Food – Winner 2019

Black Garlic

from Forage & Farm

Made in Foothills County

$12 to $15

forageandfarm.com  @forageandfarm

Forget everything that comes to mind when you think of garlic, because the black garlic produced by Forage & Farm has a completely unique flavour. The beautiful ebony cloves are like little umami bombs, conjuring flavours of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, with nutty, smoky undertones. The cloves are creamy soft and make a perfect aioli when puréed into mayonnaise. They’re so versatile, you can rub them on chicken or fish, add them to practically any pizza or incorporate them into potato-based soups, pasta, stir-frys — even chocolate cake.

Forage & Farm is owned and operated by Cheryl and James Greisinger (James is also a blacksmith). The Millarville couple specialize in growing a variety of gourmet garlics, producing 20,000 organic bulbs each year using sustainable, ethical methods, including planting, weeding and harvesting by hand. They make the black garlic — a foray into fermentation — by heating the whole bulbs for several weeks. Through the magic known as the Maillard reaction, the cloves turn an inky black and take on a sweet, savoury earthiness without the strong odour associated with raw garlic.

“Forage & Farm black garlic represents the innovative work our Albertan farmers are doing,” says Michael Allemeier, one of the category judges and a culinary instructor at SAIT. “This ingredient takes skill, time and patience to produce well. Fermentation is the darling in all kitchens these days. We value the nutritional elements of this technique, but more importantly we value how delicious fermented foods are!”

Photograph: Jared Sych   |   Writer: Jennifer Hamilton