My Love Affair With Garlic

I love almost everything there is to love about garlic. It is offbeat. What other crop goes in in October and comes out of the ground in July? It is a harbinger of spring. Every April 1, just in time for my birthday, I can count on going out into the field for a look at my green buddies poking up through the mulch (in warm 1991 it first poked through on January 1 and then went on to be the best crop ever). It abounds with good health. No colds dare show their heads at our house or they get the garlic treatment (either garlic straight or in tea with lemon and honey). And it is about the best condiment going. When we cook at our house we use at least one head of garlic each meal to season and enhance our food. It minds its own business. We leave the mulch on in the spring so usually one weeding in June does the trick. It is tough. I know there are garlic diseases out there, but in the 10 years that we have raised it we have never seen one disease or insect pest on our garlic. It is exotic. Customers get so excited to have fresh garlic available, it is this crop which has single handedly brought our farm the most acclaim at our local farmers' market. Our strengths in the area of garlic production are in the crafting of it and in our post harvest management. Thus the focus of this article.

We have always raised around 95 % soft-neck or braid-able garlic. (We plant between 100 - 200 pounds each October 15). When I first ordered it from an organic farm in California, this what they had available. When I then brought it to the farmers' market, our Italian vendor neighbor showed me how to braid it. Thus the pattern became set. Later I learned that most Northeasterners grow top-set or stiff neck garlic, holding that it is better acclimated here, that you could get much bigger bulbs and individual cloves. But I really prefer my mid-size (8 bulbs per pound in a good year) to small (15 bulbs per pound in a bad year) braid-able soft-neck, which really has excellent keeping qualities (usually until June) and a consistently strong and pungent flavor.

Somewhere between July 5 (1991 - the earliest year) and July 24 (1992 - the latest year) we saunter out to the field with shovel in hand and cart at the ready to start the garlic harvest. It isn't exactly Gilroy, California, but we do have a celebration of sorts, especially when we are done.

I feel the garlic is ready to harvest when 1/4 to a third of the plants are starting to lean over. At this point they have a few brown leaves and look kind of tired. Digging one up and checking to make sure that the clove walls are well formed is a good indicator. It is important not to leave the garlic in the ground too long or the outer sheath will deteriorate and the garlic won't look good for braiding.

Garlic harvest is a team sport. Luckily we always have a big team around. This year with me, our four kids and three apprentices, we were able to get it all dug, washed and hung out to dry with not too much hassle.

One person digs around the base of each plant while another gently pulls the garlic from the ground. For braiding it is important to have a strong uninjured stalk. Someone takes a full cart load up to our washing table and loads the garlic head down into buckets and fills the bucket with water so they can soak a bit. Then we load successive loads into the sink filled with water and we quickly scrub with our fingers and sometimes remove 1 or 2 whole leaf wrappers so as to end up with a really pretty bulb. Then the hanging crew rushes them off to our drying rack.

Most everything I have read and been told cautions against washing garlic because it invites disease and can shorten it's keeping life. I continue to wash because I have never seen anything but excellent keeping quality in our garlic and because I find it the fastest, most efficient way to get it really beautifully clean (which is essential for a saleable or gift able braid). Make your own decisions.

I have to note that memorable times are had at the washing table also. Along with the usual bickering and fighting amongst the younger set, we also have times of euphoria as we run washing races, tell dirty jokes, have timely political discussions and generally enjoy our hours of elbow to elbow contact.

Our hay shed has rafters that rise to about 12 feet high and it faces south. We have found it ideal for hanging. Jack drilled holes every inch and inserted 1/4" dowel rods 16" long all along the rafters. We hang it tail down. The sun never shines on the garlic bulbs (which it shouldn't); they are air-dried and stay well ventilated throughout the entire process.

About a month later we start to braid. Like knitting, it is something you can do while you are doing something else, a nice leisure activity at the farmers' market, something to keep your hands busy during the Saturday night movie, a great skill to share with others who want to try their hands at it or just watch and enjoy.

I select a piece of twine about 1 1/2 arm lengths long and tie it in the middle around the two biggest garlics at their necks so they end up nice and snug one to another. Then I have four strands, two garlic stalks and two pieces of twine. I place one of the twines with one of the stalks and the other two are single. With three strands to work with, I add in one garlic at a time and braid it into the braid. After I have braided in 13 -15 bulbs, or about a pound of dry garlic, (tightening as I go for a really firm braid), I braid up the stalk and string a few inches more and tie off the twine with a loop for hanging. We sell our braids for $7.50 each, and get $3.00/lb wholesale or $4.00/lb retail for loose bulbs. Over the years we have developed a clientele that will travel very far for one of our braids.

Whatever you do, try a little garlic this fall. It might change your life!

This page was last modified on February 25, 2004 at 9:30:06 PM.

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