We grow heirloom hardneck garlic for its amazing flavor and multiple health benefits. All garlic is good for you, but did you know that certain types have even more advantages?
Black Garlic is packed full of antioxidants, and umami flavor. Making it is a bit more time intensive than our regular garlic, but the benefits are worth the effort.
What is Black Garlic?
Black garlic is regular garlic that has been transformed via an aging process in a warm, humid environment. At Dragonfly Hill Farm and Kitchen, we make our black garlic from porcelain garlic. The Maillard Reaction, which is responsible for creating that caramelized crust on steaks, causes the transformation in black garlic as amino acids react with reducing sugars to create new flavor compounds.
The raw garlic goes from being firm, white, and sharp in flavor to being sticky, soft, and dark brown. The flavor becomes sweet and earthy, but not hot. Many people describe black garlic as having a balsamic or molasses-like flavor. It is super umami.
Black garlic has been around for centuries. It was first created and used in Korea, then spread to other parts of Southeast Asia before traveling the world.
Black garlic has become trendy in foodie circles in the US over the last few years for its unique flavor, but historically has always been appreciated both for its culinary and medicinal value.
Healthy Benefits of Black Garlic
Black garlic contains even more health benefits than raw garlic! (1) The aging process creates extra antioxidants in each clove..
Studies have found that black garlic may help regulate blood sugar and reduce the risk of diabetes. It may also reduce the risk of heart disease.
The antioxidants in black garlic help to limit inflammation in the brain which can help prevent brain damage and memory loss. Studies are being conducted to see if black garlic can be an effective tool against Alzheimer’s.
Black garlic also may help with liver health by preventing damage to the liver from a variety of causes including injury, chemical exposure, and chronic alcohol consumption. The antioxidants can also help boost your immune system, just like raw garlic.
Finally, and most importantly to us here at Dragonfly Hill Farm and Kitchen, black garlic may fight cancer cells. There have been multiple studies that indicate black garlic may suppress cancer cells and be even more effective than raw garlic in stimulating the immune system and anti-cancer activities.
All of these health benefits make black garlic both nutritious and delicious.
How to Enjoy Black Garlic
There are many ways to enjoy the benefits of black garlic. The unique, umami flavor pairs well with both sweet and savory dishes which makes it even more versatile than raw garlic (which is pretty darn versatile!).
Black garlic is excellent in salad dressings, marinades, or as a seasoning for roasted meats and vegetables. It adds depth of flavor to stir-fry sauces or your favorite pasta dish. Because of the unique soft texture, you can also use black garlic as a condiment on a sandwich or to finish a dish.
In sweet applications, black garlic adds a depth of flavor to caramel sauces or creamy desserts.
Dragonfly Hill Farm and Kitchen Black Garlic
Here on the farm, we’ve been experimenting with black garlic for a while to find the best techniques and recipes. We wanted our black garlic products to be perfect before we brought them to you.
We currently are in the process of creating three black garlic products for sale. They will debut at the Easton Garlic Fest on October 7&8, 2023. We are making black garlic ice cream, black garlic butter, and black garlic paste.
The black garlic ice cream might be our most unique product yet! Made with black garlic and a vanilla ice cream base, it’s sweet, creamy, and just a touch savory. Imagine ice cream with a bit of molasses or balsamic vinegar. Even our friends who don’t like plain black garlic like this ice cream!
The black garlic butter is perfect for topping steaks, making garlic bread, or seasoning steamed vegetables. It adds a depth of flavor that you don’t get with regular garlic butter.
Black garlic paste is the most versatile of our black garlic products. It comes in an easy to squeeze tube and offers you total freedom in the kitchen. Our black garlic paste is made purely from our black garlic without any additives or preservatives.
We hope to see you at the Easton Garlic Fest to try out these amazing products!
- Lauren Panoff,“6 Impressive Health Benefits of Raw Garlic,” Healthline, September 7, 2023. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/black-garlic-benefits
