Everything You Need to Know About Garlic and More

Garlic is one of the easiest crops to plant…ever.  You basically just dig a hole, plop in a clove, and cover it with dirt.  It sits there in winter and then, without any further effort, in the spring, it pokes its green little shoots through.  Easy peasy winter gardening.

If “dig hole, drop clove, cover” isn’t detailed enough, then I guess I could provide a few more details.  To plant garlic, start with a healthy bulb. You can find them at your local nursery, online, or use previously grown bulbs.  Separate the bulbs, no need to take off the paper like protection around each clove.  Drop one clove into a hole about 2″ deep.  Space them 6″ apart.  Then, cover with dirt.  Do this in late fall, a couple of weeks before the first freeze.  Then, all you really need to do is wait until spring.

When spring comes, the garlic will send up shoots called scapes.  They are basically the stem of what will eventually become the flower {hardneck variety only}.  Wait for the scapes to curl twice {that’s my rule of thumb, there are some people who say sooner} and then clip the scape off.

DON’T throw the scape away–they are freakin’ delicious.  Chop them up and use them as you would green onions in your cooking–or turn them into garlic scape pesto.  When the bottom 5 leaves or so have turned brown, go ahead and dig them up.  To dig them up, dig around the bulb with a small shovel.  Be careful not to hit the garlic–if you cut the bulb, you’ll have to eat it right away.  Lift the garlic out of the dirt and remove any excess dirt.  Don’t cut the leaves off yet.

Before you can store garlic, you need to let it cure.  To cure it, just hank it to dry {leaves and all} in a cool, dark place.  One week in, you can braid the stalks of garlic together, if that is how you plan on storing it.  Allow the garlic to cure for a full two weeks, though, before you store it.  If you decide to clip off the leaves, instead of braiding the garlic, you can store it in a brown paper bag with holes poked in it–just make sure to put the bag in a place that is on the cooler side.

Garlic has about a bazillion health benefits, give or take:  It provides protection to some cancers.  It has been shown to lower blood triglycerides and overall cholesterol, and because it had blood thinning properties, it may prevent blood clots and reduce pain.

Studies have shown that eating or taking a garlic supplement daily can boost the immune system–and help cut down the duration of some viruses.  With all of the health benefits of garlic, it almost makes the resulting stinky breath seem like a minor inconvenience. Plus, let’s be real:  it tastes great in just about everything except chocolate cake.

So, grab a mint and a garden shovel and get your garlic on.

~Mavis

Roasted Garlic