Is a garlic bulb that has sprouted still edible? According to John La Puma, MD, ChefMD, a professionally trained chef with a private nutritional medical practice in Santa Barbara, California, Yes! A garlic sprout is a new seedling and will eventually develop into a whole garlic plant. It has greater flavor and pungency than the clove itself. Garlic that has been sprouted for five days has twice as many antioxidants as unsprouted garlic and knocks back free radicals better, too, probably because the seedling is creating natural defenses designed to protect the up-and-coming plant. So enjoy the garlic clove and the sprout.
