| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| ARz |
Posted - Sep 17 2005 : 1:15:16 PM
I want to try planting some hardneck garlic. I never have tried it before. What's good? I live in zone 5. Any good sources for ordering?
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| 24 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| MaryJane |
Posted - Jun 19 2006 : 08:40:13 AM
Welcome Rebekah to those of us who escape to scapes once a year eatin' nothin' but! Scapescapade indeed. (Your garlic-lovin' Italian hubby must be in heaven.) I think scapes are garlic at it's finest.
MaryJane
P.S. Thanks for buying our garlic and spreading the pesto with such gusto!!!
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| country lawyer |
Posted - Jun 19 2006 : 08:01:04 AM
Alright, y'all...that MaryJane's Garlic Scape Pesto was amazingly delicious! I had never had garlic scapes before...no words to describe their delicate, rich flavor. In the sidebar of MaryJanesFarm "Handful" issue, MaryJane declares, "I think the annual availability of Garlic Scape Pesto should be celebrated with a national eating holiday." I agree. I cut the scapes early Sunday morning (before the snake was awake, I guess, as I didn't see a trace of him), made the Pesto and served it as Crostini appetizers at our Father's Day celebration feast. They were a huge hit! I vow to grow MaryJane's hard-neck garlic every year for the sole purpose of harvesting the scapes and making that divine pesto! Yummy. Gotta try it if you haven't. Here's MaryJane's recipe (p.119 in the "Handful" issue): "Garlic Scape Pesto: 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice, 1/4 pound scapes, 1/2 cup olive oil, salt to taste. Puree scapes and olive oil in a blender until smooth. Stir in parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread or crackers." I'm here to tell you that you'll be declaring a national eating holiday too.
"All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
Julian of Norwich |
| country lawyer |
Posted - Jun 16 2006 : 08:23:42 AM
Update on the MaryJane's garlic I planted in January. I've got scapes! I'm going to harvest the scapes today or tomorrow and try the recipe for "Garlic Scape Pesto" in MaryJane's "Handful" Issue. Just hope I have enough to make a batch. (My biggest obstacle to this plan is that black snake in my garden. Ick. Hope the sun is too hot today or tomorrow for him to be out and about.) By the way, I'm married to an Italian, so garlic has got to be our favorite flavor in the kitchen. We eat garlic in just about everything, but I had never grown it before. I'm thrilled to get those scapes...thought I had planted too late to enjoy that special part of the garlic harvest. GarlicLady, thanks again for all the planting and harvesting info. That has been my resource for this, my first garlic "crop." Anyone else harvesting scapes and enjoying that famous MJ Garlic Scape Pesto recipe?
"All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
Julian of Norwich |
| garliclady |
Posted - Feb 03 2006 : 11:48:55 AM
That picture was taken at the Virginia Garlic Festival. It is a tractor shed. We set up there for 2 days each October.
Cornerstone Garlic Farm http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=6792
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/ |
| country lawyer |
Posted - Feb 03 2006 : 09:52:59 AM
GarlicLady, Love your showroom. What type of structure is that? A barn or shed? It looks so inviting. I hope I have a reason one day (successful garlic crop) to learn to braid.
"All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
Julian of Norwich |
| Lauram |
Posted - Feb 02 2006 : 4:32:26 PM
I would love to come down this summer and braid with you!! What a fun learning experience! |
| garliclady |
Posted - Feb 02 2006 : 4:18:14 PM
Raised beds with welled drained soil are the best.
As for braiding I learned from some site on the web. It takes a while to get the hang of it. I usually add dried peppers to mine and charge $12.00 per lbs for braids.
Laura you are welcome to come down late this summer and braid some with me!
Cornerstone Garlic Farm http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=6792
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/ |
| Lauram |
Posted - Feb 02 2006 : 04:41:12 AM
Garlic Lady, your directions said "clay will not work" for planting garlic. What is a girl with nothing but clay to do? A raised garden bed?
Also, Gerta asked about braiding garlic. I would be interested in doing that too. Gerta, I would be interested in knowing how much I could charge for something like that at a farmer's market. |
| garliclady |
Posted - Jan 31 2006 : 1:14:55 PM
I have tons of deer around here. We see the foot prints all over the garlic field but they NEVER eat it . They do like the tender spring weeds that come up in the garlic field and always get some of our fall and spring snow peas & sugar snaps that are near the garlic. We plant our greens and lettuces close to the house in covered beds so that keeps them away from those.
Rebekah you may get some scapes this year and if we don't get really cold ,the garlic my not go dormant and grow well thru the spring and early summer.
I have alot of scape recipes. They are my favorite part of the garlic !
I planted some garlic the week after Christmas and it is already up a couple inches (so it has been warm enough for it to grow this winter)
Good Luck.
BTW MNFARM GIRL the harvest times etc will not be the same for you so if you want more info on garlic Check with your state/County ag agents. There was a great artical in Mother Earth news (Oct-Nov 05 issue)That divided the US in 6 regions and had a garlic farm in that area give info about growing garlic in there region. Our farm was the one in the south east. There was a Farm in MN that covered the upper midwest.
Hope that helps
The Garlic Lady
Cornerstone Garlic Farm http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=6792
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/ |
| country lawyer |
Posted - Jan 31 2006 : 10:40:49 AM
Thanks for the information, GarlicLady! Oh, well, I guess I won't get to try MJ's garlic scape pesto recipe this year afterall. I keep the deer very well fed otherwise, so maybe they'll leave the plants alone IF and WHEN they come up. I'll be ready for next year I guess.
"All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
Julian of Norwich |
| MNFarmGirl |
Posted - Jan 31 2006 : 08:14:46 AM
GarlicLady thanks for posting the helpful information, I will definatly be planting some this fall. I do hope you don't have deer problem, they are just thick up here, in one day I can see over 70, they are all over the place eating everything. But I love them.
"Agriculture...is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end conribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness." Thomas Jefferson |
| garliclady |
Posted - Jan 30 2006 : 7:03:36 PM
Well ladies we have planted garlic for ten years and I have never seen deer eat garlic. Don't think you will have a problem with that. We did have goats eat down the green part one year.
Rebekah because of the winter we are having the garlic might do ok. If the warmer weather continues it will start growing now and continue to grow. Usually Garlic is best planted in the fall especially in the south. The problem you will have is that certain hardnecks do not do well in the south. We grow 15 varieties . 3 softnecks that always do well and 11 hardneck varieties some do better than others depending on if we have a cold winter or a mild winter.
Below I am copying our planting / harvesting guide for zone 7&8 the southeast I hope this will be helpful.
Planting & Harvest of Garlic in Piedmont, NC Cornerstone Garlic Farm
Reidsville, NC
Soil Preparation: You need soft loamy soil with a PH level around 6.5-6.8. (clay will not work). Work soil into beds so you will have proper drainage. Prior to planting you should have a soil test done and amend accordingly.
Planting: For best results when planting garlic try to get seed from local growers. Always chose the largest and healthiest bulbs for planting. Planting can be done any time in October or November when the soil is dry or slightly moist. Plant the cloves tip up about 2-4 inches deep. You folks in zone 6 may want to go a little deeper. Plant the cloves 6 inches apart. With large Elephant Garlic you may want to go 8-10 inches apart. Remember to label the different varieties you plant. Also be aware that some varieties will be harvested before others. For example a late harvest variety may still need to be watered and an early one is ready to dig up. So watch where you plant.
Care & Maintenance: After the plants have come up in late fall or early winter mulch with leaves. In early spring side dress with a high nitrogen fertilizer or foliar feed with fish emlusion.
Keep garlic field weed free until harvest. In May and early June flower stalks (scapes) appear. Break the scapes off at their base. All hardneck garlic scapes should be broken off when they begin to curl. Elephant garlic’s scapes will not curl so break them off as soon as they are eight –ten inches. Flower stalks appear on hardneck varieties and Elephant Garlic. Remember the scapes are edible so don’t throw them away!
Harvest: Not all garlics are ready at the same time. Some varieties are ready before others and some smaller bulbs may be ready before larger ones with in a variety. Harvest garlic when 40% of the leaves are brown. Try to harvest when soil is dry. You may be able to pull up the hardneck varieties if the soil is loose. Use a potato fork to dig up softneck varieties and elephant. Shake off loose dirt (don’t wash). Our Harvest starts with turbans in mid May and ends with rocamboles in late June
Curing Cut off the root leaving about ½ inch. Tie in bundles of 4-5 plants and hang in a dry, airy place out of direct sunlight. You cure for 4-6 weeks or you may eat fresh. The taste is usually better after curing. When cured the neck may be cut about ½ inch above the bulb. Keep the best for planting next year. Don’t break apart bulbs until you are ready to plant.
Note: We cut our garlic off the stalks straight out of the field and place in drying racks in a climate-controlled building.
Storage: Store garlic at room temperature (cooler temps. cause sprouting). Light is not a factor in storage but temperature, air and humidity is so store in a basket box, mesh or paper bag (but not air tight containers) . The type of garlic is a factor in how long it will keep. Rocaboles, Turbans, Asiatics keep 4-6 mos. Porcelains &purple stripes 6-8 Artichoke keep 8 –10 mos. Silver skins and Elephant Garlic keep up to a year.
NEVER keep garlic in the refrigerator unless it has been cooked.
Garlic Info
All cultivated garlic fall into 2 distinct subspecies Hardneck and Softneck
Hardnecks produce flower stalks. If left on the stalk they will produce a flower then bulbils (little cloves). The plant usually grows taller than softnecks and has narrower leaves. If stressed hardnecks will produce no stalk and the garlic will not clove leaving a solid piece of garlic. The cloves on a hardneck are large and generally produce 6-12 cloves per plant.
Softnecks produce no flower stalk and usually grow shorter and wider leaves.
If stressed they will form a flower stalk with bulbils. They will generally produce 15-20 cloves per plant. Rarely they will form a solid also. They are known best for braiding and storage life.
Elephant garlic is actually a leek. It grows tall and has wide leaves . It forms a hardneck and flower stalk. It produces a large lavender flower if left on but will not form bulbils like hardnecks.
But it does form corms (a little clove) on the roots and sometimes between leaf (paper) layers. Elephant garlic produces 3-5cloves per plant but will often form solids (sometimes as large as baseballs). We like to plant the big solids they make huge cloved garlics the next year.
By the way MN FarmGirl Garlic needs full sun.
The Garlic Lady
Cornerstone Garlic Farm http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=6792
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/ |
| MNFarmGirl |
Posted - Jan 30 2006 : 3:13:57 PM
Country Lawyer I found it right on her product page next to the other type of garlic. I just love the smell of garlic! Aubrey
"Agriculture...is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end conribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness." Thomas Jefferson |
| country lawyer |
Posted - Jan 30 2006 : 2:30:52 PM
How did I miss that? MJ's indoor garlic? Where is the info on that? It sounds interesting and DEER PROOF!
"All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
Julian of Norwich |
| MNFarmGirl |
Posted - Jan 30 2006 : 1:26:56 PM
Hey Ladies, have any of you tried MJ's indoor garlic? I think I am going to start some, but how much sun light do they need? It doesn't say much on her website. Country Lawyer I would be worried about the garlic because the deer here eat everything. I planted marigolds because I was told that they don't like it, wrong! They even ate my straw flowers, yuck. Aubrey
"Agriculture...is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end conribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness." Thomas Jefferson |
| country lawyer |
Posted - Jan 30 2006 : 08:47:00 AM
Yeah! I received my Mary Jane garlic last week and planted it yesterday. I've never planted garlic before and am hoping it wasn't too late in the season to get it in the ground. The garlic bulbs from Mary Jane's Farm are beautiful and big and healthy. Okay, now the question. I have a herd of deer in the woods behind my house. They love to eat from my garden and usually I don't mind sharing. But...I have fenced in one of my raised beds for those veggies I just don't want to share with the deer! I have four raised beds, so they get plenty from the other three. I did not plant the garlic in the fenced in bed; I assumed that the deer wouldn't bother it. Does anyone know if that is the case? I will dig them up today and move them to the fenced in bed if they are going to clean me out on the garlic crop. Also, has any one used that water powered deer deterent? I was wondering whether or not it worked. Thanks for any advice you have.
"All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
Julian of Norwich |
| Kathy A. |
Posted - Oct 14 2005 : 3:09:28 PM
Here is a great article about garlic on the New farm website.
http://www.newfarm.org/features/2005/1005/garlic/index.shtml |
| junebug |
Posted - Oct 02 2005 : 08:27:50 AM
I too want to grow some garlic this fall, and was wondering if I ordered some from Mary Janes farm, can I use it for planting as well as eating? And will I get it in time to plant? I'm in zone 6 and can't find any locally to plant this time of year? Thanks!
I'm not 40 something, I'm 39.95 plus shipping and handling! |
| Eileen |
Posted - Sep 29 2005 : 12:30:25 PM
I came home from my trip to wisconsin with some of Mary Janes Garlic. WOW! I have never seen such wonderful garlic. It is all flavor and the size of the cloves!!! Awesome. You will love it. They had just finished harvest when we got there so I think she still has lots. I am definately planting some of it. Hope I get as nice a harvest as she does.
Eileen
Songbird; singing joy to the earth |
| therusticcottage |
Posted - Sep 27 2005 : 11:44:12 PM
I answered my own question -- I "Googled" garlic.
I'm still hot...it just comes in flashes. |
| therusticcottage |
Posted - Sep 27 2005 : 11:17:08 PM
What is the difference between hard neck and soft neck? I'm going to plant for the first time this year but not sure which to do.
I'm still hot...it just comes in flashes. |
| Gerta |
Posted - Sep 27 2005 : 7:01:51 PM
I have raised my garlic for many years and I like the red whatever they call it there are 200 sub speices and the very best that I have tried is Roja or rocambole. its hard necked and great.
But I am looking for directions for braiding soft neck with dried flowers for the farmers mkt. any one know |
| ARz |
Posted - Sep 19 2005 : 11:27:14 AM
Thanks Kathy. |
| Kathy A. |
Posted - Sep 17 2005 : 7:17:12 PM
Welcome ARz,
Here's my choices in this order, it should be a good start.
first-Maryjanes farm- the order desk is 1-888-750-6004
They sell hard neck- red german variety for I think $7.90 per lb. it's seasonal so they may not have any left.
Filaree Farm-Garlic is all they sell. you won't believe the variety in this catalog- It is really worth the effort.
www.filareefarm.com phone-509-422-6940
These catalogs both have garlic sections-
Seeds of Change- www.seedsofchange.com phone-1-888-762-7333
Nichols Garden Nursery- www.nicholsgardennursery.com phone-800-422-3985
Hope this helps ~Kathy
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