Tip of the Day:

The Stinking Rose

It's been said that garlic can ward off vampires and bring good luck. While we can't be sure about those statements, what is known is that garlic is one of the tastiest, healthiest, and most useful herbs. Garlic is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamins B6[set "6" as subscript] and C, and a good source of selenium. Also, because of its antioxidant properties, garlic protects against cancer, inflammation, and viruses. And one garlic clove has only about 4 calories.

The compound responsible for much of the disease-fighting activity of garlic is allicin, which is released when a clove is cut or crushed. Allicin is also an antimicrobial, meaning that it wards off a wide variety of bacteria, molds, yeasts, and viruses. Additionally, research suggests that regular consumption of garlic can be effective in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke because it lowers total and LDL (bad) cholesterol without affecting HDL (good) cholesterol.

Garlic can enhance the taste of almost any food. For the best results and the most benefits, sauté chopped garlic in a bit of cooking spray and add to your dish. Just be careful how long you cook it — cooking garlic too much destroys the allicin, so chop it, let it rest while you prepare other ingredients, and then add it toward the end of the cooking time.

When buying garlic, choose bulbs that are large, plump, and firm, with tight, unbroken sheaths. Avoid soft, spongy, or shriveled bulbs or those with a green sprout in the center. Store garlic up to three weeks in the refrigerator.