Everything You Wanted To Know About Garlic

Garlic is one of those vegetables that can be overwintered.  For most gardeners, this means planting bulbs in October and November, so there's still time to plant garlic if you haven't done so already.  In this posting, I cover garlic varieties, planting instructions and other things garlicky. 

The Sweet Smell of Success

There's something about the strong smell and taste of garlic that historically has encouraged people to ascribe special powers to this member of the onion family. For example, everyone knows that garlic is said to have the power to repel blood-thirsty vampires.  If you eat garlic and have not been bitten recently, you too can attest to garlic's amazing power.

That said, I'm sure very few of you Nosferatu aficionados are aware that the Vikings revered garlic and fortified themselves by eating large quantities of it prior to departing on plundering expeditions. 

A scary thought, eh?  A horde of axe wielding Norsemen roll into town, burn the houses and steal the gold.  And then to add insult to injury, they celebrate with a banquet of garlic-laden bruschetta and stink the place up.  No wonder people feared Erik the Red.

Well whether you're preparing to pillage your neighbors house or just making Sunday dinner, garlic can add a lot of flavor and the good news is that it's very easy to grow.  Here's what you need to know:

Types of Garlic

Garlic is divided into two broad categories:

• Softneck varieties have many cloves of varying sizes.  Most supermarket garlic is of the softneck variety because it is easier to harvest mechanically and stores better than hardneck varieties.  Softneck garlic also matures more quickly and can be grown in places where the winters are mild such as the Southern U.S. and California. 
  
  
  
  
• Hardneck varieties have fewer cloves of more uniform size.  These grow around a central stalk.  This type of garlic does better where winters are cold.  They are more diverse in their flavor profile and are easier to peel than their softneck brethren. 
  

 

Both hardneck and softneck garlics varieties can vary widely with regard to size, flavor, aftertaste, and storage capabilities.  If you haven't really considered garlic before, I think you'll be surprised at the number of choices you have. 

To get a sense for the range, I recommend looking at the Territorial Seed web site where you'll see over 50 varieties including: Chinese Pink, Belarus, Music, Spanish Roja, Duganski and German Red.  Here are descriptions from their web site for the two varieties I'm growing this year to give you a flavor for the diversity of garlic.

Inchelium Red Garlic
Mid-season. Inchelium Red is a national taste-test winner in the softneck division. This mild flavored garlic is great baked and blended with mashed potatoes. This large, top-quality softneck was discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in northern Washington. Stores very well for 6-9 months.

Purple Glazer Garlic
Mid-season. You won't believe your eyes when you see the satiny clove wrappers of Purple Glazer. A vivid, royal purple tinged with shiny gold and/or silver hues makes this one of the most attractive garlics. As a sub-variety of Purple Stripe, a group known for being the "best baked garlic", Purple Glazer has a strong lasting flavor, but not hot and no aftertaste. Its texture is very palatable, like the consistency of cooked carrots. Very easy to peel.

Planting & Harvesting

Growing garlic is very easy.  Break the head of garlic into individual cloves and then plant these cloves in well drained soil about 4" apart and 2 inches deep in mild climates (3-4 inches deep in cold climates).

Garlic planted in the Fall can be harvested in April/May in warmer climates and July/August in cooler climates.  You'll know when to harvest because the leaves will turn brown.  It's best to first harvest a few heads to make sure that they are of good size before harvesting the rest of the crop.  You should also stop watering garlic about 2 weeks prior to harvest in order to help dry down the garlic heads.

Some other Garlic Tidbits

• An easy way to peel garlic - place a clove on your cutting board.  Now use a chef's knife to peel the garlic as follows.  Holding the handle of your knife in one hand, cover the clove with the flat side of the knife.  Using the heel of your other hand, smash down on the side of the blade.  The outer layers of the garlic will just peel off.  Here's a video that shows you how it's done.
• Removing the smell of garlic from your hands --  Option #1 - wash your hands with cold water and then rub them all over in salt.  Wash again with soap and water.  Option #2 - rub your hands over stainless steel.  Then wash with soap and water.  How this works is beyond me, but it really does seem to do the trick.  Any stainless steel will work and you can even buy a stainless steel soap for $3-$10.  This is just a handy chunk of stainless steel shaped like a bar of soap that you can leave on your kitchen sink.  It's reusable an infinite number of times.
  
• Garlic Nutritional Information - Everyone knows beans are high in protein.  White beans, Favas and other varieties generally provide about 100 grams per pound of vegetable.  But garlic is surprisingly high in protein as well, about 25 grams per pound of garlic.  You can find full nutritional information on garlic at the Wikipedia.
  

By the way I do not recommend that you eat garlic by the pound.  If you do, you'll have fewer friends than a hermit.

 

Comments

[Michaele]

Thank you for the great information. I keep wanting to plant garlic but didn't know if it was too late and when it would be ready. I love it when you do the research for me!

[H. Mark Delman]

Thanks Michaele, Im glad I could help.