{"id":1151,"date":"2019-09-01T05:01:42","date_gmt":"2019-09-01T05:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?page_id=1151"},"modified":"2019-10-07T02:18:07","modified_gmt":"2019-10-07T02:18:07","slug":"garlic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/01\/garlic\/","title":{"rendered":"Garlic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Allium<\/em> <\/em>sativum<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: Garlic originated in the Caucasus region of central Asia and is\nthought to be one of the first cultivated plants (it no longer even occurs as a\nwild plant). It has been prized as a culinary flavoring for over 7000 years,\nhaving been cultivated\nby almost every ancient civilization, from the Chinese, Indians and Egyptians onwards. China is now the worlds biggest producer, growing\nsomething like 70% of the total world crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease\nof growing<\/strong>: <\/strong>Garlic is a fairly easy crop\nto grow and I find it one of the most satisfying. Harvesting the garlic crop is\none of the highlights of my gardening year. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garlic is very productive and it is easy to grow enough for a\nwhole year. It is also fairly easy to store and some varieties can keep for up\nto 10 months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop\nvalue<\/strong>: Garlic isn\u2019t hugely important from a\nnutritional standpoint because it is only eaten in small quantities, but it is\nextremely important from a culinary viewpoint. It is second only to the onion\nin importance as a kitchen flavoring. No serious cook could conceive of not\nhaving garlic on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Garlic contains so many valuable\nphytochemicals (including allicin, ajoene and allyl sulfide) that it is an\nimportant medicine \/ food. It has anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, antifungal,\nanticlotting, antiseptic and antibiotic properties (and probably a few more\ntoo). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garlic has so many beneficial qualities\nthat there has been a lot of hype in recent years about its value as a medicine\n\/ food (I refuse to use the word nutriceutical) and countless commercial\npreparations are available. However a lot of its beneficial chemicals are quite\nfragile so eating them as a food is more effective than swallowing them in a\nmanufactured product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can maximize the beneficial\nqualities of your garlic by letting it sit for a while after chopping<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nGarlic contains about 670 calories per pound. I\u2019m not quite sure why I\u2019m\ntelling you this, as I can\u2019t imagine anyone has ever eaten a pound of garlic at\none time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About Garlic<\/strong>  

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: hardy
Growing temp: 45 (55 – 75) 85\u00b0F
Days to harvest: 90 – 220 days
Plants per sq ft: 4
Plants per person: 10 – 15
Height 12 – 24\u02dd
Width 6 – 12\u02dd  

Planting<\/strong> Fall: 8 – 10 wks before first frost
Spring: 4 – 6 wks before last frost  

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Harvest period: 2 – 3 weeks
Yield per sq ft: \u00be – 2 lb
Yield per plant: 2 – 4 oz  
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: Garlic originated in central Asia with its cold winters, cool\nsprings and warm dry summers. It needs warm days (cool nights are fine) for\nbest growth. Too much heat (above 95\u00b0F) can hasten maturation, which isn\u2019t good\nas it means the plant has less time to store food and so results in smaller\nbulbs. Rain while the bulbs are maturing isn\u2019t good either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garlic is very hardy and can tolerate temperatures down to 0\u00b0F or\nlower. If the soil doesn\u2019t freeze, its roots will continue to grow right\nthrough the winter. The tops will also grow whenever the temperature is above\n40\u00b0F, in fact they grow best in fairly cool conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardneck varieties are hardier than the softnecks and so a better\nchoice for colder areas. The softnecks are more suited to mild winter areas.\nMost commercial garlic is the softneck type, grown in central California with\nits mild winters, mild springs and warm, dry summers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH<\/strong> 5.5 (6-6.5) 7.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garlic will grow well enough on poor soil, but the bulbs won\u2019t get\nvery big. For big beautiful bulbs it needs a light, rich, deep, moist,\nwell-drained loam with lots of organic matter. Drainage is important for this\nover-wintering crop, as the roots may rot if they stay wet and cold for too\nlong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Garlic sends down roots 2 feet or more, so the ideal soil is\ndeep, loose and friable. It doesn\u2019t like compacted soil, so if the soil is at\nall heavy or compacted, then double digging and incorporating organic matter\nwill help. Raised beds are also beneficial as they help to ensure deep soil and\ngood winter drainage\n(which is important).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incorporate 2\u02dd of compost or aged manure into the top 6\u02dd of soil,\nalong with a source of potassium (wood ashes) and phosphorus (colloidal\nphosphate). Garlic has a particular liking for sulphur.                                                                                                             \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garlic does well following a recently incorporated summer green\nmanure crop, as it benefits from the newly released nutrients. You might even\nplant a crop of buckwheat specifically to fertilize a following garlic crop.\nWait two weeks for the crop to decompose before planting the garlic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t overdo the fertilization for garlic, as it can make the\nbulbs less flavorful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: Garlic needs full sun, the more the better. It doesn\u2019t tolerate\nweeds very well, so try to choose a spot that doesn\u2019t have a lot of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop rotation<\/strong>: Don\u2019t plant garlic in soil where any Allium (garlic, onion,\nshallot, leek) has grown within the last 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: The most important factor in growing good garlic is planting it\nat the right time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall<\/strong>: In places where garlic will survive the winter it does better\nand gets larger when planted in fall. This gives it plenty of time to put on\nvegetative growth and store food before the long days of the following summer trigger bulbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In mild climates, set out your cloves from August onwards (at\nleast 2 months before the first frost date). You want the plants to be well\nestablished before the onset of cold weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also plant garlic in fall in colder areas (until\nNovember). They won\u2019t make any top growth, but their roots will grow and give\nyou an early start in spring. The bed should be mulched with 4 – 6\u02dd straw to\nprotect the cloves from frost and prevent heaving. When the coldest part of the\nwinter is over (early spring) you should remove the mulch to allow the soil to\nwarm up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring<\/strong>: In areas with very cold winters, fall planted garlic may not\nsurvive outside and in such places it is often planted in spring, 4 – 6 weeks\nbefore the last frost. It can go in the ground as early as early as February if\nyou protect it with cloches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t wait too long in spring to plant your garlic, or you may run\ninto a problem with lack of chill. The dormant cloves and \/ or young plants\nmust be exposed to a period of cold weather (6 – 8 weeks below 50\u00b0F) before\nbulbing can occur. If they don\u2019t get this the cloves will simply get bigger,\nrather than dividing into the familiar bulbs. These are known as \u201crounds\u201d and\ncan be eaten (though they aren\u2019t very big) or left in the ground for another\nyear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring planting works okay, but isn\u2019t usually\nas productive as fall planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: Garlic is propagated vegetatively from\nindividual cloves. Gently break open the bulb, without bruising the cloves\ninside (you don\u2019t want them to lose their protective skin). Do this just before\nplanting, as separating the cloves may initiate root growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people say larger cloves make larger bulbs. Others say it\ndoesn\u2019t matter much what size the clove you plant (within reason), the final\nbulbs will be about the same size. I say if you bought bulbs to plant, then\nplant them. Do you care if some of the resulting bulbs are slightly smaller\nthan others? If you have plenty of planting material, you might use very small\nones for growing\ngarlic greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant the cloves 2 – 3\u02dd deep (1\u02dd in mild areas), making sure they\nare upright. This means planting them pointed side up and flat side down (planting\nupside down does not help). If the soil is very loose you can just push the\nclove down into the soil, but if it is hard the ensuing pressure may damage the\nbase of the clove. In such circumstances you should loosen the soil before\nplanting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes the newly planted cloves will be dug up by cats using\nthe freshly planted bed as a litter box. The best way to prevent this is to lay\na piece of wire fencing on the bed for a few weeks. The sprouts can emerge\nthrough this easily, but it\nprevents digging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beds<\/strong>: Space the plants 4 – 6\u02dd apart, in short offset rows across the\nbed. Use the closer spacing in very fertile soil and the wider spacing in poor\nsoil. If you want to be able to hoe between the rows, make the rows slightly\nwider (8\u02dd) apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rows<\/strong>: Space the plants 4 – 6\u02dd in the row, with 15 – 24\u02dd between the rows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bulbing<\/strong>: As with the related onions, bulbing is determined by day length.\nBulb formation is triggered by long days and once the right day length comes\nalong, the plant will form a bulb, no matter what size the plant. Once bulbing\nstarts, leaf growth comes to a halt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bulbing is also affected by temperature, soil fertility, plant\nsize and vigor, but to a\nlesser extent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bulb consists of specialized storage leaves. Bulbing occurs\nwhen the plant stops producing new leaves and starts to store food in the\nleaves it has. This causes their bases to expand, which creates the bulb. When\nthe bulb is mature, all of the food has gone from the rest of the leaves, so\nthey wither, fall over and\ndie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For large bulbs you want maximum leaf growth before day length\ntriggers bulb formation. In ideal conditions the plants may get two feet tall.\nPoor leaf growth means small bulbs, with small cloves that are so tedious to\npeel they often don\u2019t get used (don\u2019t throw them away though, see Green\nGarlic<\/strong> below).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeds<\/strong>: Garlic only has a few strap-like leaves and can\u2019t compete with\nweeds very well, so it\u2019s important to keep it well weeded at all times. This is\nall the more important as the plants are in the ground for a long time (parts\nof two growing seasons). The roots are shallow, so hand weeding is preferable\nto hoeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: This is another critical factor in growing good garlic. The\nplants need to have a steady and constant supply of moisture when putting on\nleaf growth and bulbing up. Do not allow the soil to dry out at this time. At\nthe same time you don\u2019t want the soil to be too wet, as this can encourage\nfungus disease, so don\u2019t\nover-water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 2 – 3 weeks before the plants are ready to harvest, you\nshould stop watering, to allow them to dry out. This hastens maturation and starts the curing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: I like to lay down a 2 -3\u02dd straw mulch after planting, to\nconserve moisture, keep the soil cool and suppress weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cold climates a thick mulch is used to protect the cloves over\nthe winter. This should be removed in early spring to allow the soil to warm\nup. When the soil is warm you apply a thinner mulch to suppress weeds and\nconserve moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilization<\/strong>: Garlic isn\u2019t a very hungry plant, but it needs a steady supply\nof nutrients for best growth. Young plants need an adequate supply of nitrogen,\nso you may want to feed them in spring while the soil is cool and not much\nnitrogen is readily available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your soil isn\u2019t very fertile it is a good idea to give them a\nregular foliar feed of compost tea or liquid kelp. Start this when the plants\nare 3\u02dd tall and repeat every 2 – 3 weeks during the growing season (stop about\na month before bulbing starts). If you don\u2019t want to do this, you can simply\nfeed them once in spring when they start growing vigorously. They need micronutrients as much as NPK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The yellowing of some leaf tips is quite normal in garlic; it\ndoesn\u2019t necessarily indicate any kind of nutrient deficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bolting<\/strong>: Hardneck garlic usually send up a scape (flower stalk) in late\nspring, just before it starts to bulb up. Many people consider this to be\nundesirable and remove it to prevent it using energy that could be used for\nenlarging the bulbs. However some growers say it is best to leave it on as the\nbulb stores better (even if it is very slightly smaller). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One good reason to remove the scape is that it is edible (don\u2019t\nthrow it away). In Asia these are highly prized as food and special varieties\nare grown to produce them. See Scapes<\/strong> below for more on this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Softneck garlic doesn\u2019t produce scape routinely, though they may\ndo so if stressed. If these start to bolt you should remove the scape promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests and\ndiseases<\/strong>: Garlic is\ngenerally free of most pests and diseases, though it is more afflicted in cool\nwet climates. It is occasionally attacked by onion maggots (a relative of the\ndreaded cabbage root fly\/maggot) and thrips. Of course gophers will eat it too\n(plant by plant, right down the row, if given the opportunity). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garlic is propagated vegetatively, so all of the cloves of a\nvariety are genetically identical. The ultimate size of a bulb is determined by\ntiming, growing conditions and to a lesser extent by variety (some naturally\nget larger than others).                                                                                           \nThe size and number of cloves in a bulb is determined by the variety.\nSometimes a bulb may have a small number of large cloves and sometimes it may\nhave a large number of small cloves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Garlic is harvested when half of the lower leaves have turned\nyellow (there should still be 5 or 6 green leaves). At this time you should be\nable to clearly see the swollen bulb when you move the mulch aside. Pull up a\nfew random bulbs and inspect them carefully before harvesting all of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If garlic is left in the ground too long all of the leaves turn\nbrown and the over-mature bulbs may start to split open. This may not look very\nnice, but doesn\u2019t affect its edibility. These might not store as well though\n(they may dry out faster), so should be used first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: If your soil is very loose often you can\nsimply uproot the plants by pulling on the tops. If the soil is very firm, you\nwill have to loosen it with a fork first. Garlic bruises easily, so handle it\ncarefully at all times and never throw it around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t leave the bulbs on the ground in the sun for too long, as\nthey may get cooked. They then turn a translucent yellow and are ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curing<\/strong>: Newly harvested garlic should be cured at around 70\u00b0F before\nstorage. This not only lengthens its storage life but also improves its flavor\n(newly harvested garlic may be somewhat bitter). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the weather is dry, you can cure the bulbs by leaving them in a\nshady place for a week or two. If it\u2019s wet, you will have to cure them Inside\n(the greenhouse is a good place, as it\u2019s dry and warm). Once they are dry the\nleaves don\u2019t smell of garlic very much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dry bulbs are prepared for storage or sale by cutting off the\nshriveled tops (leave about 2\u02dd) and trimming the stringy roots (to \u00bd\u02dd). They\nare also cleaned by removing any discolored outer wrapper layers. If you have\nseveral varieties that look similar you might cut the stems of each variety to\ndifferent lengths, to help identify them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to make garlic braids, save the bulbs with the best tops (don\u2019t cut them off of course).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: The bulbs must be thoroughly dry before storing them in a cool\ndry place, with 50 – 60% humidity and good air circulation. If the bulbs are to\nbe used fairly quickly, they can be stored at 50 – 60\u00b0F. For longer-term\nstorage (and for the bulbs that will be re-planted in fall) they should ideally\nbe kept at 35 – 40\u00b0F. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Store the bulbs in wooden boxes, mesh bags, or the traditional\ngarlic braids. It is tempting to hang these attractive braids in the kitchen,\nbut it is usually too warm and dry there. When stored above 70\u00b0F some of the\nbulbs may dry out before you get around to using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the kitchen its best to keep garlic in a terracotta garlic\nkeeper or a doubled brown paper bag. This ensures it has the high humidity\nnecessary to prevent it drying out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different types of garlic have different storage properties. The\nsoftneck types store better than the hardnecks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: Garlic doesn\u2019t produce viable seed, so it is propagated\nvegetatively from the same cloves you use for cooking. Simply save some of the\nbulbs for re-planting at the appropriate time. These must be stored carefully\nthough, otherwise they may dry out, or sprout prematurely. You can\u2019t leave the\nbulb in the ground of course, because it will eventually start to grow again\nand form a crowded cluster of plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you use the same strain for long enough, it will eventually\nadapt to your climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Containers<\/strong>: Garlic is a fairly compact plant and can do well when grown in a\ncontainer. Just make sure it is big enough – at least 12\u201d deep and that you use\na good potting mix. The most difficult thing about growing garlic in a pot is\nthat cloves are planted in fall, so will need attention for quite a while. The\nmost important thing is to not let the soil dry out too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bulbils<\/strong>: You can grow garlic from the bulbils that are sometimes produced\non the flower umbel (head), but you won\u2019t get mature bulbs for two years. Some\ntypes produce these more readily than others (notably the Asiatics and turbans)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green garlic<\/strong>: In China a lot of garlic is planted for use in the green stage.\nAny surplus, or unusually small cloves (such as the aforementioned ones that\nare too small to peel) can be planted like green onions in a couple of square\nfeet of bed. Single leaves can be cut off from the bulbs as needed (they will\nproduce more). The whole young plants are also eaten. If you overlook a bulb\nand it sprouts in the garden, you can use the multiple stems in the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scapes<\/strong>: In China and Japan when a bulb bolts it is considered to be an\nopportunity, rather than\na loss. The scape (flower stalk) is highly prized and constitutes an extra\n(and early) crop from the maturing bulbs. They are cut off as they emerge and\nthe bulb continues to mature. In Asia they even have special varieties that\nreliably bolt, but still produce good sized bulbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are over 400 varieties of garlic, which may come as a\nsurprise if you are only used to seeing the big white bulbs in the supermarket.\nApparently a lot of garlic varieties came from the Soviet Union after 1989,\nwhich is why there are now many more varieties than were previously available.\nYou can buy many strains by mail order, while a few may be available in local\nretail outlets. You should only need to buy a variety of garlic once, as it\u2019s\neasy to save bulbs for\nnext year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can grow garlic from cloves purchased in a supermarket, but it\nwill probably be a softneck that is adapted to the California (or Chinese)\nclimate. You will do better with locally grown bulbs from a farmers market, as\nthey should be of a variety that does well in your area. When buying bulbs\nintended for food use, you should be aware that some diseases can be spread vegetatively in the cloves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kind of garlic you choose to grow is usually dictated by your\nclimate or taste preferences. You should also think about their storage\nproperties. You don\u2019t want all of your garlic to be a variety that doesn\u2019t\nstore very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two main types of garlic, but\nthey are divided into several groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hard\nneck types<\/strong> <\/strong>(Ophioscordon<\/em> ssp) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These get their name from the distinctly woody flower stalk which\ngoes through the center of the bulb. They don\u2019t usually get as big as the\nsoftnecks and have fewer wrapper leaves and fewer (but bigger) cloves. The\nlatter is a good thing if you are growing in poor soil, because even small\nbulbs will produce a few good sized cloves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardnecks are better suited to colder northern areas than the\nsoftnecks (in fact in very warm areas they may be hard to grow). They are\ndivided into 3 main groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocambole<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These varieties usually have thinner wrapper leaves, purple\nstreaks and aren\u2019t very white. They usually produce 8 – 10 cloves, arranged\nradially around a woody scape. They are some of the best flavored and most\npungent garlics, but many don\u2019t store for very long (about 6 months). The scape\ndoes a double loop as it emerges. They like cool winter and spring weather for\nbest growth. They are hardier than the porcelain types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carpathian,\nGerman Red, Killarney Red, Spanish Roja.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Porcelain<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These beautiful garlics have thick papery white or purple\nwrappers, usually containing a small number (4 – 6) of large cloves (which\nmeans you need to save more bulbs for replanting). They have a rich strong\nflavor (often hot) and store well (8 months or more). They do best in the\nnorth, but can be grown in most places. They are considered the best varieties\nfor medicinal purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Georgian\nCrystal, Georgian Fire, Music, Northern White, Romanian Red.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purple\nstripe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These types have thick white wrappers with distinctive bright\npurple stripes (color intensity varies with growing conditions). The scape\nusually makes a three quarter loop, not quite making it all the way around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have very good, often complex, flavor\n(they are a favorite for baked garlic) and aren\u2019t very pungent. They produce a\nsmall number (5 – 6) of large cloves and store for about 6 months. They are\nhardier than the porcelain types <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purple stripes may be sub-divided into\nthree separate groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard\nPurple Stripe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus,\nChesnok Red, Persian star <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marbled\nPurple Stripe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bogatyr,\nGourmet Red, Siberian
\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glazed\nPurple Stripe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown\nTempest, Purple Glazer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weak bolting hardneck types \/ softnecks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These were once thought to be softnecks, but\nnow they are considered to be a separate group. This group contains some of the\nmost interesting and unusual types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asiatic<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These sometimes send up scapes in spring and sometimes not. This\ndoes an inverted U as it emerges. As the name suggests they were developed in\nAsia. They usually contain from 9 – 12 cloves. The flower umbel may produce a\nfew medium sized bulbils that can be eaten or used for propagation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asian\nRose, Asian Tempest, Korean red, Sonoran<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turban<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are called turban garlic because the large flower umbel\nsomewhat resembles a turban (these produce a lot of small bulbils that can be\nused for propagation too). These often have good color and strong flavor,\nespecially when raw. They are earlier, produce less cloves (only 6 or so) in a\nbulb and don\u2019t store as well as other softneck types. They do well in dry\nclimates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

China\nDawn, Chinese Purple, Shandong, Tzan, Xian, Chinese Pink (early).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creole<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are sometimes considered to be a separate group and\nsometimes included with the softnecks. They are the least common type of garlic\nand are still rare in most areas. They originated in Spain and southern France\nand are some of the best types to grow in warm climates (zone 7 – 10). They are\nquite tough and tolerate adverse growing conditions better than most types.\nThey usually have very good flavor and are some of the best for eating raw.\nThey also store well. Their biggest drawback is that they still quite hard to\nfind<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ajo\nRojo, Burgundy, Creole Red, Cuban Purple, Pescadero Red, Spanish Morado<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft\nneck types <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Sativum<\/em> ssp) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These don\u2019t have the hard scape of the hardnecks, hence they are\nknown as softnecks. They are the type of garlic <\/strong>commonly sold in supermarkets. They grow well in mild climates,\nwhich is why most American garlic is produced in central California. They often\ndo well when planted in spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Softnecks store better than the hardnecks and have more cloves (12\n– 20), with larger ones on the outside and smaller ones in an inner cluster.\nThis means the bulbs need to get to a good size to produce reasonably sized\ncloves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artichoke<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the type of garlic most often seen in\nsupermarkets. These varieties are less temperamental than other types and so\neasier to grow (probably the easiest) and can get quite big. They have a soft\ncentral stalk and a large number of cloves (12 – 20), They store quite well.\nTheir flavor varies a lot, some are mild and some are quite pungent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

California Early, California Late, Early red Italian,\nInchelium Red, Italian Late, Polish White<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silverskin<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are the best keeping varieties (10 months or more) and have\nsoft pliable tops, which make them the best for braiding. They are easy to\ngrow, fairly late and have a stronger flavor than the artichoke types. The\nwrappers are white, though the cloves may be colored. They don\u2019t get as big as\nthe artichoke types, but have more cloves. This can be a problem if the bulb\nisn\u2019t very big, as many of the cloves will be small. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mexican\nRed, Mild French, Nootka Rose, Silverskin.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garlic doesn\u2019t develop its characteristic flavor until the cell\nwalls are ruptured. This releases as enzyme called alliinase which converts the\nalliin in the cells into the yummy diallyl thiosulphinate we all love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flavor of garlic varies according to how\nit is prepared. Many cooks insist that it should be chopped for best flavor.\nThey say you should never crush it in a garlic press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green garlic<\/strong>: In China they don\u2019t just eat garlic cloves. They eat the whole\nplant; young leaves, young plants, flower stalks. These can be used in the same\nways as green onions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garlic soup<\/strong>  

You have to try this, it\u2019s a variation of the soup that earned me a marriage proposal. Not in any way pungent or harsh, it is rich and delicious. I believe it originated in Provence.  
2 bulbs (not cloves) garlic peeled and chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
8 cups water
3 potatoes cut into small cubes
3 celery stalks (chop finely)
3 carrots sliced finely
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper  

Saute the garlic in the oil for a couple of minutes and then add everything else. Simmer for about 45 minutes until the full flavor develops. It should be eaten immediately as its flavor starts to deteriorate if left for any
length of time. Unlike many soups it does not taste better the next day.
  <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Allium sativum Introduction: Garlic originated in the Caucasus region of central Asia and is thought to be one of the first cultivated plants (it no longer even occurs as a … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[244],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bulb-and-stem-vegetables","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/garlic.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1676,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1151\/revisions\/1676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}