I would guess that you are tired of hearing me report about the bounty of the garden this past summer, especially those of you who don’t have access to Farmer McGregor’s patch, a neighbor’s lot, or a booming farmer’s market.  I, fortunately, had a bit of all three and each one was overflowing with many different types of garlic.  Our neighbor, Eric, had a bumper crop (see it drying in the accompanying photo) and shared a-what-seemed-to-be great amount with us.  Since the two most used ingredients in my kitchen are garlic and olive oil, I am quickly depleting my store.  I have already roasted a big batch which is now frozen by the tablespoonful to flavor soups, stews, and sauces all winter.  The remainder is kept is a slightly cool, dry spot (for me, a closet) with the hope that it will give me fresh cloves until early winter.

Store-bought garlic really can’t compare with freshly grown.  And here is the reason why.  I recently learned that almost all of the garlic in our supermarkets (along with everything else) comes from China; brought in daily by the container load!  Angelo Zingone, my local green grocer, told me that when he began selling fruits and vegetables, all garlic either came from local farmers or from California, then it started coming from Mexico, and now he can only get China-grown.  Isn’t this a shame when our nearby upstate New York farmers can grow it by the truck-load?

Should you have an overload of garlic, here is a good roasting method and an easy party-time or snack recipe in which to use it.  Although roasted and other prepared garlics are available in most supermarkets, I don’t recommend using them.

ROASTING GARLIC:  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Lightly coat either unpeeled whole heads (if serving whole on a platter with grilled meats, make a nice, neat slice off the top) or peeled individual cloves with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil, and place them on a baking pan in the preheated oven.  Whole heads will take about 25 minutes and individual cloves about 12 minutes to become soft and aromatic.  To make roasted garlic purée, roast whole heads and, when done, unwrap, cut off the tops, and squeeze out the lush, soft flesh.  One large head will usually yield about 2 tablespoons garlic purée.

Spiced Garlic Cheese Pot

Makes about 4 cups

1 pound fine quality cheddar cheese, cubed

½ cup minced onion

2 tablespoons roasted garlic purée

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Cayenne pepper to taste

½ cup sherry wine, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Place half of the cheese, along with the onion, garlic purée, chives, mustard, and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Process until very smooth.  With the motor running, add the sherry and olive oil and process to incorporate.  Add the remaining cheese and process until very thick and smooth.  If the mixture seems too thick, add additional sherry, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.

Scrape the mixture into a nonreactive container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.  Will keep, covered and refrigerated, for a couple of weeks.

Use for cocktail tidbits on toasts or crackers, melted on rye toasts, beaten into mashed potatoes, or as a filling for sandwiches, celery sticks, or endive spears.