Garlic Soup

 two garlic bulbs (not cloves, bulbs) 
 one teaspoon of butter 
 three cups water 
 salt 
 tarragon 
 sage 
 1/8th lemon or lime 

Heat the water to a rolling boil, while peeling all of
the crinkly skin off of all of the cloves of garlic in
the two bulbs of garlic.  When the cloves are all
cleaned, crush them with a garlic crusher (a small ice
crusher will work) and throw them into the water,
reducing heat until a fine, slow simmer is 
maintained.  Cover.  Let simmer for about an hour,
maybe an hour and a half, occasionally adding water to
keep the fluid volume the same.  After about thirty
minutes, the garlic will become soft, and begin to
break up.  Taste-test the mixture until the garlic is
not overpowering (to you) and when the exact preferred
strength is reached, add the butter.  The garlic oils
that give it the bite degenerate slowly over time as
it is simmered, but, if simmered slowly enough, the
taste of the garlic itself remains.  Butter will absorb
the oils, and keep them from degenerating further. 

When the garlic is not quite as mushy as a fully-baked
potato, add tarragon, sage and salt (and any other
spices you might personally favor) in light measure
(about 1/8th teaspoon of salt, and about half that of
the sage and tarragon) and let simmer for about
another five minutes. 

Allow to cool to edible temperature, and add a tiny
squeeze of lime or lemon if you'd like.  Or, while
still fresh off of the stove, add tiny cubes of beef. 

Note:  This is a really awesome home-remedy for a cold.
Garlic oils have long been known to provide surface
disinfectant action, and while you cook this, inhaling
the fumes and steam will clear you right up.  And it
tastes just fine, on any dinner table.  A little
experimentation will let you get it just right for
you. 

It's also a way to get rid of annoying pests like
mosquitoes, they won't come in your house for weeks
after you cook up a batch of this. 

Garlic is very healthy, it increases iron fixation in
the blood, and does all sorts of other wonderful
things. 

Actually, the French have existed entirely on garlic
for substantial periods of time, and as a matter of
fact, the state of Maryland has a Ramps Festival
(Ramps are a sort of wild garlic) since one of the
early colonies had absolutely nothing to eat, and were
saved only by the abundance of wild garlic.  

Contributed by Klaatu