You’ll Be Seeing a New Kind of Garlic at the Grocery Store Soon

Many home cooks will tell you a delicious recipe starts with leeks and garlic. How about a combination of the two ingredients as one vegetable that is ready to chop for a soup, stew or long-cooking dish?

Chef Dan Barber, of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and the growing team at Row 7 Seeds are always working to make vegetables taste better and the goal starts with the seeds. Their latest offering is Sweet Garleek, a new vegetable variety that combines the onion taste of leeks with the kick of garlic in one root vegetable that can be used from root to tip for twice the taste and less waste!

What is Sweet Garleek?

Sweet Garleek is a cross between leeks and garlic that combines the best characteristics of each. Unlike a traditional leek, you can cook and eat the entire vegetable—tender green stalks and all—sautéed, grilled, roasted, or simply raw. Plus, it includes the punchy taste of garlic without the need to peel with sticky fingers.

What Does Sweet Garleek Look Like?

Leeks are white at their base and transition from a light green color to dark green in the long shoots of leaves. The Sweet Garleek, available in the produce section, looks similar but is smaller and more tender, almost like a scallion.

What Does Sweet Garleek Taste Like?

According to Charlotte Douglas, Row 7's President, the taste of Sweet Garleek starts in the soil. 

“Flavor starts with the seed, but it can only be expressed through the right kind of farming, which is why we partnered with some incredible regional organic farmers to bring this new ingredient to market. Sweet Garleek is grown and picked at the perfect moment when the tender stalks express the right balance of that sweet, mild garlic flavor.”

"I love how Sweet Garleek tastes like all my favorite alliums like green garlic, onions and shallots all wrapped into one with tender, edible tops to boot and less waste!” adds Chef Patch Troffer, Row 7’s Culinary Director.

How Should You Cook with Sweet Garleek?

Use Sweet Garleek in recipes that call for leeks and garlic as part of a base of flavors for soups, stews, and braises. 

According to the folks at Row 7, “Sweet Garleek is an allium innovation that packs a garlicky punch with the lingering sweetness of leeks. Chefs who have worked with the Sweet Garleek comment on the depth of flavor, a buttery texture, and the ability to use the whole plant in recipes.”

When Will Sweet Garleek Be Available?

The good news? Sweet Garleek is already available! The catch? It's currently only being sold at Whole Foods and being served at restaurants in New York. But it will be rolling out to national Whole Foods soon through the rest of the fall harvest season.