Stop and Smell the Garlic
Stop and Smell the Garlic
Garlic may be one of the oldest cultivated crops according to some historians and as a result of it’s longevity it’s become a staple in many diets and cuisines across the globe. Rich in antioxidants it is considered by health experts to have many health benefits and we find it just plain delicious. There are… Read More »
Garlic may be one of the oldest cultivated crops according to some historians and as a result of it’s longevity it’s become a staple in many diets and cuisines across the globe. Rich in antioxidants it is considered by health experts to have many health benefits and we find it just plain delicious.
There are two basic kinds of garlic, hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic is related to wild garlic and typically contains 4-12 cloves centered around a flowering stalk. Hardneck garlic is preferred by chefs & culinary enthusiasts as it tends to be more flavorful and has multiple ways to harvest it. Softneck garlic does not contain a flowering stalk and therefore produces larger cloves as the energy goes into growing the cloves. This is the typical kind of garlic found in supermarkets.
We prefer to grow hardneck garlic on our farm and have approximately one acre that is planted in October and harvested in July. Growing garlic requires a lot of patience as it takes about 9 months for this crop to mature and then additional time for drying. Growing garlic requires a period of cold followed by a period of light and heat to reach harvestable size.
We harvest our garlic in three different ways on our farm. We first harvest the scapes or the long offshoot stalks of the garlic in the Spring. Scapes have a unique flavor that is a combination of onion, scallion and garlic with a very fresh taste. We then harvest the garlic “green” meaning before it reaches full maturity. This process of harvesting green garlic not only produces garlic at this early time, it helps our crops grow stronger and larger as we thin the fields with this harvest. This produces a young garlic bulb that is used like onions in cooking and has become a trendy desirable crop popular with garlic lovers. We then harvest the bulb of the garlic once it has reached full maturity and dry-cure it to extend the shelf life and strengthen the flavor. This process can take up to 4 weeks.
We have our own garlic available in our market right now and you won’t want to miss the culinary opportunities that await you using our garlic!
Love a flavorful and seasonal dish made with garlic? Try this hot and spicy broccoli dish today using our own garlic and broccoli!
