TOULOUSE THE GARLIC DOG

Toulouse (1990-2006)

The chances are pretty good that if you ordered a garlic product from us anytime during the last ten years, it was “inspected” by our dog, Toulouse. Toulouse is a funny dog name, unless you realized he was a Labrador – Basset mix, which among other things, proved that (1) Nature has a sense of humor, and (2) you can get by with five inch legs and a three inch ground clearance - if you are very careful. The name Toulouse, of course, was inspired by the very diminutive French artist, Lautrec, who himself had ground clearance issues and, to judge from paintings, had the same bemused “isn’t life a weird experience” look on his face much of the time. Toulouse had many talents, among them the uncanny ability to always be where you were about to walk next. “Roadblock” was one of his several nicknames. Whenever we were on the packing line, there he would be, curled around our feet, “inspecting” every package that went out. “There’s not enough Inchelium Red in that bag! Woof!!” He was also called “Thundertail.” He wagged it all the time, although we always wondered if he knew if was there. When the spines started disappearing from a cactus in the living room–and appearing in his tail–we could only be puzzled. He loved all the usual doggie things. A well scratched belly. That leftover piece of pot roast. Chasing the cat-for about ten feet, after which it became boring. Demonstrating his big hound bark to the unsuspecting delivery man. “How’d I do? Do you think I scared him??” Toulouse was not beautiful–at least not in a Westminster Kennel Club sort of way. He was in fact a dead ringer for “Walter, The Farting Dog” in the wonderful series of illustrated children’s books by William Katzwinkle and Glenn Murray. (Honest, there is such a series. It’s a bestseller!). If they ever made the books into a movie, Toulouse could have been cast in the starring role. But sadly, that will not come to pass. Toulouse finally left us this past week. He was just so old and tired, he just plain wore out. He led a long and, we hope, a very happy life. He made us very happy. He was a good dog. A very good dog.


ALMOST CHARGED WITH D.U.I.A.S!
In our opinion, America has an addiction. An addiction to incarceration. We now have over two million citizens in jail, far more per capita than any other nation. And I secretly suspect the prison industry (and it is an industry), would love to get that number to three million. So how to do that?? How about inventing some new crimes…. like Driving Under the Influence of Allium Sativum!? One of our readers writes…..

”Just read your newsletter which I really enjoyed...
I know you have a sense of humor so I thought I'd tell you what happened to me when I planted the garlic I ordered from your site this fall. I was planting when I looked at the time and realized I had to pick up my teenage daughter from school. I dropped everything and jumped in the car, got her, and on the way home we were stopped by the police for a routine registration check. The woman officer asked me if I had been drinking. I said no and was surprised, to say the least, when she was insistent. She asked if I had even just one drink this afternoon. I again refused and she said she smelled something. I told her I had just been planting garlic and it might be the garlic smell still lingering on me. She sniffed and agreed it just might be that. Luckily, she let me go without walking the line or anything. Since I rarely, if ever drink, it was even funnier to my daughter and I. We laughed the whole way home. Thanks for your great product and thanks for listening to my garlic story! “


GARLIC IN THE KORAN
In our Garlic Information section (http://thegarlicstore.com/index.cgi/information.html) we have many quotations about garlic, including the famous mention of garlic and onions in the Old Testament (Numbers 11: 4-6.) One of our readers reminds us that garlic is also prominent in another sacred text, the Koran. His message follows below. In this age of such great divisions among the peoples of the world, it is heartening to know that our favorite herb at least is something upon which we can all agree.

“Garlic as well as onions are one of the few foods that are explicitly cited in the Coran. As we Muslims believe that the Coran is the word of God, it wasn't just cited there for no reason. Here is the verse:

[The Cow.61]  And when you said: O Musa! We cannot bear with one food, therefore pray Lord on our behalf to bring forth for us out of what the earth grows, of its herbs and its cucumbers and its GARLIC and its lentils and its ONIONS…. (Musa is Moses by the way.)

I heard also of the many health benefits of honey and it is cited also in the Coran but explicitly as a healer.

[The Bee.68.69] And your Lord revealed to the bee saying: Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in what they build: Then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. There comes forth from within it a beverage of many colors, in which there is healing for men; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.

DON'T PANIC!
Help!! My garlic shoots are already up! It’s below zero out there. What shall I do?

Go out and speak to them and say, thank you! They appreciate the encouragement. And don’t worry, it is common for shoots to emerge in the fall, and sometimes reach the height of several inches. And if it gets cold (I mean, don’t lick the lamppost with your tongue cold), no problem. Garlic’s origin is Siberia , so it can handle zero degrees (either C or F) with no problems, save for a little tip burn. (We repeat this from the last issue because people keep asking this question over and over.)

GARLIC IS AS GOOD AS TEN MOTHERS
We note in the latest edition of The Garlic Press (www.GarlicSeedFoundation.info) that the 1980 classic film (and now available on DVD) by Les Blank, “Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers” has been recognized as worthy of preservation by the National Film Registry. Other 2005 selections included works as varied as Ben Hur, Schindler’s List and Jailhouse Rock. The film (available in our book and video section) is a delightful documentary of the great American garlic revolution’s early days in, where else, California . It is just plain fun to watch. Especially accompanied by some roasted garlic on French bread with some slivered almonds and capers. Yum!

SPRING PLANTING
Life is about second chances. At least we all hope that we be allowed to rectify our errors of the past. In this case, we are only talking about not planting your garlic last fall when you meant to. Generally, autumn is the best time to plant garlic. If the roots get a good head start in those several weeks before winter sets in, the plant can handle anything. Our warm weather this winter coaxed our garlic way up, way early this year…like in November. Then suddenly, snow and -16 degrees F. Bam! But the little green shoots are hardly flustered, save for a little tip burn. And soon, the ground will thaw for good around the US of A, and for those who for whatever reason didn’t plant their cloves autumnally, it will soon be time for a vernal venture. Now is the time to plant along the Gulf and West Coasts. As March marches on, the spring planting window will open increasingly further north, reaching the Canadian border by early April (unless it is really, really cold next month, which delays things a week or so.) In experiments we conducted here at Yucca Ridge Farm with Dr. Gayle Volk of the USDA and Colorado State University , we found that spring planted cloves will do as well as their fall planted brethren. They may be slightly smaller, but the quality is just as good. The plants catch up fast, and generally are harvested less than a week or two later than the fall planted varieties.
We still have plenty of nice elephant garlic cloves, some excellent softnecks, and a few hardnecks that we have been nursing through the winter in a specially cooled facility. So they are ready go. And to show that procrastination isn’t always cause for punishment, we are pleased to announce the following spring planting offer:

SPRING FLING 20% OFF SALE
Here’s the deal. Anything you order from www.TheGarlicStore.com between now and 1 April 2006 will get you a whopping 20% off all spring planting stock, foods, books, DVDs…basically anything in the store. This is a special offer only for our regular customers and Gazette subscriber’s. (And yes, it’s OK to tell your friends in Ohio about the spring fling deal as well.)
To obtain the 20% off price (the discount does not apply to shipping charges), just celebrate the start of baseball spring training by typing “PLAY BALL” in the comment section. Or if you call in your order on Alexander Graham Bell’s clever invention (1-800-854-7219), you can just ask for the special spring discount.
Note: The discount will NOT appear on your order sheet if your order on line. We will subtract the amount manually when we process your credit card. This offer is valid through and including 1 April 2006. And speaking of baseball…will the Red Sox have to wait another 86 years to repeat? We’ll know come fall planting time.

DID YOU KNOW?

• While we do not sell wild ramps, a close cousin of garlic, they can be found on line at www.FoodsInSeason.com. They plan to offer them as fresh vegetables in April and May.

• Do not store garlic in the refrigerator…UNLESS you are a southern gardener. If you are growing in the deep south or wherever the winters are almost always above freezing, pop your bulbs in the fridge (not the freezer) for about two weeks before planting. That will cause them to break dormancy and begin to sprout. This process, called vernalization, makes them think it is now spring and time to grow.

• Do not peel cloves until you are ready to use them. Without their protective skin they dry out very quickly and become subject to mold.

• Former first lady and UN Ambassador Eleanor Roosevelt ate three cloves of chocolate covered garlic every day, purportedly to help her memory.

• It is reputedly against the law in Indiana to ride public transportation for 30 minutes after eating garlic.

A NEW GARLIC RECIPE FOR YOU…
This month we're giving you a dynamite recipe based on one of the food products we carry. It is very simple - and astonishingly sophisticated. Your guests will beg you for the recipe and find it hard to believe that it has only two ingredients:

Garlic Jelly and Mustard Dipping Sauce
1 measure garlic jelly (original or hot)
1 measure Dijon mustard

Mix thoroughly and let stand for at least and hour. The jelly needs time to dissolve completely. Make as much as you need - a tablespoon of each ingredient for a treat for two people, or maybe as much as a jar of jelly and the same amount of mustard for a crowd.

And what do you dip in this sauce? Cooked, deveined shrimp is our absolute favorite. Chicken wings are good, and so are cheeses such as the cheddars. But vegetables also benefit from this dip - and it's fat free!

The Garlic Grower’s Video/DVD
We call it “A Garlic Gardener’s Guide.” This 32 minute production shows you the tricks of the trade for growing your own top flight garlic, and also provides some historical facts about the history of garlic, along with fun scenes from the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Available now as either VHS tape ($19.95 plus S&H) or DVD ($19.95 plus S&H)

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
You can always email TheGarlicStore.com with your garlic questions (TheChiefClove@TheGarlicStore.com.) But if you would like your question answered in an upcoming issue of The Garlic Store Gazette, just let us know. We can publish your favorite garlic pictures too (just send them as an email attachment).

Published by: www.TheGarlicStore.com at Yucca Ridge Farm, 46050 Weld County Road 13, Fort Collins, CO 80524. A member of the Better Business Bureau Online. Email us at: TheChiefClove@TheGarlicStore.com or call us at 970-416-8695. (Mon-Fri, 10 AM - 6 PM Denver Time)
© The Garlic Store/FMA, Inc., 2006

Order online at www.TheGarlicStore.com