Backyard Farmgals

Lorz Italian ready for planting It's time to plant garlic, and today I did, over 300 little bulbs of garlic placed in a soft bed with compost and blood meal.  All I see when I close my eyes is garlic, all I can think about is garlic, my hands smell like earth and garlic all mixed up together.  It's been a day, and I am tuckered out! I always thought that garlic was one of those throw it in the ground, get lots of goodness without a lot of work crops, but I was wrong...WAY WRONG!!!  I have been reading a book called "Growing Great Garlic" written by Ron Engeland.  He started a garlic farm in Okanogan, Washington called Filaree Farm.  He is what you would call a garlic expert, he lives eats and breathes the stuff; I am sure he smells marvelous!?!  The process that he describes is horribly complicated.  I am working up to his level, but I am no where near it now, I need time and money, and a lot more knowledge (and money...did I say that already...

Remember all that garlic that you planted last fall?  I do!  Right before putting the garden to sleep last fall, I planted my skinny raised bed with three types of garlic.  I ordered organic garlic from a store online, one variety is a hardneck, the other two are softnecks. Hardnecks have what is called a scape, which can be cut before the garlic is harvested.  Scapes can be used for cooking, I love them lightly sauteed with eggs and omelets.  Scapes have a mild garlic flavor, but still pack enough punch to liven up your dishes with recognizable garlicy goodness.  Hardnecks also have less of a white papery skin on them and fewer bulbs per head of garlic.  They are a little less shelf stable, so the hardneck varieties should be eaten first.  The variety that I planted is called Persian Star, it is supposed to have a bit of a spicy flavor. These tall stalks are the Persian Star hardneck variety Softnecks store easily, they produce larger and mo...