Garlic breath

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

This Summer and Autumn are really flying by, leaving me behind the eight ball a little when it comes to Fall gardening.  I only just ordered my garlic for Autumn planting today.  My options were limited, but I’m happy with what I’ll be planting.

Elephant Garlic.  I’ve been hearing about elephant garlic for years.  How gigantic the heads get.  How much milder the flavor is than regular garlic.  Well, I’m finally going to find out.  Interestingly, elephant garlic is more closely related to leeks than garlic.  This garlic will mature in mid- to late- Summer.  And here’s something useful to note: elephant garlic does send up a scape, but I’ll have to pick them quickly - they get woody very quickly.

Oregon Blue Garlic. I’m finally going to try some softneck garlic!  It won’t produce any scapes at all, but does have a sort of purple-y clove skin.  I have no idea what to expect.

Western Rose Garlic.  This is supposed to be a very long-keeping garlic, perfect for braiding.  It’s another softneck variety.

I will also be planting a few cloves from the garlic harvested this Summer, just so I have a supply of garlic scapes.