Spicy Saturday: Garlic
It is #spicysaturday and today we are going to discuss: Garlic 
Garlic is among the oldest known horticultural crops with ancient Egyptians and Indian cultures first references to garlic dating back to almost 3000 BC. Garlic is believed to be indigenous to Central Asia as this is the only location where it has flourished growing wild. Wild garlic, Allium longicuspis, has been bred for thousands of years and has been carefully bred into today's current hard-neck and soft-neck varieties.
The use of garlic as a food and as a medicinal agent in China dates back to at least 2000 BC, where it was part of the daily diet and often eaten with raw meat. Garlic has been used medicinally in India since the first written medical texts and garlic is mentioned extensively in Auryvedic, Tibbi and Unani.
Garlic thrives in well-drained soils with lots of sun. The ideal climate zones are 4-9. China is the world's largest producer of garlic and in 2013 (the last reporting year) accounted for just over 79% of the world's production. The United States comes is only the 10th largest producer (at only .7%).
In terms of ease, garlic is one of the best crops to grow. It has a large yield and doesn’t require a lot of specialized attention. It is frost tolerant- some varieties even prefer cooler weather. This plant likes well-drained, nutrient rich soils. The plant only needs 4 to 6 inches of space to grow to its full size and when planted in the fall, it will sprout in the fall. Since garlic is a natural pest repellent, it tends to keep pests away on its own and needs little human intervention.
Garlic is especially good with just about anything savory.
Garlic works well in combination with most spices and herbs such as Aleppo, Basil, Fennel, Ginger and Thyme.
How do you use Garlic? 
Come Savor The Flavor 