Garlic Harvest

This is the time of year that garlic is mature and must be picked and dried. There really is nothing better than homegrown garlic. Once you have grown your own using store bought is simply a step down. Come on into our storage shed to see some of our garlic bounty.

This is some of the garlic all dug from the garden and tied together and labeled so we know which variety we are eating. We store the garlic in old gladiola boxes. Gladiola bulb must be dug up in the fall and stored inside so we have these old commercial boxes from Europe that have screen bottoms and are perfect for garlic as well. Some garlic is delicious raw and in dips and some is better in cooked dishes. Once you develop a taste for the hotter varieties you can throw caution to wind and just eat any kind without holding back!

Once the garlic is nice and dry, we just gently rub the dirt off and the bulb is nice and white and clean. Some varieties have red in them such as German Red or Chesnok Red. When you slice into your fresh garlic it actually is so moist you can see the moisture almost pouring out of it...that is why it is so flavorful. We save some of the bigger heads to use for next years crop. It really is simple to grow. Take a bulb and divide the cloves from it. Plant a clove in each hole about 2-3 inches deep in the fall at the same time you are planting daffodils or tulips. Pretreat your soil with compost and manure as garlic is a heavy feeder. Mark each row so you know what you have. Cover your garlic bed with 2-3 inches of peat moss...this protects your garlic over the cold weather months and actually helps with weed control in the spring as well as moisture control. It is recommended that in colder climates that hard neck varieties be used. Don't get too worried if you see spikes of green popping up in the fall or warm winter spells it will not hurt your crop. In the spring continue to feed these hungry plants till about June. You will these incredibly cool curly spikes come form your plants...these are called scapes. The scapes are good to eat but I love to mix them with flower bouquets...I was advised to cut all the scapes off once they come and leave just on to use as an indicator. When this one scape stands up straight as an arrow this is when it is time to dig your garlic. I have found this to be a far more reliable indicator than judging when the leaves have browned and dried enough.
I am particularly fond of Music...this garlic has a wonderful flavor in all foods. This past weekend I made a boursin style cheese spread with fresh garlic from the garden and loads of fresh picked herbs (parsley, thyme, basil, oregano and chives) all added to cream cheese and a little butter with a touch of salt and fresh lemon juice all mixed in the food processor...suffice it to say none was leftover...the flavor of the garlic was delightful.

This is a wonderful old hornet's nest my nephew discovered and retrieved one fall on our island. He sure had a keen eye as it was very discretely hidden in the tree. We kept it hung in the greenhouse and then hung it in the shed. It has stored well here and hangs over the garlic, so thought I would take a picture and share it when I was doing the garlic. I love to look at it and I always think of Seth when I see it.

Guess you know what we are having for lunch today...fresh picked tomatoes and basil from the garden...the vinaigrette will of course have some fresh garlic in it topped with slender curls of parmeggiano reggiano...life doesn't get better than this.

Hope your garden is doing well...a garden is good for your health and good for your heart...I always feel so good when I come into the house with a basket full of fresh picked goodies...

Elizabeth