National Garlic Association
America’s Preeminent Garlic Rights Organization — Est. 1971
Welcome to the National Garlic Association (NGA). Here you’ll find our mission, history, safety standards, and ongoing advocacy for the right to keep and bear garlic. All content is regarding garlic, not firearms.
Our Mission
The National Garlic Association is America’s preeminent garlic rights organization, made up of millions of members. Together, we fight and win the toughest battles for the right to keep, plant, and bear garlic, all while offering the best garlic educational programs in the country. We champion garlic safety, education, training, and the advancement of culinary garlic traditions.
Protect your right to grow, store, and enjoy garlic. Join the NGA today !
The History of the National Garlic Association
Founded in 1870 in the fertile valleys of New York, the National Garlic Association emerged during a pivotal era of American culinary expansion. As waves of immigrants from Italy, Germany, Ireland, China, Japan, Poland, and other garlic-rich traditions settled in the United States, they brought seeds, bulbs, and a deep appreciation for Allium sativum.
The founders—a coalition of pioneering garlic farmers, chefs, and early food scientists—recognized that garlic faced cultural prejudice and the risk of regulatory overreach. In an era when some Anglo-American cookbooks treated garlic with suspicion, the NGA stood as a defender of the right to cultivate and consume this ancient bulb freely.
Garlic had arrived in the Americas with Spanish explorers in the 1500s and later found ideal growing conditions in California’s Mediterranean climate. By the late 19th century, the NGA’s first meetings focused on standardizing cultivation, promoting seed exchanges, and educating the public on garlic’s health benefits—long before modern science confirmed the power of allicin.
In 1870, one year before the National Rifle Association was founded, members drafted the foundational principles that still guide us: the right to keep and bear garlic shall not be infringed; responsible ownership includes proper storage and handling; and domestic production must be protected against unfair foreign competition.
For much of the early 20th century, garlic remained marginalized in parts of mainstream American cooking. The NGA worked through publications, festivals, and advocacy to change that. The real renaissance arrived in the 1970s. Innovators at Christopher Ranch in Gilroy—America’s Garlic Capital—and the launch of the Gilroy Garlic Festival in 1979 helped transform garlic into a national staple. U.S. production more than tripled between the mid-1970s and the 1990s.
In 1989, a historic USDA expedition to the Caucasus region (under armed escort as the Soviet Union dissolved) brought back dozens of new varieties. The NGA helped distribute and promote these, expanding genetic diversity for American growers and home gardeners.
Today the NGA continues to oppose local ordinances that limit home cultivation, “pungency restrictions” on certain hardneck varieties, and excessive import pressures that harm domestic growers. We frame these efforts as the defense of culinary freedom and the American tradition of self-reliance in the garden and kitchen.
The NGA Garlic Safety Rules
Just as responsible citizens handle any powerful tool with care, garlic owners must practice safe handling. The NGA has developed these fundamental rules, taught in our certified training programs nationwide.
The Four Fundamental Rules of Garlic Safety
Always keep the garlic pointed in a safe direction. Whether whole bulb or separated clove, orient it away from sensitive noses, eyes, and unfinished dishes until you are ready to use it. A sudden release of allicin can overwhelm the unprepared.
Treat every garlic bulb as if it is fresh and fully potent. Even dried or stored garlic retains power. Never assume a bulb is empty or mild without checking.
Keep your finger off the press until you are ready to squeeze. Premature activation of a garlic press can lead to unintended sprays, messes, or flavor overloads. Practice trigger discipline in the kitchen.
Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. Know your recipe, your guests’ preferences, and the heat level. Over-pressing into a delicate sauce can ruin the dish for everyone downstream.
Additional Best Practices
Store whole bulbs in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place. Never refrigerate unpeeled garlic, as it promotes mold. Use sharp knives and clean presses immediately. While garlic is generally safe, excessive raw consumption can cause digestive upset. Introduce children to garlic through supervised growing projects; the NGA offers junior memberships and age-appropriate training.
Garlic is a powerful natural tool—antimicrobial, flavor-enhancing, and culturally significant. Accidents, while rare, can involve skin irritation, lingering odors, or an overpowered meal. Following NGA standards lets members enjoy garlic responsibly and helps preserve our rights against well-meaning but misguided restrictions that limit ownership rather than educate.
Recent Information Posts
The Case for the Second Clove Amendment: Why Garlic Rights MatterIn recent years, a handful of municipalities have proposed ordinances limiting the number of garlic plants a homeowner may grow, citing odor or nuisance concerns. The NGA views these as dangerous precedents. The right to cultivate one’s own food—including pungent, health-giving garlic—is fundamental to self-reliance.
Historical evidence shows garlic was prized by ancient civilizations for culinary and medicinal reasons. In America it sustained immigrant communities and later became a mainstream staple thanks to California growers. Restricting it does not enhance safety; education does. Our certified courses have trained hundreds of thousands in responsible handling. We urge members to contact local officials and oppose such measures.
A Brief History of Garlic in the United StatesGarlic’s American story begins with early explorers and settlers. Spanish colonists introduced it in the 1500s, and it found ideal conditions in California. Italian and other European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries expanded cultivation, particularly around Gilroy. For decades it faced cultural resistance in some circles.
The turning point came in the 1970s. Innovators at Christopher Ranch and the Gilroy Garlic Festival helped transform garlic from a niche ingredient into a beloved American flavor. The 1989 USDA collection from the Caucasus added vital genetic diversity. Throughout, the NGA advocated for fair trade policies as imports challenged domestic growers.
American garlic—whether softneck for braiding or hardneck for bold flavor—represents both agricultural excellence and cultural fusion. The NGA preserves this history through our archives and educational programs.
Garlic Safety Tip of the Month: Proper StorageMany kitchen mishaps stem from improper storage. Whole bulbs prefer cool, dry conditions with good airflow—a mesh bag in a pantry, not the refrigerator. Refrigeration can cause sprouting or mold in unpeeled bulbs. Once separated, cloves should be used within a week or frozen. Remember the fundamental rules and keep your workspace clear. Responsible ownership ensures garlic remains a tool for enjoyment.
Friends of NGA Banquet Recap
This year’s Friends of NGA banquet drew hundreds of members for garlic-infused cuisine, awards for outstanding growers, and speeches on the future of culinary freedom. Proceeds support youth programs and legal defense funds. Highlights included a competitive “press-off” and a keynote on the health benefits of allicin-rich preparations. Events like these strengthen our community.
Protecting Domestic Garlic Production
American growers continue to face challenges from low-cost imports. The NGA supports policies that ensure fair competition, research funding for disease-resistant varieties, and consumer education on the benefits of U.S.-grown garlic. California still leads production, but vigilance is required. Contact your representatives and tell them you support the right of American farmers to succeed in the garlic market.
Membership supports garlic safety training, culinary programs, and the defense of your right to keep and bear garlic.
Annual, Life, and Junior options are available.
Practice safe garlic handling, stay informed, and help secure the future of flavor freedom.
Disclaimer
The National Garlic Association (NGA) does not exist, as far as anyone has been able to confirm after checking every farmers’ market, every Italian grandmother’s basement, and several extremely confused Google searches. Everything you read—every sentence, every slogan, every official-sounding policy—is based entirely on what the NGA could be if someone ever got around to starting it, which they have not. Here at GROeat Farm, LLC we thought it would be a good idea to make the suggestion.
The NGA is not affiliated with the NRA. It does not want to be affiliated with the NRA. It has never called the NRA, does not have their number, and would not know what to say if they answered. The NGA is about growing garlic. That is the whole mission. Cloves. Soil. Water. Occasional yelling at ground squirrels, magpies and deer. Anyone who shows up expecting tactical gear will be handed a hardneck garlic scape and asked to leave before the smell gets on the folding chairs.
Additional official positions of the (nonexistent) NGA:
Potential Members are encouraged, but not required, to develop a signature garlic breath that can clear a room at a distance of eight to twelve feet. This is considered a membership perk.
The NGA does not endorse, sell, or condone garlic presses. It views them as an unnecessary act of violence against an innocent bulb. Just smash it with the side of a knife like a normal person.
The Association accepts no responsibility for sudden urges to speak in an Italian accent, the spontaneous invention of family recipes that never existed, or the decision to put garlic in literally everything, including coffee, after reading our materials.
While the NGA supports the right to bear arms of toasted garlic bread, it draws the line at anything that goes bang. If your garlic makes a noise louder than sizzling in olive oil, you are doing it wrong and may be asked to grow it somewhere else.
The NGA is not responsible for any vampires who become unexpectedly polite, any romantic partners who develop an inexplicable aversion to kissing, or any coworkers who start sitting farther away in meetings. These are known side effects of a healthy garlic lifestyle.
All references to “the Second Amendment” in NGA materials, should any ever appear, are typos. We meant “the Second Clove.”
Finally, if the real National Rifle Association ever contacts us to clear up the confusion, we will politely explain that we are a bunch of people who like dirt and alliums and then hang up before they can ask us to co-sponsor a fundraiser.
NGA Member Spotlight: Growing Hardneck Garlic the Montana Way
By Jere Folgert, garlic and nature lover, owner of GROeat Farm, Bozeman, Montana
"As a longtime member of the National Garlic Association, I believe the right to keep and bear garlic starts in the soil. At GROeat Farm, nestled in the foothills of the Hyalite Range near Bozeman at about 5,400 feet, we grow only hardneck garlic—Rocambole, Porcelain, and Purple Stripe types. We love Music, Montana Giant, Georgian Crystal, and others. These aren’t the mild softnecks you find in most grocery stores. Hardnecks are the bold, cold-hardy cousins that need Montana’s long winters for proper vernalization. They reward us with larger cloves, complex flavors, higher allicin, and those curly scapes that make the best pesto of the season.
I’m an Army veteran, a father (my twin boys have helped plant and harvest), and a nature lover who hikes, watches American pikas, and maps land with GIS. We farm the way the NGA teaches: responsibly, with organic methods, cover crops, crop rotation, compost, and no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. We only sell what we grow ourselves—seed garlic for planting and culinary bulbs for the kitchen. The farm is not open to the public; it’s a working family operation focused on quality over quantity. We focus on results that make the work worthwhile.
The NGA’s defense of the right to grow garlic at home matters to small farms like ours. Local restrictions on plant numbers or “nuisance” claims can hit hardneck growers hardest, because these varieties need space and the right conditions to size up. Domestic hardneck production also supports the genetic diversity that the 1989 Garlic-Allium Act and Collections and later work made possible. When you choose American-grown hardneck—whether from GROeat Farm in Montana farm or your own backyard—you’re choosing flavor, resilience, and independence from long supply chains.
Learn more about our varieties and methods at GROeat.com, or simply plant a clove this fall and see what Montana-style hardneck can do in your soil. The right to keep and bear garlic is strongest when we actually do it.
Grow it, cook with it, and share it. That’s how we keep the tradition alive."
— Jere Folgert
