China is rapidly putting California garlic growers out of their businesses. Less than a decade ago, all of the garlic in the US was grown here, in California.
Now, the numbers have changed. Less than 40% is homegrown, and more than 60% is imported from China. You can spot the difference by simply looking at the bottom.
Toxic Garlic
If all of the roots have been removed, and a clean, concave spot is left, that means the garlic is Chinese. All of this is required by the Agriculture Department in order to prevent plant diseases which are soil- born to enter the country.
And if the roots are still there, then it is Californian garlic. It is proven that not a single garlic grower from California cuts out the roots.
But, unfortunately, China is dealing with a great issue of quality control. This is because most of the Chinese farmers use illegal and mostly harmful pesticides in order to make their crops grow.
One undercover magazine reporter found out that many of the vegetable farms there use parathion and phorate, two types of pesticides that are literally banned by the government. They do this just to irrigate the crops and save some effort and time.
These two pesticides have been marked as toxic! The second major factor for the bad quality of the foods imported from China is their soil. China is facing a major pollution problem.
Their soil by itself is toxic, meaning that it creates major health problems. Some official government reports show that a fifth of the soil in China is contaminated by some heavy metals and an unhealthy amount of fertilizers and pesticides.
This form of severe pollution has even contaminated the rivers in China, filling them up with household waste and industrial chemicals. But, how to spot the garlic from China?
Please beware and make sure that what you’re buying is not garlic imported from China. It is filled with bleach and a lot of other chemicals that are extremely bad for your health.
So, here is what you have to do the next time you go to the supermarket. First, if there are roots or stems on the garlic, then it is safe.
China always makes sure to cut off the stem and the roots so that the weight would be decreased when they are shipped over the sea.
Second, the heavier and bulkier garlic is also safe. The imported kind of garlic is smaller and weighs less. Next, the garlic which is healthier and grown here, in California has a fuller and richer taste.
When putting on a flavor measuring scale, one big homegrown garlic measures out 40 out of 40, and the imported garlic measures only 28 out of 40.
Finally (and we all know this one) – the best way to make sure that your garlic is safe and healthy is if you buy it from a local market or grow it in your own home.