By Siffre Tooth, '23-'24 AmeriCorps Food Security Lead
As the days become shorter and temperatures cooler, we find ourselves more often amongst misty mornings and bright gusts of autumn breezes. Our priorities may be shifting with the changing seasons as well, which is especially true around the farm. While there are still some late-season crops to harvest, we are becoming increasingly occupied with tasks that wrap up the growing season and put many parts of the farm ‘to bed’ for the upcoming winter months.
There are only a handful of crops that are planted at this time of year in our climate zone, and my favorite of those few is garlic, (Allium sativum). Garlic is planted in the fall and harvested the following summer, taking 3-5 weeks to cure before becoming ready to eat.
A member of the Allium genus along with onions, leeks, shallots, and chives, garlic is known for its strength and versatility; from powerful and aromatic when raw, to mellow, creamy, and subtly sweet when roasted. For the last five thousand years in humanity’s short history, garlic has been held in many traditions for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Garlic is native to Central Asia, where its center of origin is estimated to have ranged from modern day China, India, Egypt, and as far west as Ukraine, where it is enmeshed in many forms of regional culinary identity. A very abbreviated glimpse of garlic’s culinary presence in these cultural contexts includes Laba Garlic in Northern China, Toum in the Levant, and the important combination of garlic, green chillies, and ginger in many different regional Indian cuisines(1).
Historical medical texts from China, Greece, Rome, Egypt, and India all prescribe garlic as a treatment for various ailments. Furthermore, the Sanskrit word for garlic is, “mahoushudh” which means panacea, or cure-all (2). In traditional Chinese medicine, garlic is known as “Da Suan” and has been used for millennia to prevent and treat respiratory ailments, cardiovascular disease, immunity support, digestive problems, and infections. Today, research performed through western science supports much of this long-held knowledge and seeks to identify their mechanisms of action in the body.
For example, recent medical studies have shown how garlic’s many vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds shape garlic’s cardioprotective, antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertensive properties through anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and lipid-lowering activity. Since heat breaks down alliinase, an effective enzyme, garlic is more effective medicinally when consumed raw. Garlic supplements are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, especially to treat high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, and to prevent the common cold (1).
Garlic has only recently become a staple in the United States, since the trend of “authentic ethnic cuisine” began in the 1990s. In the earlier part of the last century, garlic dishes could only be found among the ethnic cuisine of cities’ working-class immigrant neighborhoods. An average American today consumes six pounds of garlic annually.
SERVES: 2 TO 4, AS AS A SNACK
PREP: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES
Each fall, as we pluck the last tomatoes off the vine, I look forward to harvesting the largest unripe green beefsteak, or large slicer tomatoes. Why? For a few reasons, I cannot seem to let anything go to waste, and chucking so many beautiful fruits (yes fruit!) into the compost pile makes me wince. Some time ago, I discovered a recipe for cooking green tomatoes that won me over.
Every October I serve up fried (or baked) green tomatoes. They're perfect with kimchi (or a slaw made of mixing raw cabbage, grated carrots, and beets), tucked inside a toasted ciabatta bun. Even though it’s cold and rainy outside, every time I take a bite, I can taste and enjoy the months of long hard work in the sunshine among the tomatoes. I hope you enjoy the recipe below, as a way to bid "adieu" to the summer season.
Note: The sauce in the recipe is optional, but I highly recommend a dipping sauce such as aioli, ranch dressing, mayonnaise, sriracha mayo, or even ketchup. A favorite of mine is to serve it in a sandwich, with a crispy bun ciabatta bun, lettuce, and sprouts.
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (any flour will do, but it will influence flavor)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 teaspoons kosher salt or any coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
3 eggs
1 cup panko (Japanese-style) breadcrumbs
⅛ cup fine cornmeal (optional, UW Farm Manager recommends – adds extra crunch!)
1 ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese (optional)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound green or unripe tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices, cut horizontally. The middle of each tomato will be perfect. Save end pieces for salsa!
Garlic salt, for seasoning
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Line up 3 shallow bowls. In the first bowl, whisk the flour, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
In the second bowl, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
In the third bowl, stir together the panko, parmesan, and olive oil with a fork until the bread crumbs are coated in the oil.
One at a time, coat the tomato slices in the flour and shake off the excess, then dip into the egg, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl.
Dip in the panko mix, pressing the breading on all sides to coat generously.
Arrange the breaded tomatoes, evenly spaced, on the reserved baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp, 14 to 15 minutes or until soft when you press down on the surface.
While the tomatoes are baking, make the your sauce. Try the "BBQeautiful Sauce" (recipe below)!
Remove the tomatoes from the oven and dust with garlic salt and pepper right away; cool slightly, and enjoy!
The UW Farm donates regularly to the UW Food Pantry. During peak season we also donate to nearby food banks. The links below are resources to help you or someone you know with food access.
Every year, we have the capacity to grow more food and increase our educational and research program at the UW, but not without your support. Every contribution goes to work immediately, helping us better serve students. Your support can sustain our momentum and help seed new opportunities for student internships, academic work, and future growth. Please consider making a gift to the Farm online
The Weekly Dirt is produced once a week by the University of Washington Farm, a program of the UW Botanic Gardens, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment. It is published nearly year-round for educational purposes and the majority of the content is written or contributed by students and farm staff.
This issue's contributors:
Managing Editor: Althea Ericksen, UW Farm Intern, Communications Coordinator
Around the Farm: Siffre Tooth, UW Farm Food Security Lead '23-24 Contributing Editors: Perry Acworth, Farm Manager; Siffre Tooth, UW Farm Food Security Lead '23-24 Photo Credits: Siffre Tooth. Other photos retrieved from the internet and noted in sections
A member of the Allium genus along with onions, leeks, shallots, and chives, garlic is known for its strength and versatility; from powerful and aromatic when raw, to mellow, creamy, and subtly sweet when roasted. For the last five thousand years in humanity’s short history, garlic has been held in many traditions for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Garlic is native to Central Asia, where its center of origin is estimated to have ranged from modern day China, India, Egypt, and as far west as Ukraine, where it is enmeshed in many forms of regional culinary identity. A very abbreviated glimpse of garlic’s culinary presence in these cultural contexts includes Laba Garlic in Northern China, Toum in the Levant, and the important combination of garlic, green chillies, and ginger in many different regional Indian cuisines(1). 
