Garlic (8oz Large cloves for planting)

We’ve been growing garlic here for more than 35 years and have been saving and replanting it every year. This year’s harvest was great, and we have about thirty pounds to offer for sale.

This garlic is really flavorful and intense, extra hardy, and stores exceptionally well into April - sometimes into June. We use it exclusively in our mustards, vinegars, Tomatoes Rustica - and all our home cooking.

Originally called “Russian Red,” we just call it “Winchester Red” now. We plant around Halloween, cut the scapes at the Summer Solstice, and harvest around August 1 (“Lammas” or “Lughnasa”).

To plant: In late October, prepare the bed with compost-rich soil spread evenly. We score rows about 6” apart and use a dibble to make an impression about 1 1/2” deep and about 4” (a handsbreadth) apart. If you don’t have a dibble, something about the size of a fat sharpie marker will do the trick. Drop the clove in the hole, pointy side up. Fill in with soil and firm lightly, and water.

(Some people advise planting in early October, but I’ve found that’s too early. The cloves might put up shoots, then the shoots are killed by frost. They recover and grow again in the spring but won’t be as large or vigorous having expended energy to grow in fall rather than spring.) We’ve even planted as late as Thanksgiving with good success.

After the cold weather settles in around early December, cover with straw mulch. This isn’t as much to protect from frost as to help keep the garlic from heaving out of the ground during freeze-thaw cycles in late winter and early spring.

Garlic shoots will grow through the mulch beginning in April but will benefit from having mulch removed and a light dressing of organic pro-grow sprinkled around the shoots, then the mulch reapplied.

“Scapes” - the shoot’s flower, appear in mid-June. Cutting them off helps direct their energy into the bulbs which will grow larger in their final 6 weeks. And the scapes are a yummy treat!

The largest cloves make the biggest bulbs. The price is $10/half pound.

If you are ordering only garlic, the shipping price is $9.00 for any amount (consider sharing with a friend!). If you are ordering other products, the extra shipping cost will vary; please email or call for a quote, otherwise we’ll contact you to arrange payment for shipping. This web store can’t deal with this, so it will show zero cost; we’ll let you know before shipping if you owe any extra.

Local folks can choose the “Local Pickup” option in the shipping section.