Garlic taste test
AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years ago
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chickencoupe
9 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years agoRelated Discussions
garlic and potato harvest
Comments (9)UTMEBs: That's a great gardening story! One of the fun things about gardening is when you get surprised. One of my surprises this year is a Cherokee Purple tomato plant that volunteered next to my orange tree. I let it go and began trellising it up a post. It will be my first heirloom of the season that I harvest (I was later getting the rest of my transplants in the ground). It is healthy and lush and full of fruit. To answer your question, my garlic is not an elephant type but rather Polish Softneck. One of the traits of Polish Softneck is its large size. It's also the hottest (raw) garlic that I have ever tasted! I was brought to tears, runny nose and chasing down water when I tasted a small sliver of it yesterday.....and I eat habanero hot sauces and grow my own chilis so I like the heat! This stuff is wicked hot!.....at least to me it is :P...See MoreTasting the New Garlic Harvest
Comments (0)Martin, I harvested the garlic you sent me. (Thank you, thank you, thank you!) First the problems. The winter was depressingly dry, and my garden only got watered about once a month. I know that stunts garlic growth, from my past attempts to grow Spanish Roja. Then my darling 4 year old twins helped me in my garden by removing the plant labels, so I'm not sure of several varieties that I grew this year. The garlic in the flower bed out front were all Asian Tempest, so I'm sure of those. My step-dad, who does the cooking in my parents' home, was quite impressed with the bite, and with the size of the heads. Definitely will grow again. Purple Glazer still had its lable somehow. Those heads were about the same size as the Spanish Roja I have grown (small), and we haven't tasted them yet. (?) Giant, (maybe Russian Giant or Siberian Giant) is, well, huge, with large bulbils! Good flavor. Definitely will regrow. Martin's Heirloom, average size heads (remember, drought conditions), large bulbils, haven't tasted yet. Good production! Probably will plant again. Porcelain (?), average size heans, small bulbils, haven't tasted yet. Grocery store shallots, small bulbs, may grow again. Thanks again. I am passing along the Martin's Heirloom and (?) Giant to fellow gardeners in my neighborhood. Catherine...See MorePoll: Best garlic for taste AND storage?
Comments (14)@ gardenguyvt I will answer your questions from the top down. Reread R.Engeland,Growing Great Garlic, again.I been reading it 2or3 times a year and been reading it for many years.He writes about having severe mold problems in the bulbs after harvest and not keeping till xmas even until they started leaving the scapes on till just before harvest.I was having the same problem myself till I started leaving the scapes on,now they keep till spring and I have about 200 pounds of 2 1/2" to 3" bulbs for sale but of course they have been cleaned and ready for sale.Also have the same amount in planting grade;2"-2 1/2". The descaped bulbs do get bigger,but do not keep as well which is an important feature if you want to enjoy your garlic for a longer period of time also the larger bulbs have cloves that have multiples that sprout with 2-3-4 plants and anything more than two are a real mess ie.no commercial value. As far as selling scapes at the farmers mkt.is dependent on the supply and demand, and the supply usually exceeds the demand.The most important thing to remember about growing large bulbs is to feed heavily as garlic is the second heaviest user of nitrogen next to rhubarb.I mix blood meal,fish meal,cotton seed meal,dried pelleted chicken evenup and a half ratio of kelp as its about $1#,applying one pound per 10sq.ft.of bed I only put it on the bed and then till it in.In spring when the spears begin to show fertilize again with a water soluble product such as Alaska fish using a hose-end sprayer;heavily until you get nervous and then around Mothers Day(mid-May)or do as Engeland did,foliar spray every two weeks which can be difficult when you have a lot of rain.I do best with Spanish Roja as it is more resistant to rain/mold damage and grows the largest and more uniformly than the other stiffnecks.I am not supposed to list my commercial site as I understand it but you can contact me 1.360.482.4948 BILL...See MoreGarlic trials
Comments (11)I agree that the differences among garlic tastes are subtle, with heat differences dominating the comparisons. I've tried raw garlic taste tests and found my results to be very inconsistent since my poor tongue is burned senseless after the first few bites. It took me years to develop a discriminating palate for red wines, and I don't see why I would do the same with raw garlic when I only use it in cooking. I just planted 180 cloves total yesterday of German Red, Estonian Red, and Russian Red here is southwestern VA, and today I'll plant another 180 cloves of Music. After trying dozens of varieties I am settling in to those that produce consistently large bulbs with 4-6 fat cloves. My emphasis is on yield (size), ease of use (peeling and clove size) and storage capability, rather than taste. Most of what I grow are chopped and frozen in thin flat ziplock freezer bags, and the rest is eaten fresh, roasted and frozen, dried and powered, and this year I'll try frozen in EV olive oil in ice cube trays. You may want to give Music a try. Not sure how well it would do in SoCal, but it is very popular in the Northeast where is makes 2.5"+ bulbs with just 4-7 fat cloves. Plus as a hardneck it also delivers a crop on delicious scapes in June. TomNJ/VA...See Morechickencoupe
9 years agochickencoupe
9 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years agochickencoupe
9 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years agochickencoupe
9 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
9 years agochickencoupe
9 years agochickencoupe
8 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
8 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 years agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoBixbyM
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