By: Margaret Neuman
The gardening class at Spence’s Farm was a great success during our first week of summer camp! Kids from camp enjoyed picking and cleaning garlic and harvesting blackberries, blueberries, and wineberries. Once they were through with washing the garlic they placed them in the greenhouse that our garden manager, Steph and friends made. Some of the campers said that the smell of the greenhouse was nasty and some enjoyed the yummy aroma of garlic in the sun.
It was very hot but the campers were great sports and kept doing the work that needed to be done. Picking the berries was a fun task because the kids loved to eat them. Steph kept telling them that the white blueberries and red blackberries were sour but the kids kept eating them and making funny faces.
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Photography by: Margaret Neuman
Health Benefits and Uses
From: Garlic Central
Garlic’s health benefits and medicinal properties have long been known (1). Garlic has long been considered a herbal “wonder drug”, with a reputation in folklore for preventing everything from the common cold and flu to the Plague! It has been used extensively in herbal medicine (phytotherapy, sometimes spelt phitotherapy). Raw garlic is used by some to treat the symptoms of acne and there is some evidence that it can assist in managing high cholesterol levels. It can even be effective as a natural mosquito repellent.
In general, a stronger tasting clove of garlic has more sulfur content and hence more medicinal value it’s likely to have. Some people have suggested that organically grown garlic tends towards a higher sulfur level and hence greater benefit to health. In my experience it certainly tastes better so I buy organic whenever possible whether or not it’s best for my health.
Some people prefer to take garlic supplements. These pills and capsules have the advantage of avoiding garlic breath.
Modern science has shown that garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic, albeit broad-spectrum rather than targeted. The body does not appear to build up resistance to the garlic, so its positive health benefits continue over time.
