>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... >> Today on "Life in Bloom," we're focusing on the other rose -- garlic.

I'll visit a farm that grows garlic in abundance... create an arrangement including garlic scapes... we'll make garlic rolls... look at garlic flowers... and we'll enjoy, you guessed it, a garlic martini.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

♪♪ "Without garlic I simply would not care to live."

The stinking rose, also known as garlic, is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world and has been around approximately 5,000 years.

The definitive origin of the phrase "the stinking rose" is a bit unclear.

Some feel garlic found its nickname due to belonging to the lily or allium family and its pungent smell.

Other sources suggest garlic's bud-like appearance and strong smell are what likened it to a rose.

The restaurant The Stinking Rose, famously known for seasoning garlic with food, created a plaque that stated it had been said Ancient Roman soldiers dubbed the pungent herb garlic the stinking rose.

They believed garlic made them extremely strong and extra virile, and rubbed their bodies with garlic oil before going into battle.

Regardless the phrase's origin, we love garlic and found many flavorful avenues to explore with flowers and garlic in today's show.

♪♪ Brickyard Farms is a small five-and-a-half-acre vegetable truck farm located in Cloverdale, Michigan.

Owners Kim Sanwald and Valerie Lane are dedicated to growing clean food using organic methods.

They are also known for their handmade soaps and lotions.

They grow tomatoes, peppers, beans, shallots, potatoes, and many more vegetables, but they are well known for their garlic, fulfilling hundreds of orders by mid-summer with an iconic display of the bulbs.

>> We were the first ones to bring garlic to the market.

In fact, when Val first brought it back in 2000, people thought it was a lily.

"Oh, are you selling lilies?"

Because she didn't have it bundled, and she had a smaller amount back then, and she ended up having to give it away to get people interested.

And then they came back.

>> Right, right, right.

>> Then they came back, so... Yeah.

>> So, Zach, this is where you grew the garlic.

>> It is.

>> And so when does that start?

>> That starts -- We actually do ours early spring we would plant it.

>> Okay.

>> And then we would wait till it grows, and then we would pick all the scapes at the top... >> Right.

>> ...later in the season.

>> So scapes -- how -- When the scapes come on, how close to ready are you?

>> We are within a couple weeks of being ready to dig and process.

>> Is it -- Is it crucial that it's wet?

Is it -- Should it be dry?

What's the...?

>> It's much easier to dig and process if it was not wet.

>> Okay.

Alright.

>> Being wet is very difficult to get the mud off of them.

>> Okay.

>> Because we have clay here, it is something else.

It's hard to get it off.

>> Right.

And the clay was kind of a challenge when they started, I believe, right?

>> Oh, absolutely.

>> And so they were trying to pick the right garlic to grow for the soil.

>> That's why we ended up with hardneck.

>> Okay.

Alright.

And then once it's -- once you have the garlic, that's when you bundle it up and you hang it?

>> Yeah.

Well, we first -- we will cut the little bit of roots off the bottom.

Then we will take one little bit of a leaf off of it to clean it up and make it nice and white.

>> Okay.

>> And then we would hang and -- Yeah, we had something like 8,000 this year I believe.

>> Wow.

So the bunches of 20, then that's what goes to the market, right?

>> It does.

Yeah.

>> And so they're all stacked up at the market.

People come in.

They get there early in the morning before it even opens.

>> And it's gone by 9:00.

>> That's crazy.

>> Yeah, I mean, it's one of our best crops.

>> And people -- So, people talk about the garlic ladies or the garlic gals.

That's -- That's Val and Kim.

>> That's Val and Kim.

>> With help from Zach in the back.

>> Yes, from me, from the help.

Yeah.

>> [ Laughs ] That's awesome.

♪♪ ♪♪ So you have three different kinds.

>> Yes, we have German white, Ukrainian red, and Music.

Now, the Ukrainian red has a real spicy kick.

So if you like that kind of garlic, that's what you should probably look for.

And you look for it... >> I like it all.

Okay.

>> The red.

>> Oh, wow.

>> All of these will turn a little rose as they dry, but the real red ones are the Ukrainians, if you like the spicy.

>> I know how much work this is.

>> Amazing.

So, when I say we did 6,400 garlic in three days, that gives you an idea of how tired we are.

>> Wow.

Why did you come down at 7:30 to get garlic?

>> Because this is a hot commodity around here.

And we come out every year and buy as much as we can, and then we share it with our kids.

>> Well, it's -- it's exciting.

>> And it's great garlic.

>> That's awesome.

That's awesome.

It's early in the morning, and you're down here getting garlic.

How come?

>> Because this has the best, and you only get a chance there.

When it's gone it's gone, so you better get up and take your opportunities to get what's there.

>> It's the best garlic I've ever had.

>> Really?

>> And these ladies grow the best garlic I've ever had.

So I take it home and I... >> You have it.

>> ...use it for the whole year.

>> So we're super excited.

We missed out last year on the garlic, so we've heard about it and it's just amazing to have the whole year.

And it's so good to cook with, and it's very healthy for us.

So we're really excited to -- >> And so you put it on your calendar so you wouldn't miss it.

>> I put it on my calendar so we wouldn't miss it.

We're here at 7:45 in the morning.

>> That's awesome.

>> And the first Friday.

>> That's awesome.

Well, good, good.

Thank you so much.

>> Oh, you're gonna already eat it?

Okay.

[ Laughter ] ♪♪ >> While I very much enjoy cooking and baking, I still have to admit my primary interest in life is flowers.

However, I do have an undeniable love of food and learning about different ways to prepare it.

Enter my niece's husband, Nick Boersma.

Today, Nick is going to show me the process for Nick's famous rolls seasoned with garlic and other herbs.

So, I need to tell everyone that you're a scientist.

>> Yeah.

>> That's -- And that's -- that's your career.

>> Yes.

>> Okay.

That's your career.

So, we are making these famous rolls, and it has an interesting ingredient that makes them special.

>> Well, I wouldn't so much call it an ingredient, but it's kind of a technique.

>> Okay, okay.

Very good.

Very good.

>> You see we've got our tangzhong paste here.

I started out putting that on the burner with a 4-to-1 ratio of our liquid to flour.

So that was a little bit of our bread flour, some water, some milk, stirring that up constantly.

It goes from not all the flour even being incorporated to being incorporated, and then very quickly a nice gelatinous... >> Yeah.

Yeah.

It's like -- It's like a little ball of dough.

>> Exactly.

>> Yeah.

>> So, this is holding a lot more liquid than flour normally would.

It's going to help the buns be very soft and squishy.

>> They are.

We also have yeast and milk.

>> Yep.

Correct.

We've got the yeast in some warm milk.

It's about 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

It's enough to activate the yeast.

And here I've mixed together our dry ingredients.

We've got bread flour.

Specifically bread flour.

It's higher protein than your all purpose flour, so it's going to have better gluten development and everything.

Then some sugar, salt, and then our -- some of our flavorings for it.

We've got some garlic powder and rosemary in here -- fresh rosemary right out of the garden.

We're just going to get it dumped right in.

I'm going to get it onto the mixer just to make sure everything gets nice and incorporated.

So now we're going to add our tangzhong paste.

That has been cooling down a little bit.

That's important, because if we added it when it was fresh off the burner, it's quite hot and it could kill the yeast a little bit.

And the last thing for now is going to be one egg.

And now I'm going to start this on a fairly low speed.

We're going to wait for this to all come together into a nice cohesive mass.

So, we've got about 3 tablespoons of butter there cut into pieces.

>> Room temperature butter?

>> Yes.

And I'm just trying to break this up a little bit to do a little bit of the mixer's work.

Just push it in.

Once this is all incorporated, we're just going to set this on a nice knead for 5 to 7 minutes or so until everything starts to kind of look like it did before.

We really need to develop some gluten in it.

So I just want to roll this out for a second and pull this taut into a little ball.

So I'm just going to kind of fold it over itself a little bit and get all the ends so we have a nice taut outside.

I'm just pulling this towards myself and then turning.

I'm going to do that a few times to get a nice... >> Wow.

>> ...round ball.

Our vessel is a little bit buttered in there still, so it's plenty greased.

Cover this up to make sure that it doesn't dry out.

I'm going to put this somewhere a little bit warm for about two hours.

We want to see that dough double in size.

>> So, it's been two hours.

What do we have?

>> So, we'll pull off our cover here, and it's risen.

>> Wow.

Just a little bit.

>> So I'm gonna pull this out and dump it onto the cutting board for us.

To get really nice, even rolls, we're -- again, we're going to measure these out.

>> Oh, of course you are.

Right, right, right, right.

Okay.

>> We're gonna try and hit 75 grams on each of these.

So I'm going to kind of take all of those and tuck them in together so that we have a nice taut outside and then sort of use -- just make a, you know, circle with my hand and push it through there.

>> Uh-huh.

>> And now I'm gonna pull it on the table like I did the full one to really make a nice, taut ball.

♪♪ I've sprayed this with a little bit of cooking spray before, just to make sure, again, nothing sticks when we take them out.

And just line them up in there.

And you see there's -- there's a lot of room in here between them.

That's what we want.

I'm gonna cover them up with some plastic wrap.

>> Okay.

>> Hold everything in, make sure they stay nice and moist and they don't dry out at all.

>> Okay.

>> And they should be nice and touching, and they'll be ready to go in the oven.

>> Nick, look how pretty they are.

>> Yeah, they have risen a lot here, almost completely filling the voids between them.

Before we get these in the oven, we've got one more quick step.

Got one egg with a little bit of milk in there just to kind of thin it out a little bit.

>> Alright.

>> I'm gonna brush this over top of everything.

And that's going to help us get really nice browning as these come out.

And for a little bit if a crispier outside too, It's going to help with that as well, so... >> So we're going to go into a 350 oven.

>> Yep.

>> For about how long?

>> About 20 to 25 minutes.

If you have a convection setting, that's always best for baking things as well.

This is where the garlic taste really comes out of.

So far we've got a little bit of melted butter here.

It is unsalted butter, so I'm going to add maybe a pinch and a half we'll call it.

And then some garlic powder -- the same thing we used earlier.

And to really extract the most garlic we can out of this, I'm just going to go straight on a microplane and drop this all in here.

I'm going to stir that up, get the garlic all infused into that butter.

And this is going to be hot and ready to spread all over on top.

>> Sweet.

>> Here we go.

>> Those are beautiful!

Look at them.

>> And we've got our garlic butter.

So this is some big chunky flaky salt that when we bite into it it's going to have a little bit of crisp on it.

It's really going to just add that extra salty finish on.

♪♪ >> Let's see.

>> Alright.

>> Nick, they are so good.

It's delicious.

>> Rosemary taste in there, too.

>> I'm gonna stick the whole thing in my mouth now.

Mmm!

Nick, I appreciate this so much because you inspire me to be scientific about my baking.

And you prove to me every time that it's incredible and that they look beautiful.

It wouldn't be a visit to "Life in Bloom" without a flower crown.

So I made you a flower crown.

>> Oh, my goodness.

>> How about that?

>> I've never -- I've never worn a flower crown before, so... >> I know, right?

Let's see if it fits on your head.

Oh, hold on.

Oh, hold on.

Let's see.

That's -- That's -- Here.

Let me -- Let me -- Let me fix this.

Let me go this way.

>> Alright.

There we go.

That feels a little bit -- >> That's better.

They're not hanging -- That's not that hanging down in for you.

Thank you for coming and making Nick's famous rolls and sharing them with us for our garlic episodes.

>> Absolutely.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Garlic chives.

This herbaceous perennial is hardy in zones 3 through 9 and forms slowly expanding clumps of gray-green foliage 10 to 20 inches tall.

When bruised or crushed, the leaves and other plant parts have a strong garlic scent.

In the late summer to early fall, flowers open on sturdy two-to-three-foot-tall stalks well above the foliage.

The flower opens in a similar manner to the familiar purple allium flower.

The flavor of the leaves is a subtle, very mild garlic, while the narrow bulbs are strong and sharp when eaten raw.

The flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators with a sweet scent.

They are good for cutting for flower arrangements.

The flowers are also edible, so they can be used as a garnish or added to salads.

♪♪ Kim, I thought this was a great idea for this amazing garlic that you grow.

It's a roasted garlic-infused liquor, right?

And so you can do it with vodka or gin.

You like gin, so we did that and we did vodka here.

I roasted garlic according to your cookbook, and then I dropped it down inside the gin for five days.

And on the fifth day, I smashed it with a potato masher.

And then I left it in there for another two days.

Then I took all of it, and I ran it through a coffee filter to filter it and get it back in the bottle.

So, Kim, I was talking about edging this and you had a great idea, which is this.

>> Well, it is dehydrated garlic scapes, which I put in my spice grinder with some sea salt, and I thought that would be just perfect for the rim.

>> So we also -- then we have olives with garlic stuffed inside.

>> Perfect.

>> So we're going to do the gin and the dry vermouth to create a martini for this.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> You could also do vodka.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And I saw a recipe that said you could then call it the Vampire Killer, and so then just skewer us a beet, and that's your garnish.

>> Oh.

>> I think that's pretty -- The Vampire Killer, stake through the heart, right?

>> I can see it as a Halloween treat right there.

>> Exactly.

♪♪ Tell me when to stop.

>> Perfect.

>> Okay.

>> Vermouth first.

>> Correct.

>> And we're going to do this for two.

>> Yes.

>> You never want to put too much vermouth in a martini.

>> Okay.

>> It's really kind of a side thing.

>> Okay.

>> But the gin... >> Roasted garlic gin... with the roasted garlic from Brickyard Farms.

Attagirl.

Attagirl.

[ Chuckles ] I agree, I agree.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Alright.

♪♪ ♪♪ Okay.

>> Well, cheers, my friend.

Thank you for introducing me to the world of garlic and for your friendship and for being a great bartender and host.

>> Anytime, J.

>> Alright.

♪♪ What do you think?

>> It's really good.

>> I know!

We -- We weren't sure.

So, I have one more little tradition that we have here at "Life in Bloom."

>> Okay.

>> Okay?

And it's a flower crown... for my guests.

So let's see how I did.

Ah, lookit!

>> My goodness.

>> Cheers again.

Cheers again.

Because everyone -- everyone smiles when you put flowers on their head.

>> I think so.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Garlic scapes are thin, vibrant green stalks that grow from the garlic bulb.

The stalk often includes a bulge on the end.

That is actually a bud, and if the scape was left on the bulb, the bud would flower.

Garlic scapes were simply discarded by farmers in order to allow the garlic plant to channel all of its energy to the bulb.

But in recent years, the garlic scapes have become a popular food item, sold in bunches at farmers markets during a short period between spring and summer when they are in season.

Today I'm using garlic scapes in a flower arrangement.

Their unusual, long, and curvy nature will draw attention when included in any bouquet.

An artistic arrangement with driftwood is another great opportunity for us to relax when we're arranging flowers.

We have a green bowl, and we have flower foam down inside.

It's been soaked in flower food water, and we've got moss over the top of that.

Our piece of driftwood is sitting on top, so our first placements are going to help anchor it in place.

I typically would suggest making this in a place where you're going to display it, so that you don't have to move it around a lot after you've created it.

We'll start with anchoring it in place, and with that I'm going to use some pieces of burning bush.

It's a nice stable stick, so it's going to help me hold it in place.

So I'm going to put one adjacent to it right here... and I'll add another one back here on the back side.

So now it's really stable and it's going to hold it in place.

We'll put one more on this side just for extra security.

Now we can create the arrangement.

Let me show you how it's done.

I'll start with a couple of monstera leaves.

I love the fact that they're interesting and that they add weight to the front of the arrangement.

It's visual weight, because those leaves are so big and green.

We'll add a small maple sapling.

This was coming up in an undesired place in the garden, so I cut it off, but I wanted to use it in an arrangement.

Then we'll add our garlic scapes.

Not only are they delicious, but they're a wonderful decorative element.

And I simply cut the whole bunch at an angle and insert it as one stem.

I'm also using some zebra grass.

♪♪ I love the variegated Aspidistra.

They look as if they've been painted with big, long swaths of ivory tones.

It's actually a virus that infects the Aspidistra.

It's not harmful, but it creates the variegated striation in the leaves.

Whenever I'm placing the foliage, I make a little hole with my finger through the moss and then I can go in.

The moss conceals the foam completely.

Because we have two colors, greens and ivories, I'm using some ivory-colored stock.

♪♪ And the Solidago has been color enhanced, but it's the perfect color to add a strong focal area to this arrangement.

It's textural, and because it's been color enhanced, it's going to last a long time.

♪♪ ♪♪ It's time for my favorite part of the show -- flowers from you, the viewers.

Today I have flowers to share from viewer Christa Slater.

She's a teacher of kindergarten and first graders and watch us on KVCR in Calimesa, California.

Christa shared pictures from her son John, age 10, and his entries in a local flower show.

He entered three arrangements.

She said, "I suggested he add ferns to the geraniums and John said, 'Mom, I'm not vibing it.'

He got two compliments and decided it looked good.

Her husband, Bob Stutz, who is a retired plumber, entered his Rio Samba roses in a blue Roseville vase.

The judge said it popped.

Christa's dad, John Stutz Sr, is a wine expert, educator and historian.

He's 83.

He entered his rosemary herbs in a vase and the kumquats in a vintage wash pitcher.

He was so proud to show his friends.

I asked Christa about the vases, and she shared photos of her collection.

Wow, that's an impressive flower vase collection!

I love to see pictures of your flower arrangements inspired by "Life in Bloom."

We call them Schwankes after a viewer's nickname.

Send them to [email protected].

That's the letter J at the letter U Bloom.com.

And watch for more Schwankes on upcoming shows.

Thanks for joining me on our review of the stinking rose known as garlic.

I hope you enjoyed these ideas old and new.

Whether grown for seasoning or blooms, garlic makes a statement.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

Right, so this is the farm.

>> This is the farm.

>> So, Zach, how do you know these two ladies?

>> I have known Val for about 38 years.

>> My gosh.

Okay.

>> And I've been working with her for about as long.

>> Okay.

So 38 years.

You're, uh, 40...?

>> I'm 43.

>> Okay.

So five years old.

>> Five years old, yeah.

>> How did you meet her?

>> Hey, uh, terrible story.

I had got caught sinking her boat as a child, and she made me and my buddy who was sinking the boat, to split some wood for her.

>> Okay.

That sounds like Val.

Okay.

>> So for about two weeks, she made me split wood.

And ever since, I've been working for her.

>> [ Laughs ] "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> Visit J's website, uBloom.com, for flower projects and crafts, complete recipes, behind-the-scenes videos, J's blog, flower cocktails, and more.

♪♪ "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

♪♪ >> With additional support from the following... Closed-caption funding provided by Holland America Flowers.

♪♪