How Does Your Garlic Grow?

Once upon a time there was a little girl who ate raw onions like apples, broccoli by the head, and garlic bread by the loaf.  As a tween, she thought it was cool to wear a t-shirt which read, "A Clove a Day Keeps the Devil Away."  She grew up healthy and strong (and routinely knocked out entire villages with her dragon breath).  Now she is living happily ever after in her garden where she grows onions, broccoli, and tons of garlic.  THE END...sort of.

More than any other ingredient in my entire kitchen, I must have garlic.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm Italian or if perhaps I need garlic like Popeye needed spinach -- it makes me jump higher, run faster, and punch the lights out of bad guys.  I accept either option without remorse.  The good news is that the garlic in our garden was ready for harvest this week.  I've been limping along on organic garlic powder for the past couple months (and hoping to make my own for this coming year), but deep down I've desperately needed a handful of bulbs within reach in my kitchen.

Spring Lush

Growing garlic is fairly easy. Weldon and I planted 150 cloves last fall when the temperatures were cold, but before the hard frosts settled in.  That's usually late November/early December for us.  Each clove, tucked into the soil like a buoy, will grow an entire bulb for harvest the next summer. After planting, we mulched heavily with hay and left the row until spring.  When the ground thawed and we saw hearty green shoots saluting us through what little mulch was left, we side-dressed them with composted manure. We added fresh mulch and left them again.  While the spring garden was flourishing, the garlic was sending up spikey greenery to herald it's rapid growth.  In late spring/early summer, each bulb also grew a curly Q stalk called a scape.  This is the mechanism by which the plant would create seed.  However, preferring the plant put its energy into growing a larger bulb and not to making seeds, we broke off each scape. The scapes were then sent to the kitchen where they were magically transformed into Garlic Scape Pesto.  The recipe I use is from MaryJane Butter's MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook -- but this link has a similar recipe (the walnuts are optional in my estimation). This pesto is delicious and simple to make, but talk about potent!  After the scapes were removed, the plants were left once again for about a month to finish their work producing gloriously plump bulbs beneath the soil.  I always watch with childlike enthusiasm over the weeks of June while the leaves slowly begin to brown.  I know the treasures are ready when 2/3 of the leaves have browned and dried up.  That's when it's time to harvest -- this year it was the morning of July 12th, but often they're ready in late June.

Fit to be tied...and waiting to be hung

Harvesting and curing garlic are the most important part of the process (other than eating it).  On a dry day, I carefully loosen the soil around each bulb and remove the whole plant. Then, I brush off any excess soil with my hands.  Garlic bulbs bruise easily, so it's important to treat these gems with care from now on.  Typically, I cluster 8-10 bulbs together in a tiered group and tie the dried leaves with twine so they can be hung to cure.  In the past my situation wasn't as conducive to hanging the garlic, so I spread the individual plants on a ventilated rack for the proper amount of time.  The key is the bulbs must cure in a shaded, dry, and ventilated area.  The air movement and heat help them cure properly, but they shouldn't be in direct sunlight during the process.  A shed, airy barn, or carport are ideal for this.  The curing will take a few weeks (more for elephant garlic), but it is well worth the wait. Finally, when the bulbs are dried and like tissue paper to the touch, I gently brush off any additional dirt.  Usually, I remove the outer layer of papery skin to reveal a fresh, cream-colored layer beneath.  If you choose to do this, be sure to remove only the outer layer...the tender garlic needs ample covering for protection in storage.  Next, I trim the hairy roots to within a 1/2-inch of the bulb.  If you want to braid your garlic for storage, do so now.  If not, I usually just cut the stalk and leaves within 1-2 inches of the bulb and store the bulbs loose in a milk crate or other airy container.

Hangin' Out in the Barn

To store dried garlic bulbs, simply keep them in a cool, dry, dark place.  I've had garlic keep from summer harvest until the following February in these conditions; but I know of other growers who've kept theirs until the following year's harvest in June!  Something to work toward.  Eat your garlic with abandon, but be sure to save the best bulbs for planting in the fall.  And so the delicious cycle continues.

I'd post a killer garlic recipe, but other than desserts I think almost EVERY recipe is enhanced by garlic.  Try sauteing a minced clove (or 3!) on low heat in olive oil before browning meat for a meal.  Or toss a minced clove (or 3!) into a jar of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with parsley, oregano (or dill), and S&P as a salad dressing/marinade.  The sky is truly the limit when it comes to this kitchen staple!

By the healthful way, garlic is loaded with benefits for your body including aiding circulation, lowering cholesterol, curing colds and flu, and stimulating the immune system.  There are folks who take garlic pills and there are those of us who simply eat obscene amounts of the stuff.  No wonder we can run faster, jump higher, and punch the lights out of bad guys!  (Note: I've never actually tried this last one, but if in doubt there's always my dragon breath...)