Garlic Seed Foundation

Garlic Seed Foundation
Rose Valley Farm, Rose, NY 14542-0149
(215) 587-9787
www.garlicseedfoundation.info

No other vegetable/culinary herb has garnished anywhere near the attention of the garlic. In the last 5 years, there have been over 3500 research studies on this Allium; 1500 of which were on sulphur compounds alone. For over 5,000 years, it's been cultivated by Homo Sapiens and although not always held in high esteem by vampires and certain antiseptic societies, it's always been eaten by common folks and used by medicine men and women. By international standards, the North American consumption of 3 pounds per person per year is well below the 50 pounds per person per year ingested in the cultures of the Far East.

While the geneticists ponder why this plant would lose its sexuality; the botanists study garlic's origin and biological characteristics; phytopharmacologists study the plant as a drug and the chemists and medical researchers examine sulphur and its effects on our body; the Garlic Seed Foundation seeks to answer the great questions: How do we grow and eat this stinky stuff?

Created in 1984 over our love of garlic potluck suppers, the GSF has grown to an international organization of over 1400 members, primarily centered in the Eastern United States. Our objectives have been to educate. promote and have some fun as we wear our breath proudly.

After we learnt how to grow the garlic, we started looking at "varieties", machinery, nutrient requirements, and each of the many cultural practices it takes from planting to putting it on our pasta. It is extremely labor-intensive, requiring over 20 human/personal interventions. We act as a clearing house of information and research data available to Girl Scouts or Ph.D. candidates, reprint and supply literature, present educational seminars to consumers and horticulturists (farmers and gardeners), work with authors of books and articles, answer questions on radio shows, and generally fill a neutral information void without considerations for sale of pills and products. Our newsletter, the Garlic Press, is published about 4 times a year. We promote regional production and consumption of garlic (and all food) using appropriate and sustainable practices. We celebrate this herb by working with local members organizing festivals that combine good food, information, planting/cooking material and merriment.

Each fall we aid our members by publishing a listing of available planting stock and making it obtainable to the general public. We are an educational, not-for-profit, informal, unofficial, unrecognized association and invite your membership and partipcipation.

Membership:     Initial Year    $15
                      Renewals     $20/ 2 years

Here at The Garlic Store we are enthusiastic members of The Garlic Seed Foundation. The foundation's newsletter provides members with a wonderful way to keep in touch with their "inner garlic soul."