Christopher Ranch

Talent comes in many forms and if you’ve ever seen “America’s Got Talent” you know what I’m talking about. On a recent trip to Chevy’s for fajitas and a watermelon margarita (delish if you haven’t tried) my co-worker, Roggie, and I ran into one such talented person – Ben, the balloon guy. Gilroy’s Chevy’s has had a balloon person, on and off, for many years creating animals, hats – you name it – for squealing numbers of kids, but this night I wanted the balloon guy to make something for me.

Being an equal opportunity balloonista, meaning there was no age limit on his making anyone look juvenile, Ben was ready to grant my wish. “What would you like me to make?” he asked. My immediate answer: “a garlic bulb!” Even with a margarita in my hand, garlic as usual, was on my mind. Ben’s reaction to this request surprised me: “I’ve been working here for 7 years and no one has ever asked me to make a garlic bulb!” Really? I thought it would’ve been number one on the Garlic Capital’s top ten balloon list – or at least a close second to the little doggie with the puffy legs.

Well, it was Ben’s time to shine and, with a big smile, he sprang into action, stretching white balloons, blowing them up, tying them off, even biting off pieces of balloon to make small sections (these were to be the roots of the bulb*) in a virtuoso performance. Rog and I were amazed and delighted when, in a matter of minutes, he whipped out an adorable, chubby Christopher Ranch (of course)) garlic bulb, complete with a little green stem on top. A one-of-a-kind! I happily tipped Ben, finished my marg, and out the door we went with Little Ben; the name just seemed appropriate.

LB sat in a place of honor on my desk for a week or so until, sadly, it started to deflate, becoming a mere shadow of its former glory. Only the good die young, I guess, but I’ll always have my memories… I think it’s time for an encore performance by the balloon guy – and another margarita for me! Thanks to Ben at Chevy’s in Gilroy for making us smile!

*Always look for some roots when buying garlic! Garlic from China has the roots completely shaved off.

Christopher Ranch is excited about the debut of its new diva - Green Garlic. Our first few plantings have been harvested, packed, and shipped– so get ready to roll out the green carpet! This tender beauty will make your favorite foods sing.  

There are only a couple months left until the Gilroy Garlic Festival. It’s the diva of all food fests, the largest and most spectacular of its kind in the world. Set the date, July 23-25, for three days of fun, cook-offs, music, friendly people, and the number one reason 100,000 garlic lovers show up every year – delectable, garlicious, food, food, food. Christopher Ranch is the Official Garlic of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, natch! 

If you’re ready to wash down these tidbits, and celebrate your inner diva or divo (you know who you are…), try this tasty little beverage. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present:

THE DIVA COCKTAIL – GARLICIA STYLE

 

1½     oz. vodka

½        oz. fresh lime juice

1          tbls. cherry juice

½       oz. passion fruit juice

Club soda or 7-UP

Christopher Ranch Pickled Garlic Cloves

Fill a tall glass or Collins glass with ice and add the first 4 ingredients. Top off with club soda or 7-up. Garnish with a cherry, lime wedge, and at least 2 Christopher Ranch Pickled Garlic Cloves. Oooh, I can taste it… diva-licious. 

It’s been a Happy New Year for domestic garlic growers, thus far.

Entering 2010, Chinese garlic supplies have remained uncharacteristically low and prices abnormally high; fueling a domestic demand that hasn’t been this fervent for a while, thanks to cheap Chinese garlic swallowing the majority of the U.S. market in recent years.

China accounts for two-thirds of the world’s garlic production, but industry experts estimate that Chinese output dropped up to 50% in 2009, creating a major gap in global garlic supplies. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that more than 160-million pounds of Chinese garlic were imported into the U.S. in 2008 (more than half of domestic supply), and that number will – again – be down significantly this year, leaving California, Argentine, and Mexican garlic to plug the gap.

The 50% production decrease is largely why Chinese garlic prices have tripled since 2008, spiking from $8 for a 30-lb. box to $24 today and – similarly – motivating a 15-20% jump in domestic prices to $40-$50, a box, according to Christopher Ranch owner, Bill Christopher, in the most recent USA Today article, “Garlic Prices Soar in China Amid Flu Fears.”

The situation can be blamed on multiple factors, including Chinese speculation, a global garlic shortage and H1N1 fears.

“There’s a lot less Chinese garlic being shipped over here, and what is being shipped is being shipped at prices three times more than last year,” Christopher said. “There’s a bit of a world shortage and of course that raises the price.”

Chinese speculators are betting the price of garlic will propel them into newfound wealth, and, therefore, are buying garlic and sitting on it, waiting for the price to bolster. A garlic rush is on, with the kitchen staple surpassing gold and stocks as China’s best performing asset.

The USA Today article cited speculator Shao Mingquing, “who borrowed money to buy 100 tons of garlic in September, then made a $59,000 profit selling in October, the state-run China Daily reports.”

At the same time, Chinese farmers, reacting to years of garlic overproduction, falling prices and bad weather, cut plantings 50% in 2008, which plays a critical role in the global deficiency.

Swine flu qualms, however, continue exacerbating the situation, since garlic – known for its antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial properties – is viewed as a H1N1 combatant, especially in China.

Since markets are unpredictable, it’s difficult to foresee the next move, but for the time being, Chinese garlic’s major price bump is a boon for California growers looking to recoup business that has been unfairly lost to cheaper Chinese garlic.

The changing garlic tide is a plus, not only for American farmers, but also the safety of American consumers, as producers in China aren’t forced to comply with the same strict food-safety and quality-control regulations as domestic growers.

It appears, however, the federal government – and the public – are starting to take notice of Chinese food safety issues.

An article in Food Safety News cited food imports – particularly apple juice, garlic, shrimp and catfish – as “an emerging food safety issue in 2010,” considering 60% of American apple juice; 50% of garlic; 10% of shrimp and two percent of catfish are imported from China, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers.
In late 2009, the Obama administration established the Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center, which was launched by the Department of Homeland Security, to bolster the safety of food entering the U.S.

The CTAC stemmed from the federal government’s Food Safety Working Group, also initiated in 2009, whose charge is to ensure a safe food supply, by updating food safety laws and systems, streamlining the task among various organizations and increasing transparency.

With the multitude of threats facing the U.S. today, it is an extremely wise decision to do our best to control whatever facets of domestic security we can. We applaud the administration’s efforts to strengthen the safety of the U.S. food supply.

Indeed, wholesale garlic prices in Beijing have soared 15 times as high as March prices and, in certain parts of Shandong province, wholesale garlic prices have jumped 40-fold.

Why the massive jolt?

Several variables, including swine flu fears, speculation and a global shortage, are steering the price, many say.

A renewed demand for fresh garlic as a remedy for the H1N1 swine flu is a likely perpetrator. Case in point – the China Daily reported that a Hangzhou highschool recently purchased more than 400 lbs. of the bulb and required students to eat it daily during lunch to fight the disease.

Many also have begun pointing fingers at speculators, who, industry members claim, are playing the market by controlling as much supply as possible, and then raising the price. A wealth of liquidity – as is the case with Chinese garlic – can easily lead to speculation, according to articles in The Washington Post – “Speculators Blamed For Sharp Rise In China’s Garlic Prices” and CNBC – “Garlic Price Rises Surpass Gold, Stocks In China.”

“You need a warehouse, a lot of cash and a few trucks. That’s how it works,” said Jerry Lou, a Morgan Stanley China strategist, in The Washington Post article. “Basically, what you do is try to arrest as much supply as possible, then you bid up the price. Moving garlic from one warehouse to the other, you make millions of dollars.”

However, the worldwide reduction in garlic is also a significant price motivator.

Due to low returns for Chinese producers, there was a 50% drop in Chinese garlic production in 2008 – a considerable amount, particularly for a country that typically accounts for 75% of the world’s garlic supply. Thus, basic economics suggests, when there’s minimal supply, prices rise.

Regardless of the rationale fueling the present price increase, California growers – like Christopher Ranch – are welcoming the situation, as they have been unable to compete with cheap Chinese garlic in years’ past, resulting in the devastation of much domestic garlic business. At times, the price of Chinese garlic – the product’s most attractive quality – has dipped 50% below the price of California heirloom garlic from Christopher Ranch.

It’s impossible for domestic growers to drop prices to such low levels, as U.S. suppliers adhere to costly strict food-safety and quality control guidelines, including pesticide and fertilizer management, testing for microbial contamination, clean facilities, fair labor and equitable wages and third-party food safety testing, which the majority of Chinese suppliers are not forced to abide by.

Markets are often unpredictable, so it’s hard to forecast the next move. For the time being, however, Chinese garlic’s major price bump is a boon for California growers looking to recoup business that has been lost to cheaper Chinese garlic.

In recent years, domestic garlic producers have experienced great difficulty competing with lower-quality Chinese garlic that is dumped at an incredibly low price in U.S. markets, due to cheap production costs (very little food-safety and quality-control guidelines) and mass volumes. The situation elevated in 2008 when, for the first time, imports of Chinese garlic surpassed domestic garlic production, threatening the livelihood of U.S. farmers and potentially the health and safety of consumers.

The recent spike in Chinese prices reflects the market’s replacement of irresponsible Chinese garlic prices (which have failed to consider the overall costs to the environment, to the farmers who aren’t getting a reasonable return and to the consumer receiving inferior product), with more realistic price points. Because many Chinese farmers have not been justly compensated throughout the last several years, they’ve been forced to cut garlic acreage and opt for more profitable products – the main force behind the drop in Chinese garlic volumes, according to the article.

Because Christopher Ranch (and many other domestic growers) have always focused on growing a high-quality, flavorful, safe product – and paid higher operating costs to do so – it has been impossible to lower prices to that of Chinese garlic.

Christopher Ranch abides by strict food safety and quality control practices, including the Food and Drug Administration’s Good Agricultural Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices and is subject to third-party food safety audits. Christopher Ranch also has an extensive traceback system in place, wherein we can track product from the consumer to its point of origin, in the wake of a product recall. Money is involved in all these programs, which, to Christopher Ranch, are far too important to ever be eradicated.

Meanwhile, China’s record on food safety has been less than exemplary, and consumers are unable to receive the same level of assurance regarding the safety and traceability of Chinese produce, as they can with domestic produce.

Furthermore, Christopher Ranch’s California heirloom garlic is more flavorful, fresher and healthier than Chinese garlic, considering Chinese garlic can take between 30 and 60 days to reach U.S. markets, eroding all three aspects. Multiple independent tests also have confirmed the superior flavor and health of California heirloom garlic.

Tests conducted by the National Food Laboratory revealed that California heirloom garlic contains higher levels of essential oils and nutrients, including vitamins, amino acids, minerals and proteins, than Chinese garlic, translating to a consistently more robust flavor and stronger health-improving agents.

Additionally, leading chef, Cary Neff, conducted a sensory evaluation comparing Christopher Ranch’s California heirloom garlic and Chinese garlic, wherein he created three recipes using equal amounts of both varieties. The results consistently showed that California heirloom garlic maintains its flavor throughout the life of a dish, whereas the flavor of Chinese garlic dropped dramatically – at times, losing up to 50% of its intended flavor. Money also is involved in testing, which Christopher Ranch values as a critical and credible endeavor.

The good news is, for the time being, it appears the tide is slowly turning, as Chinese suppliers are being forced to charge a more equitable price.

Price aside, consumers deserve the most flavorful, fresh, healthy and safe product possible – California heirloom garlic.

To ensure you’re selecting high-quality California heirloom garlic, either look for the Christopher Ranch label, or – if it’s bulk garlic in a bin – look for bulbs that are off-white in color and more heart shaped, with roots intact. Those traits indicate California grown. Chinese garlic, in contrast, is bright white, with flatter, rounder cloves and shaved roots. Retailers are required to post Country of Origin labeling on all produce items, but items are often mislabeled, or not labeled at all, so be sure to ask the produce manager if you’re unsure.

Remember – All garlic Is Not Created equal!