Garlic is a magic ingredient

Ah, the magic of garlic.

There are few comparisons when it comes to adding depth, flavour and health benefits to a dish at such a low cost.

If you are only offering one type of garlic in your store, you just might be missing out on some additional sales. You can do magic with garlic – I’ve seen it.

When I walk into a produce department, the variety of garlic available often intrigues me. There’s enormous Elephant garlic, small bulbs and large ones, garlic varieties with names like Music and Purple. Single units, clusters, and braids are just some of the offerings. With so many exciting varieties, why would you limit your shopper to one choice? You wouldn’t choose to sell just one kind of apple.

How can you promote shoppers to get adventurous with their garlic choices? Informative signage, recipe handouts and interesting displays can draw in shoppers. For example, display the garlic in hanging baskets or in wooden boxes, mix and match pricing, and showcase a range of varieties.

Staff can share easy tips and secrets with their shoppers when it comes to garlic. It’s easy to roast garlic whole, which can then be squeezed out clove-by-clove onto a pizza, into dressings, into savoury sauces or just smeared on crusty bread.  Extra simple recipe: Trim top of whole garlic bulb, place on tin foil, drizzle with olive oil and bundle with foil and then bake in oven or on BBQ for around 25 minutes or until soft and fragrant.

Does your staff know the difference between a clove of garlic and a head of garlic? I didn’t when I first started cooking in my late twenties.  I remember my pasta sauce ended up with two and a half heads of garlic when three cloves would have been more than enough.

Garlic Tips for shoppers:

An unbroken bulb of garlic can last in a cool dark spot for three to five months with good circulation. Just tell your shoppers to check regularly for rot. Do not keep in the fridge.

Once you have popped out a clove it will still last for seven to 10 days at room temperature.

You can freeze garlic. I put mine into a small glass jar and remove the cloves as I need them. I’ve even frozen chopped garlic mixed with a nice olive or grape seed oil and set into ice cube trays.  Once they are frozen, I simply pop them out and transfer it into a jar or baggie to keep on hand.