Garlic is one of the most popular garden plants. It is appreciated for its high taste and medicinal qualities. During the flowering period, arrows appear on the garlic, which are most often thrown away. Meanwhile, this is a very tasty and healthy product.
Green arrows with peduncles appear on garlic one and a half to two months after germination and persist for about two weeks. They contain a large amount of aromatic and useful substances, so this is a good option for preparing independent dishes: salads, pasta, sauces. They can be boiled, fried, pickled, or eaten raw. Frozen arrows are a good source of vitamins during winter.
The arrows, like the heads of garlic, prevent fermentation and decay of food residues in the intestines, destroy parasites, fungi, and dysentery bacillus harmful to the body. They also prevent blood thickening, thus avoiding atherosclerosis and hypertension. Garlic is also known as an antibacterial agent during the spread of infectious diseases.
In terms of the amount of vitamins and minerals, the arrows of garlic are ahead of all vegetables and fruits. This feature, combined with a very low calorie content (24 kcal per 100 g), makes them a natural cure for many diseases.
With all its advantages, garlic is one of the "spicy" foods, so it should be used with caution by people with kidney problems, peptic ulcer and cholelithiasis, as well as anemia.
Arrows of garlic, as a rule, are consumed fresh or harvested for future use. To cook something original, they can be fried. To do this, wash fresh arrows well, cut into strips (4-5 cm) and fry in vegetable oil for about 5 minutes. Then they need to be salted, you can add spices, soy sauce, hot or sweet peppers, onions and simmer until the arrows are ready. Ideally, there should be a little bit of "crunch" - this will preserve the useful properties of the product. Another option is to fry the arrows for 5 minutes in vegetable oil, add a little water and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. After that, you can add spices, tomato paste (it all depends on taste preferences). The result is a stand-alone snack or side dish.
You can make pasta from the arrows: grind well with a blender, salt and put in a clean jar. Such a paste can be used to spread on bread or prepare a fragrant and healthy butter for sandwiches with it.
For cooking, it is better to use freshly picked arrows plucked from the stalk of garlic: this part is the most delicious and tender.
Fresh arrows are used for a very short time, so it is better to prepare them for use in winter and spring, when the body is in great need of vitamins. The easiest way is to cut them into large pieces, fold them into a bag and freeze them.
Another cooking option is pickled arrows. Wash arrows, scald with boiling water, put in sterilized jars, pour brine and roll up. The proportions of salt and sugar for the brine can be different, it completely depends on taste wishes: for 1 glass of water and 2 tbsp. tablespoons of table (apple cider) vinegar is taken 1, 5 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar and 3 tbsp. tablespoons of salt or 2 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of salt. If desired, you can add peppercorns, a clove bud, bay leaf.
The arrows can be dried, crushed, and then used as a seasoning.
