Dug my first Garlic yesterday

Ozark · June 27, 2016

Grilling some sliced Cocozella di Napoli zucchini with olive oil yesterday, I didn't have enough supermarket garlic so dug up two home-grown bulbs from the garden. Never having had fresh garlic before, my wife and I are very pleased with it. The bulbs are large, about 2 1/2" in diameter, and the bulb I peeled had 13 cloves around the hardneck stem. The flavor is very good and a little goes a long ways - we only used five cloves on a whole grill-full of zucchini.

Turns out, this garlic has red/purple stripes on the outside of the bulbs. We know this hardneck variety has been growing on an Ozarks farm here since the 1890's or before. From what I've read and from pictures I've seen, I think it might be German Red. What do you think?

Whatever variety it is, we're real glad to have it and I'll keep growing it.

Noreaster · June 28, 2016

Can't answer your question, but here in NJ it seems time for me to start digging
most up. (including German Red, etc).

First one was yesterday, named Uzbekistan.

My first time with garlic, but from all that I've read you are supposed to "cure" the harvest for 2-3 weeks before eating.

Supposedly, that really intensifies the flavor.

Father'sDaughter · June 28, 2016

That garlic looks great!

And proper curing is crucial for longer term storage. The garlic can be enjoyed at anytime.

Not sure what the variety might be, but the fact that it had 13 cloves might help identify it. Many hardnecks tend to have half as many or fewer. I grow German White and it averages about six or seven cloves. I grew German Red a few years ago and I remember it being similar to German White in terms of size and clove count.

Noreaster · June 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

That garlic looks great!

And proper curing is crucial for longer term storage. The garlic can be enjoyed at anytime.
....

So, may I ask.....by curing, there is basically no improvement short term with regard to flavor ?

I just picked more today...thought I should wait to eat until all are cured, but apparently not ? This could be good news for meals this week, after 9 months of
waiting !!!!!!!

pondgardener · June 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noreaster

So, may I ask.....by curing, there is basically no improvement short term with regard to flavor ?

I just picked more today...thought I should wait to eat until all are cured, but apparently not ? This could be good news for meals this week, after 9 months of
waiting !!!!!!!

According toThe Complete Book of Garlic, "the curing process actually begins in the ground, as growth slows and leaves wither. Harvest marks the second phase of the curing process. The object at this point is not only to dry the garlic but also foster a curing process that limits the risk of mold and other infections, conditions the bulb for lengthy storage and deepens the flavors that we enjoy. The process should be gradual but not so prolonged that the risk of disease is increased."

But I don't see a problem with eating some that is just picked while you are waiting for the rest to cure properly. Especially compared to what passes for garlic in the grocery store.

George

Ozark · June 29, 2016

Noreaster, I'm new at this too but I think curing garlic is done to preserve it so it can be used later, not for flavor enhancement. Believe me, there was nothing wrong with the freshly-dug garlic we used the other day - it was excellent!

I'll cure the bulbs I'm setting aside for cloves to re-plant in October, but other than those I don't intend to dry and cure any of the garlic we're going to eat. Instead, I'm going to follow exactly what TomNJ posted here in another thread a week ago:

"I peel and chop the garlic and put it into one-quart freezer bags, press it flat to about 1/4" thick, zip and freeze. To use you just break off the amount you need (breaks easily) and re-zip the bag. The texture is softened and the flavor slightly less sharp, but just use more. The softer texture makes it ideal for mixing in sour cream to make a great chip dip!"

This method sounds real, real good to me. We've got electricity here in Missouri, and freezers too!

Noreaster · June 30, 2016

Okay, thanks all !

When first trying new stuff in garden, I have a tendency to take literally info
provided by "experts" and suppliers.

Think I might give some freshly picked garlic a whirl while majority are drying
out !!!!!!!!!!

jhp · June 29, 2016

I am growing German Red for the second year in a row. Last year's harvest is all eaten up and this year's hasn't been pulled out yet. But as I recall, it did not have many cloves, definitely not 13. One of the downsides as I see it because I have to save a bunch for replanting in the fall instead of eating them. If it had more cloves, that would be less bulbs I would have to save. I'll try to remember to check when I pull it in the next few weeks.

Whatever you have, it sure is pretty. Don't forget to save some for replanting in the fall. I love growing garlic. I think it may be the most carefree thing you can grow, and delicious.

Jen

PhilaGardener · June 29, 2016

Great looking garlic, Ozark! Glad you are helping keep that heirloom going!

Father'sDaughter · June 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noreaster

So, may I ask.....by curing, there is basically no improvement short term with regard to flavor ?

I just picked more today...thought I should wait to eat until all are cured, but apparently not ? This could be good news for meals this week, after 9 months of
waiting !!!!!!!

It's kind of impossible to do a side by side with fresh dug vs cured, but I have certainly enjoyed lots of freshly dug garlic over the years.

pmcgrady · June 30, 2016

Dug a couple hundred cloves last weekend, Music , Purple Italian, and Bogatyr did very well, small crops of Califonia Late, California Early was a total flop.

Worth1 · June 30, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmcgrady

Dug a couple hundred cloves last weekend, Music , Purple Italian, and Bogatyr did very well, small crops of Califonia Late, California Early was a total flop.

Good to hear.

Worth

pmcgrady · June 30, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Good to hear.

Worth

Do you want some Worth?

Worth1 · June 30, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmcgrady

Do you want some Worth?

Soon as you can get around to it.
If I have to pack the soil in ice everyday this winter I will do so.

Worth

Ozark · July 19, 2016

After leaving the bulbs in a cool room to dry for a couple of weeks, I processed my garlic harvest today. Thanks to TomNJ for posting his method because that's exactly what I did and I'm real pleased with the way it turned out.

I put aside 40 of the largest cloves, unpeeled, to plant in October - those are the red ones in the bowl on the left. Then my wife and I peeled the cloves to be frozen, those in the bowl on the right.

The little electric chopper shown worked great for 'mincing' the peeled garlic cloves, that took less than a minute. The result, minced garlic in bulk, is seen in the bowl in the second picture. Then I put the minced garlic in quart zip-lock freezer bags, pressed it out about 1/4" thick, and laid the bags flat in the freezer. As TomNJ says, it will be easy to unzip a bag to break off the amount of garlic needed, then re-zip the bag. What a great method!

June 27, 2016	#1
Ozark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ozark, Mo. Posts: 201	Dug my first Garlic yesterday Grilling some sliced Cocozella di Napoli zucchini with olive oil yesterday, I didn't have enough supermarket garlic so dug up two home-grown bulbs from the garden. Never having had fresh garlic before, my wife and I are very pleased with it. The bulbs are large, about 2 1/2" in diameter, and the bulb I peeled had 13 cloves around the hardneck stem. The flavor is very good and a little goes a long ways - we only used five cloves on a whole grill-full of zucchini. Turns out, this garlic has red/purple stripes on the outside of the bulbs. We know this hardneck variety has been growing on an Ozarks farm here since the 1890's or before. From what I've read and from pictures I've seen, I think it might be German Red. What do you think? Whatever variety it is, we're real glad to have it and I'll keep growing it.

June 28, 2016	#2
Noreaster Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northeast Posts: 260	Can't answer your question, but here in NJ it seems time for me to start digging most up. (including German Red, etc). First one was yesterday, named Uzbekistan. My first time with garlic, but from all that I've read you are supposed to "cure" the harvest for 2-3 weeks before eating. Supposedly, that really intensifies the flavor.

June 28, 2016	#3
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	That garlic looks great! And proper curing is crucial for longer term storage. The garlic can be enjoyed at anytime. Not sure what the variety might be, but the fact that it had 13 cloves might help identify it. Many hardnecks tend to have half as many or fewer. I grow German White and it averages about six or seven cloves. I grew German Red a few years ago and I remember it being similar to German White in terms of size and clove count.

June 29, 2016	#6
Ozark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ozark, Mo. Posts: 201	Noreaster, I'm new at this too but I think curing garlic is done to preserve it so it can be used later, not for flavor enhancement. Believe me, there was nothing wrong with the freshly-dug garlic we used the other day - it was excellent! I'll cure the bulbs I'm setting aside for cloves to re-plant in October, but other than those I don't intend to dry and cure any of the garlic we're going to eat. Instead, I'm going to follow exactly what TomNJ posted here in another thread a week ago: "I peel and chop the garlic and put it into one-quart freezer bags, press it flat to about 1/4" thick, zip and freeze. To use you just break off the amount you need (breaks easily) and re-zip the bag. The texture is softened and the flavor slightly less sharp, but just use more. The softer texture makes it ideal for mixing in sour cream to make a great chip dip!" This method sounds real, real good to me. We've got electricity here in Missouri, and freezers too!

June 30, 2016	#7
Noreaster Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northeast Posts: 260	Okay, thanks all ! When first trying new stuff in garden, I have a tendency to take literally info provided by "experts" and suppliers. Think I might give some freshly picked garlic a whirl while majority are drying out !!!!!!!!!!

June 29, 2016	#8
jhp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Danbury, CT Posts: 492	I am growing German Red for the second year in a row. Last year's harvest is all eaten up and this year's hasn't been pulled out yet. But as I recall, it did not have many cloves, definitely not 13. One of the downsides as I see it because I have to save a bunch for replanting in the fall instead of eating them. If it had more cloves, that would be less bulbs I would have to save. I'll try to remember to check when I pull it in the next few weeks. Whatever you have, it sure is pretty. Don't forget to save some for replanting in the fall. I love growing garlic. I think it may be the most carefree thing you can grow, and delicious. Jen

June 29, 2016	#9
PhilaGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Near Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,940	Great looking garlic, Ozark! Glad you are helping keep that heirloom going!

June 30, 2016	#11
pmcgrady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 1,836	Dug a couple hundred cloves last weekend, Music , Purple Italian, and Bogatyr did very well, small crops of Califonia Late, California Early was a total flop.

July 19, 2016	#15
Ozark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ozark, Mo. Posts: 201	After leaving the bulbs in a cool room to dry for a couple of weeks, I processed my garlic harvest today. Thanks to TomNJ for posting his method because that's exactly what I did and I'm real pleased with the way it turned out. I put aside 40 of the largest cloves, unpeeled, to plant in October - those are the red ones in the bowl on the left. Then my wife and I peeled the cloves to be frozen, those in the bowl on the right. The little electric chopper shown worked great for 'mincing' the peeled garlic cloves, that took less than a minute. The result, minced garlic in bulk, is seen in the bowl in the second picture. Then I put the minced garlic in quart zip-lock freezer bags, pressed it out about 1/4" thick, and laid the bags flat in the freezer. As TomNJ says, it will be easy to unzip a bag to break off the amount of garlic needed, then re-zip the bag. What a great method!