A Fall Day’s Gorgeous Garlic
We had an impromptu road trip this past Halloween Sunday. It was the kind of early morning car ride that started out with a simple mission – to fly a kite in Gas Works park, drink some coffee, and soak up some sun in the leaf-carpeted park. Sometimes when you get back in the car, you just feel like driving. Before we knew it, Mike and I were venting, laughing, and gawking at the mist-covered mountains just north of Seattle. Before we knew it, we were almost in Bellingham. So we stopped there for lunch.
On the way back home, we saw a sign for Stilly Farms, and since Leila was particularly grouchy and needed to stretch her legs – off the highway we went.
I didn’t intend to buy seed garlic, but there were over 15 varieties, more than I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t resist buying the varieties listed below. Swoon.
Nootka Rose – Softneck, silverskin type garlic variety. Originally from San Juan Islands in Washington State. Cloves streaked red on mahogany background. Long storing.
Persian Star – Originating from a bazaar in Samarkand, this garlic has large, lavender striped bulbs with striking purple, elongated cloves. A good hardneck for warmer climates. Moderately spicy, it retains its flavor when cooked.
Silver White – This is an excellent all-purpose silverskin that seems to grow well in most places. It has very large bulbs and is very productive.
I waited until the rain finally stopped this afternoon to break up the bulbs into their lovely cloves, and planted them in the garden. With some luck (as I’ve never planted garlic before) we’ll have more fresh garlic than we’re able to eat, which sounds like a wonderful thing.
we planted our garlic on hallowe’en afternoon, as well .. we mulch ours with a layer of straw .. then leave it pretty much alone .. water it once in awhile .. then cut off the ‘scapes’ .. which are the flower buds .. you’ll love growing garlic .. it’s so easy .. and with such great reward ..