NEW ITEM, Trader Joe’s: Gourmet Fresh PURPLE GARLIC

(june 2024) Trader Joe’s currently has this fresh “PURPLE GARLIC” at the moment. Its being sold along the “regular” white bulbs of garlic they always have.

This purple stuff is basically what you would usually see at a farmer’s market. The Gourmet (expensive) kind

I’m going to guess this purple garlic is a “limited item” so if you want to try it – and trust me you do ! – if you see this, snap it up.

The garlic itself is not purple, its white , but the skin is purple with stripes.

Its $1.99 for 4 bulbs (50 cents each basically) which is the same price as TJ’s regular fresh garlic .

This purple garlic however is a bit more “gourmet” like a Farmer’s Market find. At my local farmer’s market, I’ve seen garlic off a farm sell for $2-4 A BULB!!!

(update: it was definitely Limited – and around for just June)

Anyway why “purple” and what’s the difference between purple garlic like this and the other regular garlic bulbs Trader Joe’s sells? I had to Google it. Basically it is “Hardneck vs Softneck” varieties of garlic….

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/garlic-vs-purple-garlic/

“Purple garlic has a purple hue to its papery skin, though the inner cloves are the same color as white garlic cloves. It comes from a variety called hardneck garlic….Purple garlic cloves are “juicier” and have a milder flavor than white garlic when fresh. You might see purple garlic in some supermarkets, but it’s more likely to be found in specialty markets and at farmers’ markets.”

How did it taste? Excellent. I really liked this garlic so I bought more the next time I saw it. This garlic is super fresh and excellent quality.

If you see this I recommend getting it while you are still able to. I don’t expect to see this forever but who knows, maybe they have this supplier for good now so we will see it every summer. I hope so!