2017 garlic!

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myownidaho

Master of the Pit
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Nov 27, 2016
1,901
680
Southwest Idaho
What a difference a couple of weeks makes! Snow is gone, sun is out and this year's garlic crop is up. As with previous years, it looks like only two or three cloves didn't sprout.

 
This is something I really need to grow.  

In the fall I am busy harvesting crops and forget about the garlic.
 
Nice! I always forget to plant it too!

I have a coworker that grows regular garlic and elephant garlic, both are so much better than from the store!
 
This is something I really need to grow.  

In the fall I am busy harvesting crops and forget about the garlic.

A farmer forgetting a personal crop? Kind of like the cobblers children have no shoes? [emoji]128512[/emoji]

This signals the beginning of the season for me. The herbs are growing back, I turned the first bed and carrot seeds are now in the ground. Next up is turning the rest of the beds and getting lettuce, kale and pea seeds in the ground.
 
A farmer forgetting a personal crop? Kind of like the cobblers children have no shoes? [emoji]128512[/emoji]

This signals the beginning of the season for me. The herbs are growing back, I turned the first bed and carrot seeds are now in the ground. Next up is turning the rest of the beds and getting lettuce, kale and pea seeds in the ground.
I know, I know.    I have been wanting to try asparigus.
 
Gotta get a pic here. Dave let me know how to grow. Never seen the like. Growing tall.
icon_eek.gif
 
I only grew garlic once.  Just a small test crop.  I used one head of garlic and every clove sprouted.  The resulting product was nothing like the store bought garlic that I had planted--much better.  For some reason, it turned out spicy and hot.  It was great.  No idea why I never planted it again--too late this season, but maybe this fall.......

Gary
 
Not to mention the garlic scapes, one of the main reasons we plant garlic in the fall. Root crop. Radishes in spring, root crop. Tomatoes sure, jalapenos sure, tomatillos sure, peppers sure.

Now have a new puppy, part wheaton terrier part poodle (Whoodle?) Not a digger yet so root veg's may be safe, but tomatoes and jalapenos and tomatillos, the jury is out. Anyone interested in a red faced, hot breath dog with diarrhea?
 
Not to mention the garlic scapes, one of the main reasons we plant garlic in the fall. Root crop. Radishes in spring, root crop. Tomatoes sure, jalapenos sure, tomatillos sure, peppers sure.

Now have a new puppy, part wheaton terrier part poodle (Whoodle?) Not a digger yet so root veg's may be safe, but tomatoes and jalapenos and tomatillos, the jury is out. Anyone interested in a red faced, hot breath dog with diarrhea?

Garlic scape pesto pasta is food of the gods. I increased the amount of hardneck I planted last fall just for that reason.
 
I had garlic chives, Allium Tuberosum, as a nuisance weed at my old house. The cloves and heads were never as big as commercial garlic but the flavor is good and the tops can make great greens. They're like a "walking onion" where new bulbs form at the ends of the flowerstalks, which flop over and start new clumps. You can grind those little bulblets with salt, herbs, oil, etc., in a mortar and pestle or a blender

harvest and clean


.
 
Let us know the pesto recipe. I think between the wife and I we can do the pasta.[emoji]128515[/emoji]

The one I use is very basic.

1 pound garlic scapes, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
ground black pepper to taste

Whiz it up in a food processor and toss it with hot pasta. I also like to garnish with chopped parsley and a little lemon zest.
 
I had garlic chives, Allium Tuberosum, as a nuisance weed at my old house. The cloves and heads were never as big as commercial garlic but the flavor is good and the tops can make great greens. They're like a "walking onion" where new bulbs form at the ends of the flowerstalks, which flop over and start new clumps. You can grind those little bulblets with salt, herbs, oil, etc., in a mortar and pestle or a blender




harvest and clean


Interesting. I have garlic chives in the garden. They died back quite a bit this winter but I'll pull some when they recover. I do like using spring garlic like green onions and this looks like a great alternative.
 
With the garlic chives, especially big vigorous ones, the leaves are tender in the spring and increasingly tough as the season goes along. They can have a crisp bite similar to celery, but with a garlic flavor. They're always good for any Asian soup stock project. Try using them as you would use cabbage.

Be forewarned, they take over territory aggressively. They can crowd out knee-high peonies. They are very capable of randomly starting themselves in new areas where you did not plant them, probably due to rhodents stashing seeds and forgetting them.. You will have free garlic for the rest of your life.
 
The one I use is very basic.

1 pound garlic scapes, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
ground black pepper to taste

Whiz it up in a food processor and toss it with hot pasta. I also like to garnish with chopped parsley and a little lemon zest.

Thanks, gonna try this soon. The scapes here in the great white north are not yet ready! [emoji]128553[/emoji][emoji]128553[/emoji]
 
I just ordered a variety of hardnecks for planting this fall. We didn't plant any last year and kicked ourselves this year when we had to actually buy grocery store garlic. I am definitely going to try the scape pesto.

Braz
 
I just ordered a variety of hardnecks for planting this fall. We didn't plant any last year and kicked ourselves this year when we had to actually buy grocery store garlic. I am definitely going to try the scape pesto.

Braz

You won't be disappointed! We consider garlic scape pesto a rite of spring.
 
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