2014 Garlic Harvest, Curing and Storage

What's the big mess? Just the 2014 garlic harvest in action. We harvested over 100 heads of garlic for ourselves, gifts, and sharing. Here's how to cure and store garlic:

Harvesting Garlic

First, we waited until the bottom sets of leaves of the garlic turned brown. Harvest too early and the bulbs will not have reached their biggest size. Harvest too late (when all the greens are brown) and some cloves may start to sprout.

We harvest by hand by teasing away the soil around the head with a trowel and hand cultivator. Then we gently lifted the head out and knocked off any dirt. We laid the heads on the ground while we worked through the rows. We set aside any heads that were accidentally clipped with a tool or greens broken off to use fresh without curing.

Curing Garlic

Next we needed to cure the garlic to set it in a storage state. It's delicious fresh - milky, sweet, and full flavored - but will rot quickly if not cured in a dark, arid environment.

We bunched up 6-8 heads of garlic by the greens and tied them together. Then we hung them through the bottom of a paper bag for shade. We hung the whole package in the garage, which is dry and holds a moderately even temperature.

Another option, one which Joseph of Swainway Urban Farm employs, is to lay the garlic on a hardware cloth table in the hoop house covered in shade cloth. We didn't want to put shade cloth on the hoop just for garlic, hence we chose the garage method.

It's time to move garlic to storage in two to three weeks when the paper-like wrapping is tight and dry and leaves have fully dried.

Storing Garlic

Garlic stores best in a dry, dark, cool (40 degrees) location. This can be hard to achieve in a humid environment like Ohio. We choose to store in multiple locations to ensure that at least some of the harvest will last until the following spring.

We started by cutting the garlic heads from the now dried leaves and sorted it into piles by variety. Then we set aside the biggest and best heads for the seed garlic we want to replant in the fall. This goes in a paper bag stored with our other seeds in a cool, dark closet.

We put the Elephant garlic in a burlap bag to keep in the kitchen pantry. Elephant is fun to grow and use but it doesn't keep as long as other varieties so we'll use it first.

The rest of the varieties we placed in paper or burlap bags. We layered these loosely in a wooden box to store in a dry, cool closet. We'll check on the garlic often. If the garlic isn't doing well (sprouting, softening, or rotting), we'll freeze cloves or a garlic/oil paste to prolong the harvest.

2014 Garlic Harvest, Curing and Storage

What's the big mess? Just the 2014 garlic harvest in action. We harvested over 100 heads of garlic for ourselves, gifts, and sharing. Here's how to cure and store garlic:

Harvesting Garlic

First, we waited until the bottom sets of leaves of the garlic turned brown. Harvest too early and the bulbs will not have reached their biggest size. Harvest too late (when all the greens are brown) and some cloves may start to sprout.

We harvest by hand by teasing away the soil around the head with a trowel and hand cultivator. Then we gently lifted the head out and knocked off any dirt. We laid the heads on the ground while we worked through the rows. We set aside any heads that were accidentally clipped with a tool or greens broken off to use fresh without curing.

Curing Garlic

Next we needed to cure the garlic to set it in a storage state. It's delicious fresh - milky, sweet, and full flavored - but will rot quickly if not cured in a dark, arid environment.

We bunched up 6-8 heads of garlic by the greens and tied them together. Then we hung them through the bottom of a paper bag for shade. We hung the whole package in the garage, which is dry and holds a moderately even temperature.

Another option, one which Joseph of Swainway Urban Farm employs, is to lay the garlic on a hardware cloth table in the hoop house covered in shade cloth. We didn't want to put shade cloth on the hoop just for garlic, hence we chose the garage method.

It's time to move garlic to storage in two to three weeks when the paper-like wrapping is tight and dry and leaves have fully dried.

Storing Garlic

Garlic stores best in a dry, dark, cool (40 degrees) location. This can be hard to achieve in a humid environment like Ohio. We choose to store in multiple locations to ensure that at least some of the harvest will last until the following spring.

We started by cutting the garlic heads from the now dried leaves and sorted it into piles by variety. Then we set aside the biggest and best heads for the seed garlic we want to replant in the fall. This goes in a paper bag stored with our other seeds in a cool, dark closet.

We put the Elephant garlic in a burlap bag to keep in the kitchen pantry. Elephant is fun to grow and use but it doesn't keep as long as other varieties so we'll use it first.

The rest of the varieties we placed in paper or burlap bags. We layered these loosely in a wooden box to store in a dry, cool closet. We'll check on the garlic often. If the garlic isn't doing well (sprouting, softening, or rotting), we'll freeze cloves or a garlic/oil paste to prolong the harvest.

Seed Garlic Vs. Farmers' Market - Garlic Harvest 2014

In October 2013, my friend Kate and I decided to undertake a little research project. We wanted to know how organic seed garlic purchased through City Folk's Farm Shop from Seeds of Change compared to large, fully developed cloves from reputable farmers' market growers. Many garlic growers keep back their own seed stock and it stood to reason that maybe those of us who don't have seed stock could save a little cash and perpetuate locally adapted strains by buying from a farmers' market vendor.

So we planted four varieties of garlic in two different locations in the garden. They all grew well, we ate the scapes, and then as leaves faded it was time to harvest. What seed source would win?

It turns out that our paper map (which is a more detailed record than I usually keep) was missing one critical component: number of cloves planted. Wooden markers long degraded, we couldn't quite tell where one variety stopped and another began. This made comparing the harvest difficult.

We only grew Broadleaf Czech garlic from Seed Saver's Exchange. It made tiny little heads with many little cloves which means fiddly peeling work to cook with it. We won't be growing Czech again.

The Music or Elephant varieties grew similarly whether from farmers' market or Seed Saver's Exchange seed stock as far as we could tell from our incomplete documentation. Elephant is fun to grow because it produces big heads of big cloves, but it doesn't keep well so we know we won't ever rely on that variety alone.

The one obvious, undeniable conclusion was that the German Hardneck harvest from Gerry's Garden, a Clintonville Farmer's Market vendor, produced bigger heads than the Seed Saver's Exchange seed garlic. Overall, this variety was the most vigorous producer too. Our 2015 garlic plot (planted in just a few months) will be dominated by German Hardneck seed stock that we hold back from our 2014 harvest.

How did your garlic grow this year? On Thursday I'll share how we harvested and cured our 100+ heads of garlic.

PS. I'm teaching about harvesting and produce storage techniques at City Folk's Farm Shop on Thursday evening. Seats are still available!

Seed Garlic Vs. Farmers' Market - Garlic Harvest 2014

In October 2013, my friend Kate and I decided to undertake a little research project. We wanted to know how organic seed garlic purchased through City Folk's Farm Shop from Seeds of Change compared to large, fully developed cloves from reputable farmers' market growers. Many garlic growers keep back their own seed stock and it stood to reason that maybe those of us who don't have seed stock could save a little cash and perpetuate locally adapted strains by buying from a farmers' market vendor.

So we planted four varieties of garlic in two different locations in the garden. They all grew well, we ate the scapes, and then as leaves faded it was time to harvest. What seed source would win?

It turns out that our paper map (which is a more detailed record than I usually keep) was missing one critical component: number of cloves planted. Wooden markers long degraded, we couldn't quite tell where one variety stopped and another began. This made comparing the harvest difficult.

We only grew Broadleaf Czech garlic from Seed Saver's Exchange. It made tiny little heads with many little cloves which means fiddly peeling work to cook with it. We won't be growing Czech again.

The Music or Elephant varieties grew similarly whether from farmers' market or Seed Saver's Exchange seed stock as far as we could tell from our incomplete documentation. Elephant is fun to grow because it produces big heads of big cloves, but it doesn't keep well so we know we won't ever rely on that variety alone.

The one obvious, undeniable conclusion was that the German Hardneck harvest from Gerry's Garden, a Clintonville Farmer's Market vendor, produced bigger heads than the Seed Saver's Exchange seed garlic. Overall, this variety was the most vigorous producer too. Our 2015 garlic plot (planted in just a few months) will be dominated by German Hardneck seed stock that we hold back from our 2014 harvest.

How did your garlic grow this year? On Thursday I'll share how we harvested and cured our 100+ heads of garlic.

PS. I'm teaching about harvesting and produce storage techniques at City Folk's Farm Shop on Thursday evening. Seats are still available!

Garden Experiments 2014

I don't believe much of anything that doesn't have some evidence to go along with it. Maybe I have issues with authority, or maybe I'm too well-trained as a scientist, but sometimes I don't even believe evidence provided by other people. I like to test things myself.

The garden is my experimental lab. I tested the 'potato towers grow twenty times more potatoes' theory, twice, and now definitively believe that the only advantage of potato towers is ease of harvest.

Two years ago, I sought proof for the garlic growing wisdom that one should remove the scape for the garlic plant to produce a bigger bulb. I planted a large patch of seed garlic. I split the patch down the middle and removed half the garlic scapes for cooking - they usually come up in early June - and left the rest as is. They grew beautiful flowers. At harvest time, we saw clearly that the plants with scapes removed produced bigger bulbs.

2014 Garden Experiments

This year, I've set up trials to answer these garden-related questions:

1. Which is better for production - organic seed garlic from out of state or high quality, locally grown garlic? I planted three varieties of garlic from multiple producers to answer this question. I am running the trial in two separate locations to eliminate location variables.
2. Are seed potatoes worth the cost? Organic culinary potatoes sprout readily and have grown well for me before. I question whether $6/pound seed potatoes are any better than sprouted $2/pound organic grocery potatoes. Because of the availability of seed stock, I wasn't able to choose varieties to directly compare but we can still measure yield from the four varieties planted (one seed stock, one grocery store and two saved over from last year's planting).
3. Can I grow artichokes in Ohio? If so, where? I grew four varieties of artichoke from seed and am planting them in locations around the garden including in the hoop house, the hugelkultur, and in regular beds.  Alex and I fondly remember artichokes from our year living in Monterey, California and we would love to have a source of fresh artichokes again.

Experimenting in the garden excites me and gives me a chance to explore my limits while learning new things to pass on to others.

What are your garden experiments this year?

Garden Experiments 2014

I don't believe much of anything that doesn't have some evidence to go along with it. Maybe I have issues with authority, or maybe I'm too well-trained as a scientist, but sometimes I don't even believe evidence provided by other people. I like to test things myself.

The garden is my experimental lab. I tested the 'potato towers grow twenty times more potatoes' theory, twice, and now definitively believe that the only advantage of potato towers is ease of harvest.

Two years ago, I sought proof for the garlic growing wisdom that one should remove the scape for the garlic plant to produce a bigger bulb. I planted a large patch of seed garlic. I split the patch down the middle and removed half the garlic scapes for cooking - they usually come up in early June - and left the rest as is. They grew beautiful flowers. At harvest time, we saw clearly that the plants with scapes removed produced bigger bulbs.

2014 Garden Experiments

This year, I've set up trials to answer these garden-related questions:

1. Which is better for production - organic seed garlic from out of state or high quality, locally grown garlic? I planted three varieties of garlic from multiple producers to answer this question. I am running the trial in two separate locations to eliminate location variables.
2. Are seed potatoes worth the cost? Organic culinary potatoes sprout readily and have grown well for me before. I question whether $6/pound seed potatoes are any better than sprouted $2/pound organic grocery potatoes. Because of the availability of seed stock, I wasn't able to choose varieties to directly compare but we can still measure yield from the four varieties planted (one seed stock, one grocery store and two saved over from last year's planting).
3. Can I grow artichokes in Ohio? If so, where? I grew four varieties of artichoke from seed and am planting them in locations around the garden including in the hoop house, the hugelkultur, and in regular beds.  Alex and I fondly remember artichokes from our year living in Monterey, California and we would love to have a source of fresh artichokes again.

Experimenting in the garden excites me and gives me a chance to explore my limits while learning new things to pass on to others.

What are your garden experiments this year?

Garlic Scapes - Why To Cut and How To Cook

At heart, I am a skeptical, lazy gardener. I question old-school farming practices, especially if they require me to work harder. I want evidence that I should do this or that to make my plants happy.

Every year I test a few traditional garden concepts, like removing tomato suckers, to find out whether they really benefit the plant's production. (I find no evidence that removing suckers is anything but suckers' work.) Two years ago, I used my garlic patch as a trial for the standard practice of removing the garlic scape to encourage bulb production.

Should You Cut Scapes?

Garlic scapes are the flower stalk of the garlic plant. The theory behind removing them is that by taking away the flower bud, the plant will put more energy into bulb production. Look below to see the difference between garlic with scapes removed on the right and those allowed to flower on left of plants grown in the same location and with same growing practices.

Clearly, scapes to inhibit bulb production. When removed, the garlic produces healthier, bigger bulbs. Because the scapes are edible, the gardener is rewarded for their work of removing the scape with a tasty food.

How To Eat Garlic Scapes

The garlic scape stalk is a dense cylinder of garlic-flavored goodness. At this time of year, I stop buying garlic and use chopped up fresh scapes for all my garlic needs. I add them to stir fry, soups, stocks, and pickles.

Garlic scapes are traditionally made into pesto by pureeing the scape with fresh herbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Garlic scape pesto can be used as a sauce for pasta, spread for sandwiches, or mixed with sour cream for a dip.

Store scapes in the fridge for up to two weeks. Alternatively, put freshly-cut ends in a container of water and keep at room temperature for a few days where you can enjoy the shapes. As a last resort, give one to your child to use as a magic wand or a sword! Lil, seen here a few years ago, love to play with scapes.

If you don't grow your own garlic but want to experiment with scapes, visit your local farmers' market. Farmers are only too happy to sell their edible plant pickings. Come see me at the Swainway/Northridge booth at Clintonville this weekend for organic Ohio scapes.

We Love Garlic Scapes

What is it? Garlic scapes are the magical-wand-like flower shoots of the garlic plant. They emerge in late spring and contain a small bud that will become a flower if left on the plant.

Many farmers, including me, prefer to cut the scapes away. The theory is that instead of the garlic spending energy growing the allium blossom, it will focus on the bulb.

The scape is edible at this early age. Many farmers include them in June CSA shares. Others sell them at the farmer's markets.

Eating Garlic Scapes

As with all vegetables, I encourage cooks to taste the garlic scape raw as a first step to using it in recipes. I find it has a mild garlic and onion flavor. The texture is dense and stringy in wider parts of the scape but palatable raw in the thin ends.

Young scapes are very curly. Choose these for the most tender bite. The flower bud can also be eaten and tastes like the rest of the scape with a hint of bitterness.

If you enjoy the scape raw, toss it in salads or use as a garnish. You can also blend it with basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a delightful pesto sauce. We'll be eating scapes that way at least once this week.

If you aren't a fan of raw garlic flavor, try cooking with the scapes. Chop finely and use as you would use garlic or chives. In larger chunks, a garlic scape is a savory addition to stir fry, frittata, or quiche. They can flavor rice or quinoa dishes.

If you find yourself unable to fit them into your menu, freeze the scapes whole with the rest of your vegetable scraps for the next time you make stock.

Our family <3s garlic scapes, does yours?

PS. I asked Lil to arrange the scapes for me to photograph and she came up with the heart. How cute!

Added to Hearth and Soul First Year Anniversary.