Think you’re a garlic lover? Well here’s a surprise for you, if you use store bought garlic cloves, you haven’t experienced really great tasting garlic. For that you have to sample a variety or two of the gourmet garlics that you’ll never find on the shelves of your local supermarket, but can be easily grown in your own backyard.

Commercial garlic is, for the most part, grown in California using a single type of softneck garlic that is preferred by the growers for its uniform growth habits and storage capabilities. This uniformity isn’t important in the home garden or in the kitchen where taste and quality rule.

Professional chefs prefer hardneck gourmet garlic varieties, which have larger sized cloves and easy to peel wrappers that make it a snap to prep for cooking. Even more importantly, the gourmet garlics are prized for their range of flavors and intensity.

Some gourmet garlic varieties are mild with subtle flavors, while others are spicy and hotter than wasabi. Some gourmet garlics are great when used raw in dishes such as guacamole, other varieties have complex lingering flavors that hold up well when cooked.

If you’re ready to introduce your taste buds to the flavor filled world of gourmet garlic you can purchase bulbs from specialty growers on the Internet. Or better yet, you can easily grow your own garlic from gourmet variety seed stock right in your backyard garden.

Other Related Vegetable Gardening Posts:

• Gourmet Garlic Varieties
• Gourmet Garlic Scapes
• Buying Gourmet Garlic Seed
• How to Plant Fall Garlic
• Growing Baby Garlic