Hiiii Green Thingy Inside the Garlic Clove

Okay, here's what I just learned about garlic, because I've been doing my googling.

When you go to the market, you can usually count on the garlic bulbs being fresh. Because most normal people (which excludes me, obvs) go through garlic quickly, so the turnover is good. You want a firm bulb. That’s all I got.

But what about the actual clove of garlic? Here’s what I learned! It should have a purplish hue. See the image and my once-a-year-painted fingernails (holler to the holidays!).

Let’s just say my garlic rarely has the purplish hue. I buy a bulb of garlic and it sits for days weeks months. (ADMIT IT: YOU FEEL ME.)

When you let it sit, the garlic bulb loses its purple hue and becomes crusty and old. (HELLO, MY BODY PARTS.)

But! The question is can you still use the garlic when it’s like this? Will it hurt you? And what about that green thingy growing inside? Is it OK to eat the green thingy?

The green thing is called the germ, which does not help my OCD at all. (It’s also called the “sprout.”) It’s not toxic. In other words, you can eat it. According to what I read on the Googles.

What it could do is impart a bitter flavor. So I guess if the garlic has turned, it'll become a little bitter. And you know what? I’d be bitter, too, if I had a green thing growing through me called a “germ,” so I can totally get that.

Bottom line: the green thingy won’t kill you. It could impart a bitter flavor. The garlic clove itself might not be as strong tasting since it’s been sitting around. Garlic bulbs are cheap. Re-invest. But if you’re desperate, chop or mince and forget about it. 

(Chop or mince—lol. We’ll discuss this some other time.)