Ontario Garlic

I have to admit that this summer was my very first time trying Ontario Garlic. Like most people I guess I had gotten into the routine of just picking it up at the grocery store and not really paying attention as to it's origin. Now that I am paying attention, I know that in most instances the origin in China.

I bought my first Ontario Garlic at the Brickworks and promptly forgot about it sitting on my shelf. But when the time came to use garlic in a recipe I was making, I was amazed at how much more flavourful it was. I needed to know if this was a one time thing, so I bought more when I was at the UTSC Farmer's Market in the early spring. It too proved to be of superior flavour than the Chinese Garlic I was used to using.

Now I think I am forever ruined...how will I ever return to the bland garlic we find in most grocery stores around the city. I grabbed a bunch of Ontario Garlic at Withrow Market on the weekend and for the first few days this week I couldn't decide if I should use it or merely keep it as decoration.

The answer came this evening when I got to work making Onion and Garlic Jam. The Onions were from Ontario so it seemed only right to marry them with these gorgeous garlics straight from a farm in Prince Edward County.

If you don't already buy local garlic, you should!