Visitors to the Dammam vegetable market are lining up to purchase a special pink garlic being sold with its leaves, flowers and even the soil that it was grown in. Yassir Al-Saquar brings the garlic from Al-Hassa and sells it for SR13 for a bunch which is about three or four kilograms in weight. Even if this is a bit more expensive than regular garlic, people are eager to stock up on it as it is a special seasonal item which is not often seen in the market. Al-Saquar told Saudi Gazette that the pink garlic will last at least one year, whereas regular garlic will be unusable after about four months, which, along with the Al-Hassa garlic's freshness and good quality, are the reasons why people are eager to purchase bunches of it. A number of Saudis are keen to buy this garlic as it is organically grown and is especially strong and of good quality, which Al-Saquar says is because the seeds of the plant came from India. “I know that this garlic will last for a year, so I purchase it whenever I see it in the market, and I know that it is of much better quality than regular garlic and helps to reduce high cholesterol,” said one Saudi who came to purchase the fresh pink garlic. Al-Saquar says that he makes a good profit by selling this garlic, so he is concentrating on it rather than on selling vegetables even though it is difficult to find in Al
