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Embrace garlic stems

Many of us have long had a love affair with the garlic bulb and its cloves. Smashed. Diced. Sauteed. Roasted. You name it. We’ll go for it.

But those long green stems or shoots that sprout from the bulb also are edible. They still offer a fresh garlic taste. And you can eat them like a vegetable. The vibrant green is pleasing to the eye.

My neighbor, Rob, was kind enough to give us some stems (pictured above) from his garden. He knows we like them.

One benefit of having a neighbor who enjoys growing vegetables is that you can ask a lot of questions about what works and what doesn’t.

And these days, freshness with food really matters.

So, if you’re new to garlic stems, they can be sauteed on their own. Many recipes, including these two, use garlic stems when they are older. Or you can toss them in with meat or tofu.

In March, the San Francisco Chronicle published a helpful article. Last year in South Korea, a Reuters photographer captured a great garlic stem image.

My introduction to the stems occurred about 15 years ago. I was pedaling my mountain bike through China.

I was about 100 miles south of Beijing. I had rolled into the outskirts of a town and stopped at a roadside restaurant. At the time, my Chinese was limited. I wanted to avoid meat because refrigerators were not in all places.

So, I played it safe: I told the boss I was a vegetarian. Minutes later, out came garlic stems with pork. The portion was good enough. I didn’t recognize the stems as garlic. But at that point, it didn’t matter. I devoured the food.

On some days on that trip, I rode my bike for 10 to 12 hours. And if I could get garlic stems with pork by telling the restaurant owner that I wanted vegetables, I was content.

In fact, after I finished that meal, I was tempted to blurt out: “More please.”

And at other roadside restaurants, I secretly hoped I would get garlic stems with pork when I said I was a vegetarian.

UPDATE: Many Asian stores sell garlic stems. I just shopped at Dong Hing Market in Seattle and the stems were selling for $1.29 per bunch. The store is at Tenth Avenue South and South Jackson Street.