Garlic Bulbs Splitting
CathyCA SoCal
4 years ago
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Comments (16)
CathyCA SoCal
4 years agostevie
4 years agoRelated Discussions
split outer layer on garlic, should i harvest now?
Comments (16)I'm not sure there is a definitive answer. When I froze my garlic, I did so after the Fall planting was complete (in October). By that point, all cloves were well cured, and presumably lower in moisture. All cloves were peeled & frozen in a zippered freezer bag. As long as the peeled cloves are dry, they won't stick together, and could be removed as needed. That frozen garlic was just OK. The cloves lost quite a bit of their flavor, and did not hold their shape if cooked. I find that dehydration preserves more of the flavor, stores longer without refrigeration, and can be easily ground into fresh garlic powder as needed. I slice the cloves into 1/4" pieces, they dry into very hard chips which hold their shape if added to cooked dishes. I place crushed dried garlic in a pepper mill... fresh ground garlic has the same flavor advantages as fresh ground black pepper. Although I usually peel garlic before dehydration, I've been able to skip that when processing small hard-to-peel cloves, or large quantities. If the root end is cut off & the cloves sliced with skin on, that skin can be shaken off & winnowed away after dehydration....See MoreMaking Garlic Powder from fresh Garlic bulbs
Comments (20)Don't grind until completely crisp or you will end up with a complete mess(Big ball of garlic)- I know from experience! We make lots of garlic powder and it is worth the trouble I won't buy the comercially bottled stuff any more. We dry ours at 140 degrees and slice it in a food processor (slice attachment) or use a garlic slicer -it is a small Mandoline. Having them all about the same thickness helps the garlic dry evenly. Because we dehydrate and powder most of ours to sell we found elephant garilc makes excellent garlic powder. It grindes up finer / whiter and is much stronger than the fresh elephant. It it so easy to peel and so large and easy to slice in a food processor. We grind ours in a blender. We usually sift it 2-3 times. We tell our customers to keep it in the refrigerator- it keeps it fresh and keeps it from sticking together. If you made more than you think you can use mix some of your powder with freshly dried herbs. There are lots of recipes out there for making your own seasonings. enjoy you garlic powder- you will never want store bought again....See MoreLooking for Veggie Gardening Mentor
Comments (14)Hello Janel! Here are my thoughts on the veggies and herbs you mentioned: Zucchini ~ Very simple to grow and very productive. I'm just south of Madison and I'm able to direct sow zucchini in the ground about 2 weeks after our last frost. That works out to a late May or early June planting here. They virtually grow themselves. Zucchini plants are bushy and can get to 3' in diameter or larger so they'll need a lot of room. One zucchini plant produced enough squash to feed my family of three easily. Tomatoes ~ I personally think tomatoes are fairly simple to grow as well. I start my tomatoes from seed and then transplant them into the garden. Whether you start them from seed or buy tomato plants, you'll want to transplant them into your garden roughly 2 weeks after your average last frost date. In my neck of the woods, I usually transplant them right around the end of May. I second what Putzer said about planting the tomato plants deeply. I don't remove any leaves before planting...I just bury the plant deep enough to cover up most of the bare stem portion at the bottom. Most tomato plants will need to be staked or caged to keep them off the ground. Which method you choose seems to be mostly a matter of preference. I could go on and on about tomatoes so if you want any more info, just holler. Winter Squash ~ Winter squash has been somewhat of a challenge for me. In my area, squash vine borers are a real problem. They look almost like red wasps but they are actually moths that lay their eggs along squash vines, usually at the base. The eggs hatch and the little hatchlings literally bore into the vines and munch their way through, often killing the plant in the process. Aside from the borers, winter squash is fairly simple to grow. In my area, those mean little moths are only active in early-mid June so I have to directly sow my squash seeds at the end of June. Squash vines grow quickly and they usually get very long. Spaghetti squash is quite prolific in my experience. Broccoli ~ I have no input on this one because it seems that I am broccoli challenged. I cannot for the life of me get it to grow properly. Eggplant ~ I tried eggplant in my first garden. From what I remember, it was very newby gardener friendly. I grew it from a store-bought tranplant and the only thing I ever had to do with it was keep it watered. That's it. The plant basically took care of itself. Eggplant likes hot weather, as do tomatoes and peppers. Lettuce ~ You can't go wrong with lettuce. I generally grow looseleaf lettuce. As soon as the soil can be worked in the early spring (i.e. soil's not frozen or waterlogged from melted snow) scatter the seeds about according the recommended spacing on your seed pack. Barely cover them. They usually sprout very quickly. Lettuce likes cold weather and will get bitter/pungent in hot weather. Jalapenos ~ These buggers are very easy to work with. I start my peppers from seed but nursery transplants will work just as well. Either way, peppers like hot weather so don't transplant them into the garden too soon or it'll retard their growth. I plant mine out in early-mid June. Basically, I try to plant them out when I know daytime temps are around 70 degrees on average and nighttime temps are no less than 50 degrees. They like full sun. Garlic ~ As SandiBluffs said, Garlic is planted in the fall. I have found that garlic works great for deterring hungry bunnies and squirels in my yard. My garden bed is square, so I literally plant a garlic border around the outside to keep the pests away from my food. (Thankfully we love garlic!) Basically you take a garlic bulb, split it up into cloves and plant the individual cloves about two to four inches deep. I think you're supposed to plant it 4 to 6 weeks before your ground freezes. I aim for September. Also, I've read that you're not supposed to separate the bulb into individual cloves until the day you plant them. After planting the cloves, don't let them get too dry. Garlic likes moist (not waterlogged) soil. I don't have any input on the other items. I've never had any luck growing strawberries however I think that's because I'm doing something wrong...not because they're terribly difficult. I have a devil of a time getting oregano seeds to sprout so I've only managed to grow it one year out of three so far. It was simple once I got the seeds going though. I've never tried raspberries, parsley or spearmint. I'm planning on growing parsley this year though so I guess we'll learn about that one together. Good luck and happy planning!...See MoreHarvesting garlic/single bulb/clove of garlic
Comments (6)From what I have heard you can replant the bulb this next year. I did grow garlic one year when I was living near Childress. I used elephant garlic from the store and planted each clove and they made a new set of cloves the next year. Elephant garlic is not a true garlic but can be use as garlic in cooking. As far as I know they do not treat garlic with growth inhibitors like they do with potatoes. It should be getting close to harvest time. I would wait until about half the plant is brown before I would harvest, but I have only grown garlic twice. Garlic should last 3 or 4 months after you dig them if they are dried properly....See MoreCathyCA SoCal
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