Ninety percent of the garlic we eat in Australia is imported and every single bulb is fumigated with one the world's most dangerous chemicals, Methyl Bromide. Because our locally grown garlic is rarely labelled none of us are able to avoid imported garlic, so growing your own has a special attraction.
Methyl Bromide is highly toxic to humans and all living things. Acute exposure burns the skin and causes severe kidney damage. It has devastating effects on the central nervous system which could be fatal.
In 1991 Methyl Bromide was found to be one of the chemicals that was destroying the earth's ozone layer and was to be phased out by January 2005 – but it is still used as a fumigant by our Quarantine Department.
The Department of Agriculture states that “Garlic from all countries is subject to mandatory fumigation with Methyl Bromide”.
Most people have heard of the destructive effects on our ozone layer of chloro-fluorocarbons, CFC's, because of the threat they posed to life on earth. Bromine compounds are 45 times as effective at destroying the ozone layer as Chlorine.
“Had humans found Bromine cheaper or more convenient than Chlorine, it is quite likely…we would have been enduring unprecedented rates of cancer, blindness and a thousand other ailments…” Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers.
Why is 90% of our garlic imported?
Our British tradition, as exemplified by famous English cook Mrs Beeton, was that garlic was a flavour alien to the English palate. So it took the arrival of European immigrants for Australians to finally appreciate its culinary attributes, but by then we had relied for so long on cheap imports of the bulbs that production never really got started. Because the bulb is so labour intensive to grow, China has become our largest supplier and by forcing down its price, has almost destroyed any chance that Australians will replace the heavily fumigated imports.
Garlic has been valued for both its culinary and medicinal properties for thousands of years. It is known to have antibacterial and antiviral properties and boosts the immune system. Chewing a raw clove (washed down with water), relieves the symptoms of colds and flu, and possibly will reduce the likelihood of cross-infection! Garlic will moderate cholesterol, blood pressure and fight cancer. High in antioxidants, garlic is possibly the ultimate health food.
Garlic juice is used as a repellent against aphids, particularly when sprayed on roses. It actually kills mosquitoes and when mixed with Pyrethrum gives control of a wide range of pests.
Avoid imported garlic by buying our locally grown bulbs free of Methyl Bromide or non-sprouting chemicals. If you eat a clove a day for its health benefits you will need about 2 bulbs each month.