Garlic - varieties we are planting 2012

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This year our garlic bed will have a variety of garlics including Rocambole and Porcelain hardneck, softneck, artichoke type.

Our shipment from Keene Organics included Russian, Romanian, Italian and Asian varieties.

Artichoke garlics are productive and problem free so they are the most commonly grown commercial varieties.They are also adaptive to a variety of soils and growing conditions.
These are the supermarket garlics. Mature early and are ready to sell before the others.
Plants are shorter than other varieties. Not tolerant of extreme cold but are fine in southern heat.

Porcelain garlics can grow up to 7 feet tall with thick, broad leaves. The bulbs are large and white, with the most therapeutic allicin of any variety. Porcelains are considered expensive to grow since each bulb makes only a few large cloves.  They produce bulbils in their flower head/scape.

Rocambole garlics are hardnecks (make scapes). They are among the most widely known and grown hardnecks. Thought to be the finest tasting with complex flavor. Ideal for eating fresh, raw, especialy since they do not store well.

Turban garlics are named for the flat shape of their umbel or seedhead on the scape. Turbans are ready for harvest before any other varieties so they have the shortest shelf life. Because of their mild flavor Turban garlics have been called summer apples. Great to chop and serve raw on vegetables. The plants are not very tall but still produce large bulbs. Harvest as soon as the leaves begin to brown.


Whether you call garlic Allium ophioscorodon, Ail bulbifère, Ail d'automne, Ail d'Espagne (French), Schlangenknoblauch (German),  Aglio d'India, Aglio romano (Italian), Ajo pardo (Spanish) or Hime ninniku (Japanese), it is an essential for a cook's kitchen.

Here are the 5 cultivars we're planting this year -

Chesnok Red Purple Stripe Rocambole Hardneck
medium flavor that becomes sweet when roasted
later maturing
stores moderately well
Origin: Shvelisi, Republic of Georgia

Chesnok Red Garlic Ice Cream: Soften a half gallon vanilla ice cream and mash in an entire bulb of roasted, cleaned and chopped Red Chesnok. Refreeze.

Chamiskuri Softnect Artichoke type garlic
Most supermarket garlic is one of the softnecks because it is easier to grow and stores longer and braids easily.
mild-medium pungent flavor
early harvest - dig it before it bolts
Origin: Republic of Georgia
stores well

Italian Late Artichoke Softneck
mid-season
good flavor and storage
versatile for all-round kitchen uses
braids easily

Romanian Red Porcelain Hardneck
flavor is strong-hot and long lasting
one of the first Porcelains introduced to N America
very high in medicinal Allicin
robust grower
disease resistant
late harvest
need good soil and constant moisture

Tzan Purple Stripe Turban artichoke softneck variety
sold as Mexican Red Garlic
Origin: Shandong Province, China
large, purple striped cloves
stores well
early harvest
hot pungent flavor

We Grow Garlic http://www.wegrowgarlic.com/7422.html
has all their varieties on a single sumary page.




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