Christopher Ranch Green Garlic

Gilroy’s also the home of Christopher Ranch, producer of his new green garlic. Green garlic had been available in limited quantities on some farms in spring. But this year, it’s more widely available throughout the country and will be until about November.

Green garlic is the young garlic plant harvested before the bulb fully develops underground so that the shoots remain green and tender. Think scallion and you’ll visualize green garlic. Instead of a mild onion flavor and aroma, these have the distinctive garlic aroma and flavor, although much milder than regular garlic. Like Christopher Ranch’s regular garlic, the immature green is from an heirloom seed.

Use it as you would garlic — but as with scallions (aka green onions), trim off and discard the root end and any tough parts of the long green leaves, then chop and use in place of regular garlic. So far, I’ve chopped and added it to a fresh tomato, beet and chèvre salad, sautéed it in olive oil before adding fresh spinach and used it in a marinade for seafood. Each time, it delivered a mild garlicky flavor, much less intense than from mature garlic.

I’m only sad it’s not available all year round…yet.

Bryan: It’s like a garlic chive…or a chive garlic…or something like that, I thought to myself as I unpacked my shipment of Christopher Ranch green garlic. I’d certainly never seen anything like this before… I was intrigued.

Do I just use it like normal garlic? I wondered. Thankfully, Christopher Ranch is polite enough to include some basic to-dos on the package of this peculiar product. First of all, this is a fresh product, so you’ve got to keep it refrigerated with the rest of the greens, quite a change from my normal cloves, drying on my counter. I was worried about how long they would keep, but it’s been almost two weeks, and my unopened bags look fresh, without a trace of wilt.

The entire plant is usable, or so it says. But do make sure to trim the roots and the tops of the greens. After that, have at it! It’s all fair game, and unlike its aged, smelly cousin, green garlic can be used in different ways, depending on the cuts you’re using.

Cut the meaty bulb finely and you can use it in a sauté like any normal clove; the flavor is uniquely mild, but distinctly garlic. Cut the leafy stems in tiny rings to sprinkle on almost anything, from grilled meats to rice or pasta dishes. What’s amazing is the ability to use it raw, something I never do with “normal” garlic. You can even toss it into salads! You’ll notice the subtle garlic appeal in the leaves, a truly unique sensation. It’s a whole new way to garlic.

Not only is it new, it’s old. Christopher Ranch produces a special heirloom garlic, saved from seeds taken from Piedmont, Italy, in 1956. It’s specialty garlic, and it is truly special.

Eric: Green garlic is by far one of my favorite finds of the year. To explain it in a culinary approach, it is the shallot of the garlic world, with a truly unique taste and versatility that might be overlooked by the home cook.

I came across the Christopher Ranch green garlic at a food show in New York. Initially, I thought the product was a new strain of spring onion — the look and feel are incredibly reminiscent. What grabbed my attention, though, was the subtle aroma and flavor of garlic trapped in the green leaves of the plant.

The beauty of this product is in the no-cook approach. Unlike the bulb of the plant, which in most cases needs to be heated to be enjoyed, the green leaves offer the subtle flavor of garlic in raw form; the versatility is almost endless. I’ve sprinkled the green garlic over salads, added it to guacamole, folded it into my eggs — it’s an all-around magical addition for any garlic-philia. Mark my words: Green garlic will be the trendiest addition to cooking since sliced bread.