I believe that is a reasonable price, especially given that it is woven/braided. I live in CA and often pay 35 to 50 cents per head, and sometimes more.

I think it is unlikely that the garlic will still be usable for an entire year if you keep it in your kitchen, which is of course, where most people keep it. I mean, who wants to have to hunt down the garlic when they want to use it?

Here are tips on storing garlic for maximum shelf life: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/how-to-plant-and-store-garlic3.htm

I would absolutely plant some of it. There's almost no way to go wrong. Even if you plant a clove upside down, it will grow correctly.

By my calculations, 35 cloves of garlic would last me approximately 18 weeks.

Wow! They have a tublar garlic peeler for $8. It says you put the garlic in the tube and roll it on the counter with the heel of your hand. The skins pop right off!

This would be really handy when I make garlic dills.

Lars, I have very fond memories of Garlic World, and driving through Gilroy on the way to visit my cousin in Capitola. Instead of buying garlic, I have my very own Garlic World toothpick holder instead, as toothpicks are always a hot commodity in my car. (I'm sorry I don't have any tips for growing it.) Did you visit Bubble Gum Alley in SLO? Of course I don't know what this says about me...since you're talking about eating a blue crab omelet and I'm talking about a wall smeared with DNA. At any rate, your post is making me feel a bit nostalgic for ''days gone by''! Thanks for the memories.

The tubular garlic peeler is a cool little gadget. It works best if you slice off the bottom end of the clove to free the skins. Really fresh garlic is the easiest to peel. Renee in Kentucky sent me mine in a swap years ago. I always think of her when I use it or offer it to someone else to discover how nifty it is.

I just slice off the bottom end, lay my chef's knife flat on the clove and whack it with my hand. The skin comes right off. Yeah, I know...I have big hands.:-)

CdL, I've been to Bubble gum alley! Great place to take my kids roflmao. Luckily its right down the street from We Olive, great store. We were there on farmer's market night, wow.

Helene/Sushipup sent me some Gilroy garlic once, it was awesome.

I didn't go to Bubblegum Alley in SLO, but I've been there on a previous trip. We didn't want to spend too much time on the road, or else we may have stopped in to visit some of the missions along the way. San Juan Bautista has huge olive trees, but is therefore also very messy, due to all the olives dropping from the trees.

I have the garlic in the pantry right now, but I want to move it to another area, possibly the wire baskets that I have hanging with aprons. The aprons block the light, and so that might be good. I was told that the garlic will keep longer if it is braided, but this makes it a bit more awkward to store. I haven't tried any yet, but maybe I will tonight.

Lars

Lars, it sounds like a fun trip! I will be visiting SLO sometime in the near future to see Alice. Bubblegum Alley sounds kind of icky, though.

I agree, the garlic won't last a year without at least sprouting. I keep garlic in my veggie bin in the frig.

"I just slice off the bottom end, lay my chef's knife flat on the clove and whack it with my hand. The skin comes right off. Yeah, I know...I have big hands.:-)"

Large hands aside (I'll leave that one for Jessy) this method mashes the garlic. The peeler, when conditions are ideal, will yield a perfect cleanly peeled, undamaged clove. Sometimes it just loosens the skins and one has to remove them but it's still much easier to do.

Eileen, you are right on all counts. I guess I don't usually need an undamaged clove. It would certainly make a difference.

Eileen I don't blame you for bypassing BGA, but do stop in at We Olive. I love their Pasolivo olive oil and I have my SIL pick it up for me in lieu of hotel bills when they stay with us, grin.

Lars, you drove past me by less that two miles! I love Garlic World, one of my favorite places. And the olives are wonderful, all varieties!

As for the price of garlic, I don't even notice. I just buy one or two heads at the local store, as we need them. I always thought that the braids were decorative!

At the Garlic Festival, there's a whole area set up where you can learn how to braid garlic.