Garlic Season

Well, two seasons have just begun: Fall and the flu season! Which is why I'd like to recommend that people start another season -- the garlic season! In case you haven't heard, garlic is one of the all-time best ways to avoid being sick. Don't believe me? Just try it!

Garlic has had a long and colorful history for such a plain-looking little herb, but a lot of folks still don't really appreciate it. But garlic has an extraordinary ability for keeping germs and other "sick bugs" away...and I don't mean by hanging it around your neck! :-)

In our house, we take garlic tablets, pour garlic into food we're cooking, and then sprinkle garlic powder onto food while we're eating it! Just about everything except chocolate and ice cream has garlic in it. And no, I'm not kidding, either. :-) My mom has a kind of tea she concocts with garlic and cayenne in it -- quite frankly, I don't think anything could survive it, let alone a humble germ! ;-)

All literary hyperbole aside, however, let's face the facts: My mom also hardly ever gets sick. Furthermore, I can vouch for the fact that a sore throat will take a hike if you suck on a clove of raw garlic. Does it taste bad? Not that bad, and it's definitely better than getting really sick. (Just don't suck on it past when it starts to burn; at that point, you need to trash it and get a fresh one.)

So the next time you start feeling like you might be coming down with something, grab some trusty garlic...and it wouldn't hurt a bit to go on and grab some now -- it's great prevention!