I enjoy every aspect of growing it , getting the soil ready for planting , dividing the cloves and pushing them into the soil.
Seeing the first shoots break through, watching them grow, standing tall with early morning frost.
Waiting for the perfect conditions to harvest and then spending the day pulling, laying them out to dry and then hanging bunches to dry.
I first grew just small amount from cloves given to me by a friend but soon realised if i wanted to have enough to last a year and some to give away i needed to get serious.
In 2007 I brought Heronswood certified organic cloves of different varieties to see which would grow and taste the best.
Soft Pink , Oriental purple, NZ varieties white and purple.
My first harvest, was very successful and i was able to keep cloves(stored hanging up in a dark shed) for the following years planting.
Unfortunately over the years i have forgotten which garlic is which, i still have purple and white and they both grow well.
I have found the best conditions to harvest is late November after a couple of dry/windy days and on a day which is going to be warm and sunny but not too hot.
I pull them in the morning, shake off any excess soil and then lay out to dry in the sun, later in the afternoon I hang them in bunches in the shed and when i have time i plait up some for Xmas presents for friends and family.
This year, Sunday 20th was perfect to harvest.
First meal with newly harvested garlic was potato pieces, whole garlic cloves roasted in olive oil and fresh rosemary.
What's your favorite meal with garlic?
Hey there's lots of harvesting over at Daphne's Dandelions why not take a peek!!!!
I harvested my first garlic a week or so ago.
ReplyDelete3 plants. Woo hoo!
They're drying in the garage... too precious to cook!
I've never grown garlic, and I'm so jealous seeing you girls harvesting now!!!
ReplyDeleteI bought some green garlic from the market and was surprised how lovely, mild and sweet it was. It made its way into a nice pasta sauce with tomato but I put it in last minute. Also the broad bean pastes that I have been making have benefited from fresh garlic. I'll definitely grow some this year!
Yours looks great! I haven't pulled mine yet, every time it rains I panic that it will get too wet and rot but so far so good - the stuff I've pulled to eat green has been fine and I think its got a bit of growing left to do. What a fabulous christmas present - people must love it!!! My favourite garlic meal is whatever I've just cooked because it always seems to have some garlic in it. That aside though I don't think you can beat roasting it then squeezing it out and eating it - yum, yum, yum!
ReplyDeleteHi FD ,well 3 is better than none! im happy to post you some when its dry, you can cook with it or keep it till next year and plant.
ReplyDeleteHi Phoebe, yes you will have to put some in next year, its very easy to grow and the best thing it can cope with poorer soils.
Hi Liz, i know what you mean about worrying when to pull it out,i had only a couple that had started to rot. Yes the Xmas present is always well received.
I'm growing garlic for the first time this year. I planted them in October for them to overwinter in the beds. I hope the harvest turns out. It's hard waiting! :) Your garlic looks great.
ReplyDeleteLynn
I love eating the flower stalks, fried with balsamic vinegar and put on salads.
ReplyDeleteBloody chooks keep getting in my garden and eating all the salad seedlings....grrr chook fence needed.
Mxo
Hi Lynn,yes its a long time to wait but well worth it!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, i havn't tried eating the flower stalks, will have to give it a go.Chooks can really make a mess in the garden pretty quick, ive started to use netting(the type used on fruit tees) to keep them off and it also works with the birds and rabbits.
Wow Andrea, that is the most impressive harvest I've seen. It certainly seems to be the time to pull up the garlic, as I keep reading on everyone's blogs. I haven't grown it before, but it has now moved to the top of the 'must try that this year' list. Oh boy, I'm really starting to need a bigger garden - I never thought I would say that!
ReplyDeleteI think my favourite way to cook it is adding a whole bulb, cut in half cross-ways and added to a chicken pot roast with chat potatoes, thyme and a little white wine and chicken stock. Once its cooked you can squeeze the garlic out and mix it into the sauce.
I love the sound of your dinner, I think that would be a favourite of mine too. Rosemary is one of my favourite herbs especially in a roast.
ReplyDeleteHi Mrs Good,yes try some garlic next year you can just pop the cloves in anywhere even under your fruit trees!
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, yes Rosemary is another favorite of mine as well.