garlic

Mid July Garden Update: Garlic & Shallot Harvest

July 15, 2015

Not much to complain about in the garden. No storms have ruined anything (yet).* We’ve had lots of rain; plenty of sun.

Just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Because: you know it will.

As you might remember, I declared that I would finally harvest the garlic on time this year. And I did. But I also learned something interesting: I’m not so sure that my problems with the garlic in past years was due entirely to my timing. I had assumed, based on the appearance of the bulbs (sort of rotten looking and very wet, despite dry soil) that I simply waited too long. This year, I knew I hadn’t waited too long and the first bulbs I dug looked yellowed and rotten. On about the fourth bulb, I also saw a small brownish-orange worm on the bulb.

This is what an unhealthy bulb looks like. At first you can't really see anything specific, but it's yellowed and sort of rotten looking — This is what an unhealthy bulb looks like. At first you can’t really see anything specific, but it’s yellowed and sort of rotten looking

Hello internet.

Diagnosis: wire worms. They burrow into the bulb and create little holes that create rot. The good news is that there were only a handful of affected bulbs. The rest were all bright white and firm.

I do think that I also waited too long to harvest in prior years. This year, I dug them when only a couple of the lower leaves were yellowed. Each leaf on the stem creates a layer of paper wrapper around the head and cloves. Having enough is what helps the garlic to keep longer.

Only the bottom two leaves are yellow, but this is what I looked like when I harvested and I do believe it was the right time.

I then put them on my wire rack [an old “ground-level” bird feeder — which only ever fed the squirrels and the dogs] and put them in the shade to begin the curing process. I am moving them to the garage when rain is in the forecast, but man are they STRONG! yowza. This will go on for about a week and then they’ll go to the lower garage — hopefully less pungent by then.

Garlic curing in its shady spot under the birch tree

The shallots are way more forgiving.

usually I wait for the shallots to yellow and die back a bit before harvesting, but I wanted to clear the whole bed (these grew with the garlic) and the shallots were already too big, so I dug them all up — Usually I wait for the shallots to yellow and die back a bit before harvesting, but I wanted to clear the whole bed (these grew with the garlic) and the shallots were already too big, so I dug them all up

I dug them up at the same time because… well because they are fricken’ enormous. Where have you ever seen shallots this big? How does that work in a recipe when they say “4 shallots”? Can you imagine what my food would taste like if I used “4” of these shallots?

They will stay here for a day or two (unless it rains) and then move to the lower garage

Shallots you can just pull and leave in the sun for a few days. Then move to the cooler lower garage. Then give away. Because I can’t stand peeling shallots.

Here’s the rest of the garden with captions to explain anything of interest:

Pea harvest has been insane. Round cages seem to be working well

I've had very little blow down this year. To be fair, we haven't had a huge storm yet. — I’ve had very little blow down this year. To be fair, we haven’t had a huge storm yet.

This is the last of the original leaf lettuce being washed in my galvanized tub. It'll get dried on big towels before going in the fridge. — This is the last of the original leaf lettuce being washed in my galvanized tub. It’ll get dried on big towels before going in the fridge.

My mantra this time of the year is “tough love.” I actually say it out loud to myself when I am tempted to leave borage in the ground (or dill. or renegade cilantro) because it’s pretty. “Tough love,” I say, then I yank it out. It’s pretty, but it’s HUGE and flops over edges and other plants.

See those gravel paths? I spend way more than half my time in the garden weeding the paths. If that sounds insane, it's because it is. I no longer use Round-Up due to the glyco-concerns. Flame weeder works for about a month in the gravel and then I have to go after it with a hoe. — See those gravel paths? I spend way more than half my time in the garden weeding the paths. If that sounds insane, it’s because it is. I no longer use Round-Up due to the glyco-concerns. Flame weeder works for about a month in the gravel and then I have to go after it with a hoe.

Strange variety of tomato appears to have wilt but it doesn't. Next to it is "Lettuce Leaf" Basil. Very large, ruffly and tasty. — Strange variety of tomato appears to have wilt but it doesn’t. Next to it is “Lettuce Leaf” Basil. Very large, ruffly and tasty.

Reseeded with beets, arugua and cilantro. Despite my attempt to stay stocked with lush cilantro and arugula, it's all gone to seed. Wire is in place to deter cat-box-seeking-cats. it is 90% effective. — Reseeded this spot with beets, arugua and cilantro. Despite my attempt to stay stocked all growing season with lush cilantro and arugula, it’s all gone to seed. Wire is in place to deter cat-box-seeking-cats. it is 90% effective.

Ended up staking the tomatoes inside the cages. Which basically renders the cages nothing more than a big pain in the ass... — View of caged tomatoes: ended up staking the tomatoes inside the cages. Which basically renders the cages nothing more than a big pain in the ass…

I've been pruning these tomatoes to 2 stems for each plant. Each gets a stake. It looks neater, the plants seem healthier and I've heard the tomatoes ripen faster. It is way easier to weed. I might be done with the cages — View of staked tomato plants: I’ve been pruning these tomatoes to 2 stems for each plant. Each gets a stake. It looks neater, the plants seem healthier and I’ve heard the tomatoes ripen faster. It is way easier to weed. I might be done with the cages

Chartruese colored 'Green Envy' zinnia is my favorite! — Chartruese colored ‘Green Envy’ zinnia is my favorite!

Brussels sprouts plants are looking good. Trying to stay on top of cabbage worms with BT.

*So yeah. I might have spoke a little too soon…

Last night (July 12) we got an inch and a half of rain and some wicked wind:

Looking south at the snap pea blow down.

Looking west. The good news is the peas are nearly done and the cucumber cages stayed upright. The pea plants create wind resistance that just can't stand up to the elements. Oh well. — Looking west. The good news is the peas are nearly done and the cucumber cages stayed upright. The pea plants create wind resistance that just can’t stand up to the elements. Oh well.

Bury Your Dead

November 1, 2010

Or at least make compost out of it.

It’s that time of year in the garden. Of doing the final tasks.

What amazes me to no end is that the final tasks never actually seem to end. I’ve been doing these final tasks for what seems likes weeks now and I’m still not done!

~~Harvest the apples~~
Dig the carrots
~~Cut the raspberries~~
Harvest the kale almost done!
Dig the beets
Finish transplanting the herbs almost done! Just found 2 more…
Put the tools away
Clean up the pumpkin beds
~~Burn the diseased tomato plants~~
Cook and freeze the kale
~~Make applesauce and apple jelly~~
~~Make pies~~ didn’t make pies. just froze the apples with sugar to make into pies.

I’m probably missing stuff. But even then, as you can see, I’m not nearly done. Harvesting the kale, it should be noted, is about a six hour job, since I strip the stems out of the leaves before I cook it. I tried leaving the buggers in last year, but they seriously depleted our eating enjoyment. So I listen to my book on tape, hunched over a bucket for hours while my shoulders tense up and I cut the leaves from the center stems. I have one more pile to stem before cooking it all and freezing.

Is it sick to say that I enjoy it? I actually told my friend this very morning that I feel guilty for spending so much time at it, because it seems like I am creating busy work just so I can sit on my big butt in the sunshine of my front step and listen to my audible book. (which is coincidently, “Bury Your Dead” by Louise Penny)

“Do you eat the kale?”

“Yes.”

“Would you miss it if you didn’t have it in your freezer this winter?”

“Yes!”

“Then why in the Hell would you feel guilty about it?”

“Ha ha (nervous laugh). Right. Thanks! Bye.”

Mom? Are you reading this?

No?

Good.

I blame my mom for my guilt. I inherited it from her. It’s genetic. I just don’t want her to know that. I’d feel guilty. And she’d feel guilty for making me feel guilty…

Anyway, I’m feeling crazy-behind. I have so many pretty pictures of harvesting.

So I’m condensing. If you want to see more or hear more about any individual event, leave a comment and I will comply. It’s just hard to know if I should write about apples again, for example, after writing three posts about them last year. Or planting garlic again. You know?

I do these things every year, but should I write about them every year? I subject my friends and family to repetitive litanies I guess. I suppose I could do the same here. But I’m feeling lazy. And so I’m going to do a power-post condensed harvest version.

Here we go.

Today, I planned on finishing the kale leaves, but when I went out to the garden to cut the remaining stems, I got waylaid by other tasks. For example, I strode into the garden and saw my garden fork stuck in the garlic bed and said out loud, “Shit! I forgot to plant the garlic!” And ran inside to get the garlic to plant. That took about an hour. And the following two hours were filled with digging weeds — totally pointless at this time of year I would guess, and dealing with those rabid, disease-riddled tomato vines. Ugh.

Here are the three types of garlic I planted

Aside from the fact that, like my face, my hand looks much better in person, can you see the size of the clove on the right? It is HUGE! It’s also the only variety I know for sure by name. It is called “Music” and is a hardneck variety. I planted it for the first time last fall and harvested my first bulbs in June. Very fun. The others are a smaller-cloved red softneck variety and also a red hardneck variety. I’m just grateful to have gotten them in the ground.

Oh my gosh. I just remembered right this very minute that I should also have planted shallots! Will my list never end?

Plant shallots

Last week I worked on my very sad apple crop.

Yes. They really did look like that and yes, I really did use them.

Here is why you can’t always judge books by their covers. Or apples by their skin:

Like with the kale, I got to listen to hours of my audible book. For the apples, it was “The Year of Living Biblically.” I pretty much burned through the last 6 hours of the book. It was a little repetitive, but good. I do recommend!

I separate the “good” apples from the “jelly” apples. The best good apples go into pies. The other good ones get made into applesauce. The borderline apples go into the jelly pot. Not to worry, all you people I have given jelly to: the green bin is NOT the jelly pot. Those went into the compost pile… And yes, Lola did eat her share of apples.

Speaking of Lola, here she is finding some volunteer snap peas that sprouted after my disastrous summer crop. She hunts them like she does phesants:

After sorting, cutting, and peeling the apples, I made the sauce and boiled the peels, cores and borderline gross apples into juice.

Here is something to bear in mind. When a recipe calls for a “heavy bottomed pan?” This is why they do that and what happens when you do and don’t follow directions:

The next day I canned the applesauce and made the jelly. My beloved, beloved apple rosemary jelly:

You can read all about it here, if you like.

Oddly, this year, my final batch did not set up. It made no sense. No sense at all. Same juice from the same batch of apples. Same ratio of sugar to juice. Same everything. The one and only thing that was different was that I actually stood in the kitchen and watched over that batch, making sure it didn’t boil too hard.

Which leads me to the conclusion that it must have to boil hard in order to set up. I knew you needed a rolling boil for added pectin jellies, but I didn’t know that about natural pectin ones. Live and learn, live and learn.

I took a few days off from outside garden work and got back to it this past weekend.

This was sort of fun and unexpected: after-the-frost strawberries! Who knew?

They seriously tasted like candy. Ridiculously sweet. Next year, I’ll have to remember that and be looking for them. Far less bugs to compete with at this time of year, too.

With that, I’m taking my last sip of wine and heading off to bed with visions of sugar-strawberries dancing in my head.

(that almost gets me excited for Christmas!)

Almost.

Garlic Harvest!

July 30, 2010

Remember my Garlic, up and growing about a month early this year? This picture was taken on 5/13, almost a month ahead of ‘normal’ — if there is such a thing in Minnesota:

It didn’t seem to matter how ahead it was, I harvested it during the same week I harvested it last year, when I thought it was “so late!” Here is the progression. Hover over picture for the date it was taken:

(you may disregard last photo. Couldn’t help myself)

Crazy how that works.

All the rain this year really threw me for a loop when trying to decide the right time to dig it up. As a result, I think I waited a bit long for the softneck variety. I was waiting and waiting for the soil to dry out. When it finally did, I said to myself, “I will dig this garlic tomorrow. Yes. Tomorrow.”

And then it rained 3″ that night. And the cycle repeated itself a few times until this past Saturday when I said to myself, “The Hell with it, I will dig this wet garlic today. Yes. Today.”

And I did.

I let it dry during the day. And then — get this — I actually remembered to bring it in overnight in case of rain. Of course it did not rain, but only because I brought it in. (I firmly believe in the truth of this last statement.)

Even though softneck garlic tends to store better and longer than hardneck, I will probably try to eat the softneck first because I let it go so long in the ground. The pointy tips on some of them seem a bit soft — a bad sign for storage. They will live in our dark lower garage — a far cry from a root cellar, but the best I can do. And it seems to work alright.

I love garlic. It is probably one of my favorite things to grow. I have lost track of the varieties I grow, but I did add a new one to my repertoire called “Music.” I planted the first bulbs last fall. It looks exactly like the other hardneck, so even though I kept it separate during planting and harvesting (to see if I can tell the difference in taste), I inadvertently shuffled them all together in the drying rack. So all my meticulous planning and labeling was pointless.

Just like it always is.

I just hope that makes someone out there feel better.

It’s Still 40 and it’s Still Raining

May 13, 2010

I need a garden fix. I want to weed. I want to escape this stupid computer and stupid soccer and get the Hell out of my office. My dog is ready to implode. I have chicks in my laundry room. The cats are sitting in the trees with the bird feeders. It’s raining. It’s cold. And I never went looking for more Morel mushrooms. My asparagus has stopped growing. I want to take a bath. I want to take a bath and go back to bed. I want to eat banana bread in the bath and then go to bed.

Waa waa wahh.

How’s that for a pity party? I’m good at those. Oh. I forgot one thing. I have a headache. I had two meager glasses of wine last night after a long day and today I have a headache. So stupid.

With plenty of work-work to do today (work-work is my made up word meaning ‘real work’ for ‘real clients’), I put on my ugly hood (shown on model with the face I use to scare my kids with):

And went out to feed the chickens, the birds, empty the compost bucket and take some garden pictures. Come along for the ride…

First stop: Let the chickens out. You think that’s a scary face in the photo above? How about this one? Especially when he flies at your face. I have a big stick I use to keep him in his place.

Sadly, I lost one of my two hens — on MOTHER’S DAY of all days. She must have flown out of the 7′ high fence. We are blaming Lola.

Next stop: Empty the compost and check out the garden.

That’s looking back toward the house. You can see that not much has happened in the last three weeks.

Lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula and cilantro are all just eeking along.

One big surprise are the strawberry plants. They were new last year. I struggled with bugs and this year I have removed the straw mulch, having read it makes the bug problem worse. My *plan* is to keep the refuse under the plants very clean. We’ll see how that goes…

Look at all the blooms!

Here is the garlic, planted last Fall. It is huge compared to other years. The heavy snowfall protected the bulbs and I didn’t lose even one. I predict a June harvest instead of last year’s August harvest. That is both good and bad. Good because I’ll have garlic sooner, bad because it is much harder to store through the hot months.

Here are those scary red potatoes I planted in early March. They are doing well, except for the frost damage from last weekend.

It got down to 28 here in Watertown. See the damage?

And they were even covered with a heavy blanket:

In fact, I tried to cover EVERYTHING with blankets, which was actually quite funny:

So glad I did. Not sure what the apples will do, but you can tell which blossoms were covered and which weren’t.

Here are those shallot plants I was so worried wouldn’t fill in. I should have planted the bulbs last Fall with the garlic, but I forgot. They went into the ground in late March. Most came up and and I am excited. I haven’t had shallots in several years.

I have a bunch more pictures to share, but my ‘work-work’ awaits. After the garden/compost stop, I filled the bird feeders. Thanks to Red-Winged Blackbirds, my gallon-sized feeders have to be filled daily if I want to sustain my little Chickadees, Nuthatches, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers and so on. On the way, I pass my very favorite shrub, the Snowball Viburnum:

I hack about six feet off this thing every year. (I have no idea how large it would eventually get.) I’m trying to prune it so that the left side sort of arches over the path. Yeah. Good luck on that one. I’m a spaz with a pruning saw…

That’s the flower close-up. It is the most gorgeous chartreuse green at this time of year. No scent to the flower, unfortunately, but man are they pretty in a vase.

Then it’s back into my God-Forsaken house with my God-Forsaken animals and the new God-Forsaken chicks.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Jennie. Please send Sunshine. And a personal assistant. I promise to try to be a nicer person.

Plant your Garlic Now! Quick, before New Moon Comes Out!

November 2, 2009

(Headline was a cheap-attention getter, sorry.)

I don’t know why I thought I already wrote this piece, but I swear I did. Maybe I dreamed it.

Get ready, because I’m planning to boss you guys around. Again. It seems like all I do is tell everyone what to do and why they should do it. Well. I don’t care. You should plant garlic. You really should. It is super easy and the difference between store bought and home grown garlic is vast. Not as vast as the difference between a store bought and home grown tomato (what is?), but still vast. And the best part? Easy to peel! I hate to peel garlic (and shallots and onions). In fact, if and when I run out of garden garlic, I far prefer to buy huge jars of already-peeled whole garlic — practically as horrid as garlic salt, if many gourmands are to be believed — hideous, refrigerated whole garlic! …rather than to buy and peel the tissue thin skin of a store bought clove of garlic.

You don’t need much room to grow garlic. You don’t need great soil. But. And this is a big but: You need to plant it NOW! The first week of November is a good time for Zone 3 and 4 gardeners. If you are warmer, just make sure to do it before the ground freezes, but not early enough to let the little buggers sprout. If a prolonged warm spell is still possible in your neck of the woods, hold off.

To plant your first crop of garlic, you have to order it from a garden catalog. I love Territorial, Pinetree, kitchengardenseeds.com and others. It’s a good idea to find a seller that is close to where you garden, or at least in the same type of climate and zone. Garlic adapts to where it grows. So it stands to reason that garlic purchased from a seller that grows its crop in a climate like yours will grow better in your own garden. Hopefully, that will be the last time you have to buy garlic to plant, because ideally, you will save a portion of your harvest and plant those cloves the next Fall.

[UPDATE: A commenter mentioned something that made me realize something I should have mentioned: if you have a farmer’s market that sells organic garlic grown in your area that you love, YOU CAN PLANT THAT TOO! The benefits are that you know what it looks like, you can taste it, it’s probably a good deal, etc. etc. Thanks to freshnewengland.blogspot.com for jangling my brain.]

It does happen that you can lose your crop, as has happened to me once, over the course of a particularly brutal and snow-free Minnesota winter about 4 or 5 years ago. It was very sad, but I have moved on.

It is also helpful to take notes on what type of garlic you grow. And if you grow more than one variety, to keep track of where it is planted and what bag or box it is put in when it is harvested. That way, when someone says, “That is beautiful and delicious garlic! What variety is it?” You can say, “Why, thank you for asking. It is Inchilleum Red.” Instead of, “Um. Polish Red? Longkeeper? I have no idea…” Like I end up saying every year. Even when given the opportunity to start from scratch four years ago, I did not learn that valuable lesson. So learn from me, and make a note.

Planting it couldn’t be easier. 1) Loosen the soil.

2) Separate the cloves. Discard (and eat) the itty bitty cloves.

3) Push individual cloves, pointy side up, one to two inches below the surface of the soil.

4) Smooth over and cover with something to protect area from being disturbed if you have dogs, cats, chickens or other curious varmints.

(Please ignore the drunken, wavy formaldehyde infused fake wood. I assure you. The stuff usually works great.)

5) After the ground freezes, if you are worried about very severe cold with no snow protection, you can mulch with hay or leaves. Just don’t do it too early, as you don’t want the prevent the ground from getting cold and freezing, which would encourage growth.

Next spring, clear the bed and amend the soil with a little compost scattered here and there, don’t worry about working it in. You don’t want to damage the cloves which are just below the surface. Water as you would anything else in the garden and harvest when the tops fall over. If you planted a hard neck variety, you’ll want to cut off the scapes to keep the energy directed to the development of the bulb. You can saute the scapes, they are delicious.

So that’s it for garlic. Does it appease the guilt and shame that I have about not finishing the Apple Madness posts? That I only have part one finished? That all I can think about is the ugly and probably festering apples in the cooler outside that should be in the four remaining pie crusts that are awaiting rollout in my fridge?

NO! Now LEAVE ME ALONE! I’ve got a book to read. And it’s so good, too… Hope none of my clients are reading this.