I planted one hundred cloves of garlic in early November last year. They came from all around New England: Fedco Seeds in Kennebec County, ME (Georgian Fire), the Buffalo Mountain Co-op in Hardwick, VT (Snowy Bird and Red Russian), High Meadows Farm in Putney, VT (German White) and my own 2018 harvest (varied).
The first green emerged in early March; the crop was harvested in mid July, dried for a few weeks, and finally, today, on a beautiful eighty degree day with low humidity, cleaned up for storage. The yield was about ninety four bulbs (plus or minus), including a couple of able volunteers. Best results, size-wise, were from Fedco and my garden. Garlic scape pesto is in the freezer ready to go. I love the contrarian aspect of garlic – it’s planted in the late autumn, at which time my gardening mojo is back in full force. And it’s the first green to remind me that spring really is on the way, before daffodils and maybe even crocus.
Yesterday I used some of the new garlic in a batch of fire cider that should be ready to go in a few weeks – good for whatever ails you, old timers say, particularly over the long winter. The summer is shifting, here in early August …