Welcome to the garlic corner. A glimpse into the garlic world. In this episode we talk about the difference between softneck and hardneck garlic and a little bit about storage. This year’s harvest came with HUMUNGOUS bulbs. Most were in the premium to colossal caterogies. So orders will have 1 bulb. Cause they’re that big.
Storage: If you’ve ever had garlic start to sprout on your counter, it’s probably because it was old and at some point it was refrigerated before you got it. When garlic moves from cold temps to warm environments, it sprouts because it thinks it’s just experienced winter and now that it’s warm again it should start growing. Since our garlic is fresh and has not experienced cold temps, you can store these guys right on your counter or pantry. 60 degrees and a dark place are ideal. If you don’t have a good storage place, the fridge works just fine, but note that the flavor does decrease a bit. Also, garlic's lifetime decreases once you start removing cloves from the bulb.
Softneck garlic. We grew two varieties this year Red Toch and Italian Lorz. They do not develop a flowering stalk (scape), so their stems stay soft and flexible, making them excellent for creating braids of garlic. The heads will last for about nine to twelve months! Softnecks are a bit more mild in flavor, and are awesome for roasting. Literally they turn into garlic butter. This is our most favorite way to roast garlic. Use in your mashed potatoes to make yourself a restaurant-at-home-kinda-dinner. Hardneck garlics are headed to a bin near you in 2 weeks. Hardnecks develop a long flowering stem, called a scape, which eventually develops tiny bulbils at its top end. Hopefully you had a chance to enjoy them in spring. Hardneck’s tend to peel easier and many think that find they are more flavorful than their softneck counterparts. Cloves are larger than softneck, so a bit less work to peel than softneck. More on these in the coming weeks.