The Great Garlic Harvest

  Every year, now, for the past 9 or 10 years, the second week in July has meant harvesting the garlic.  We plant the garlic in late October where it quietly and unobtrusively grows through the coldest part of the year.  Because it is mulched in the winter, it requires very little from me during its growing season – the mulch seriously reduces weeds and the need for irrigation.  But I watch . . .

  My garlic is my baby and I watch every stage of its progress.  From the time it first peeks through the straw mulch in the late winter, to the monitoring of its health through the spring and summer, to the counting of the leaves dying indicating when it should be gathered,  I watch . . .

  Tuesday was the day to bring it all in and hang it up to cure for a couple weeks.  My daughter photographed the process:

the boxes of garlic looking ready for harvest

Because of the raised beds and light soil, we can carefully pull the heads out and don’t have to dig them out like we did on the farm. The dirt is then gently rubbed off the roots.

the garlic is then tied in long strings of 10 or so heads. We used baling twine for this on the farm and have, as of yet, found nothing better – so if anyone has any good baling twine lying around, feel free to donate it.

bundled garlic is then loaded into the transport vehicle

the garage was once a carriage house complete with hay loft. The boys use the old pulley system to lift the garlic transport to the third floor of the garage

the garlic hangs from the beams in the garage until it is cured enough to clean – about 2 or 3 weeks

Grateful for garlic,

Janice