, you'll understand it as never before with this meticulously researched, lovingly written exploration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A comprehensive guide to the vegetable, including its history, cultivation and cultural use."

La Cucina Italiana (La Cucina Italiana )

"A garlic aficionado whose verve and thoroughness are evident in this outstanding work, Meredith cites not only his personal experience but also numerous scientific studies while writing of garlic's natural history, structure, cultivation, taxonomy, diseases, and chemistry... Beautifully illustrated, and one of the most comprehensive garlic books in recent years, this is highly recommended."

- Library Journal (Library Journal )

“The aroma of garlic nearly wafts from the pages of this delectable book. . . Where this book breaks ground is in the idea of growing garlic ornamentally as well as in its precise information on how to harvest and store this most pungent of bulbs. . . . And the photos are stunning.” (Seattle Times )

“This is no ordinary book on garlic. It is a literary masterpiece, a reference book, a grower’s bible, a summary of garlic research explained in layman’s terms, and one that is a ‘must’ for any garlic lover’s library.” (The Garlic News )

“[This] is the most comprehensive and in-depth guide available to what surely should be the next gourmet frontier.”

(Bend Lifestyles & Homes )

“Few books qualify as coffee table books, and botanical manuscripts, and cultural guides, and cooking guides.  The Complete Book of Garlic does all these, and more.”

(Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener )

“Meredith asserts that if your only experience with garlic is the mediocre grocery store variety, you have been missing out.”

(American Gardener )

"Meredith's book admirably expands our view of the world of garlic. It answers many of the mysteries about garlic, provides invaluable practical advice, and certainly celebrates its diversity." (Gastronomica )

This is a beautifully photographed and illustrated, coffee-table worthy, book for gardeners and those who love to cook and eat garlic. Grow your own! (Molly Day Muskogee Phoenix )

About the Author

Ted Jordan Meredith has written books on viticulture, enology, wine appreciation, garlic, and bamboo. His Bamboo for Gardens (Timber Press 2001) was awarded the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Literature Award and The New York Times Editor's Choice for Best Books for Gardening, and his The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers, and Serious Cooks (Timber Press 2008) has become the standard reference for garlic enthusiasts.

When a housing development suddenly took away his privacy, Ted became interested in bamboo as a beautiful, rapidly growing, evergreen screen. He quickly became captivated by bamboo in all of its aspects and began to grow, research, and write about bamboo.

A native of Montana, Ted recalls the daring use of fresh garlic in the family kitchen. In later years, as his interest in cooking grew, Ted enthusiastically incorporated garlic into much of his cuisine but initially regarded garlic as a supermarket commodity with little distinction. It was at a farmer's market that he purchased a few heads of a Rocambole garlic, 'Spanish Roja'. Ted realized then that all garlic was not the same, and he never looked back, voraciously exploring a new-found world of hundreds of cultivars in nearly a dozen different horticultural groups.

Ted and his wife garden and grow bamboo at their home in Washington state. In addition to writing and photography, Ted enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, and music.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 332 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press (July 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881928836
• ISBN-13: 978-0881928839
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.1 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ted Jordan Meredith has written books on viticulture, enology, wine appreciation, garlic, and bamboo. His "Bamboo for Gardens" (Timber Press 2001) was awarded the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Literature Award and The New York Times Editor's Choice for Best Books for Gardening, and his "The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers, and Serious Cooks" (Timber Press 2008) has become the standard reference for garlic enthusiasts. His newest book, "Timber Press Pocket Guide to Bamboos" is a Timber Press best seller.

When a housing development suddenly took away his privacy, Ted became interested in bamboo as a beautiful, rapidly growing, evergreen screen. He quickly became captivated by bamboo in all of its aspects and began to grow, research, and write about bamboo, a diverse plant of some 1400 species that grows in a range from the tropics to above the arctic circle.

A native of Montana, Ted recalls the daring use of fresh garlic in the family kitchen. In later years, as his interest in cooking grew, Ted enthusiastically incorporated garlic into much of his cuisine but initially regarded garlic as a supermarket commodity with little distinction. It was at a farmer's market that he purchased a few heads of a Rocambole garlic, 'Spanish Roja'. Ted realized then that all garlic was not the same, and he never looked back, voraciously exploring a new-found world of hundreds of cultivars in nearly a dozen different horticultural groups.

With his focus on bamboo and garlic, Ted seems to specialize in highly beneficial plants that also carry something of a social stigma. A plant of great beauty, bamboo also plays a major role in landscaping, privacy screens, and the green sustainability movement, but it has a reputation for running where you do not want it. In his bamboo books, Ted shows that once you understand bamboo's growth habits, simple methods will keep it where you want it. Garlic is integral to most of the world's great cuisines and garlic offers a broad spectrum of health benefits, but it can also generate strong and distinctive breath, particularly noticeable by those who do not consume garlic. For this Ted offers the helpful advice that is a mantra among garlic enthusiasts: "If your friends object to your garlic breath, get new friends."

Ted and his wife garden and grow bamboo at their home in Washington state. In addition to writing and photography, Ted enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, and music.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect ! June 21, 2009

By Apps

Format:Hardcover

Well researched, beautifully photographed and presented in a very logical readable style. Previous to this book, I considered "Growing Great Garlic" by Ron L Engeland the essential garlic book, but "The Complete Book of Garlic" is the only book that I would now recommend. Everything you will need to know about selection, planting, growing, harvesting and storage is here and much more. There is even a section that will help you locate growers that sell planting stock.

Just learning the different (taxonomy) types of garlic can be confusing (due to mixed terminology in the business) at first, but you will have a clear understanding of the garlic types and characteristics after one reading.

The "Essentials" sections covers almost every type of garlic with photographs and characteristic of the specific garlic, plus a quick reference for growing and harvesting.

I have been growing and selling gourment garlic for 9 years and wish this book would have been available when I started. Well worth the price.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars At Last December 26, 2008

By Warren E. Witzell Jr.

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Complete Book of GARLIC by Jed Jordan Meredith.
A beautiful book with fantastic photographs. And tons of information for the curious garlic fan to the the level of professional horticulturalist/botanist. Enough information for a college credit course, I am not talking about the basket weaving type here, but real science.

The standard book, until this one, was Growing Great Garlic: The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers by Ron L. Engeland , which I hated. That one was too negative and written in the old hippie know-it-all style of the 70's.
Buy The Complete Book of Galic, you will love it, and I believe that it will become the new standard on the subject.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Book Of Garlic August 18, 2009

By Fiore Vitola

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I found this book to be very informative, it is well laid out chapter to chapter with excellent information on the species of garlic as well as the different characteristics of each verity. There is well written information for growing and choosing the various types of garlic. I have also purchased and read Growing Perfect Garlic. And found the Complete Book of Garlic an excellent addition to the information offered in learning everything one would need to know when starting on the endeavor of growing and cooking with garlic. I find myself going back to read chapter after chapter as a reference quite often.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn as much as they can about this wonderful Herb.