What's going on with garlic these days?

[WalkAndWine]

Is it just me or does nothing garlic flavoured actually taste of garlic anymore?

I'm talking about garlic bread, garlic dip, garlic sausage and even bloody garlic cloves themselves.

I've bought cheap versions of these things, expensive versions, organic versions, big versions, small versions, fresh versions, frozen versions.

But they're all incredibly underwhelming. Is this just me? What's going on? If you've found actual garlic tasting garlic stuff, tell me everything...

I should add that Chovi Alioli is very much the exception - food of the gods.

Well now I’ve just found out the uk supermarket garlic from china is sometimes bleached and sprayed with growth inhibitors?

You can grow your own easily in a tub in the garden - it tastes SO much better than the dry old stuff you get in the supermarket!

Everyone recommending the IOW Garlic Farm, I went there in person and stocked up and was totally....meh by it. I was expecting pungently garlicky heavenly choruses sung by garlic-breathed angels.

I got the equivalent of a mildly odorous spoken word poem instead.

@WalkAndWine try very finely chopping it and sprinkling raw on top of food, don't bother cooking it. Brilliant with lots of things, but especially with Chinese food!

We’ve managed it quite a few years in a row. We get the bulbs from the aforementioned Isle of Wight garlic farm. You can get quite a big yield - sometimes it’s lasted us 4-5 months.

I am finding that our local Morrisons has went majorly downhill in the last year or so. Not just the quality of the produce but the messy shelves and stock gaps. The freezers are never fully working either so often there are no frozen veg etc.

Tesco seems to be the best for freshness, even the co op which is expensive but the produce was good, have mouldy items such as raspberries on the shelves.

I know I will regret looking at that garlic shop 😂😂
We use a lot of garlic and are the same as you, we use practically a whole bulb to get any flavour.

Brilliant thank you, 😊 x

So happy to see so many recommendations for the IOW garlic farm. Absolutely the best

Another vote for growing your own if you have a spare corner of soil or a tub. It’s honestly the easiest thing I grow and mine usually lasts close to a full year (we’re still eating the stuff I harvested last July and I fully expect it to still be OK by the time this year’s harvest is ready). Buy a couple of decent quality bulbs from an online supplier to get you started (as mentioned the supermarket stuff probably has growth inhibitors and possibly viruses as well so unlikely to grow well). Then just save some big chunky cloves to replant next year.

IW Garlic Farm is lush

Also, Isle of Wight Tomatoes are bloody lovely too -

https://iowtomatoes.co.uk/shop?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax_Tomato_Stall_Smart_Shopping&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20420856602&gbraid=0AAAAACUKEhc9k9SjBPt1ZIMjD6Tl4gH7r&gclid=CjwKCAjwqazPBhALEiwAOuXqdGO1yyjy47qzufwDuwAHw4WJT79VM1auVX1UHQSJs8ZdYSp3DBVzhBoCJhQQAvD_BwE

Another vote for IOW garlic, we had lunch there last time we visited and it was fabulous. I get their bulbs in farmshops on the mainland sometimes (got one at the moment, we aren’t too far from the IOW) and they are much better than supermarket ones. I have also grown it and that’s good too.

And yes also to IOW tomatoes, I get them from farmshops on the mainland too.

I might try this for a crop next year but I only have a couple of tubs & window boxes so I'm not sure how well I will do.

I think part of the problem is that we want all of our food all year round rather than the season it naturally grows in.
When you see strawberries in the supermarket during the winter you know things are going wrong.

Another vote for IoW garlic. When I see a recipe calling for two cloves of garlic I tend to put in a whole bulb of supermarket stuff. I love garlic.

We grow our own garlic - it’s night and day difference in taste and ‘spiciness’ than anything shop bought.
if you have the space, a garden, then maybe try to grow some?! I think it’s well worth it

I don't really buy garlic flavoured things, but actual garlic seems pretty good to me. I only buy the big garlic.

Local greengrocers does great garlic, at least in my area. I found the same with supermarket rocket….,but greengrocers actually has that kick to it!

It’s easy to grow and tastes brilliant! When I run out it’s the Spanish ones from Costco for me.

I was just thinking of The Garlic Farm ! ... love that place. Filled my boots with all sorts of their goodies when I went last year. Black garlic, smoked garlic, garlic jam.....all gone now sadly, but much enjoyed 🤤

I find garlic generally underwhelming tho, always at least triple the quantities in a recipe !

I am currently growing approximately 150 garlic cloves 😁 Yes we eat a lot of garlic!
It is SO easy to grow...poke a few cloves into the ground or a pot in October, water now and again, ignore! Pull up at the end of june, let them dry and you have a fabulous supply for months .The only thing extra to do is to cover them with netting..superfine netting during Feb-May to prevent allium leaf miner.

It tastes SO much better than shop bought.

They could be using elephant garlic which is a jumbo variety with less flavour. Would definitely be more cost effective. I bet that’s it.

Grow your own! There’s nothing quite like it! Veg tastes just as you remember it doing as a kid.