Organic Farmer Network: Network Discussion Summary

Topic: Garlic

Favorite Garlic varieties

Mark grows a lot. His favorite is Easy Peel from Peaceful Valley -- Red, Hard neck variety. The also grow quite a bit of California Late White for braiding – which is also a great keeper.

Wiedigers grow Purple Stripe. Very inexpensive and very good. $5/lb including shipping for 5 lb. Nicolas gets it from Fazier Farm in NY

Mark, Nicolas, and the Wiedigers save and plant. Lots of time it’s better to buy it.

Great stuff from Peaceful Valley.

Ken planted Spanish Roehaw from Peaceful Valley. Last year Mark had poor luck with it. Ken did not get the size bulb out that he planted.

Ken plants in Oct/Nov but has never gotten as large a bulb as he’s planted.

Garlics must be big to get good price at market.

Alvin grows elephant garlic. Sells it for $1 a bulb (head) (4” bulb)

Cathy starts handpulling garlic when it looks like a leek – green garlic. She gets $1 each. People use the whole plant.

Wiedigers sell green garlic all winter. Can plant 2” apart.

The Wiedigers took some garlic scrapes to market with great results. Alison describes garlic scrapes as “the bloom stem of a hardneck garlic. They come out as ‘curlicues’. We cut them to make the garlic bulb grow larger (not all the strength going to the bloom/seed). They are wonderful to use as you would fresh garlic - stir frys, salads, dressings, etc.” At market they “priced them by the ounce. We had to do a LOT of educating, but many people were brave enough to buy a few. Then, an oriental couple stopped by and she went into raptures over them. She's never been able to find them in Bowling Green - bought almost all that was left an told everyone in the booth all the wonderful ways to cook them. Moments like that are what make Farmers' Market so special!”

Ken responds: “Week before last I took some of same to market from leftover unharvested leeks. The were big and wild looking, people loved them…. I had sold them as ornamentals from my flower dept - $1.00 each, the stalks were as big as my little finger and 3-4 feet long. The most interesting ones were s curved and snakey looking. Several wound up in a bar arrangement with sunflowers at my favorite restaurant customer.”

Charlie responds: “We have been marketing garlic scapes for several years to our CSA and restaurants and are finding that most people really enjoy them. They are a great way to enjoy fresh garlic flavor before the first real harvest. It is important to use them before they come too far out of their "curl" because they get woody after that. They do keep very well under refrigeration, especially if kept in a plastic bag and periodically rinsed. One of my new chefs said that he had not heard of these in the twenty years of his work, but he really enjoyed using them. I figure whatever I get for them is a real bonus because for years I was just composting them after breaking them off the hardneck garlic. This year I priced them at $1.50 for a bunch of 10, or $5.00 a pound. I just finished breaking off the rest yesterday, and now have several bushels sitting in my shed.”

Charlie is asked about the “music” garlic he grows

Charlie: “The "Music" garlic comes from Flat Creek Farm in Ontario. This has been our source for the last several years. I found out about them from a friend, and I have been very pleased with the quality of their seed heads. I have tried other varieties, but I like "Music" best. A hardneck variety, it forms nice sized heads with an average of 6 large cloves that separate well. The flavor is outstanding. Many of my CSA members say it is the best garlic they have ever had and many stock up on extra amounts.”