Now is the time to plant garlic and perinnial onions

Fall is the best time for planting garlic.  If your winters are long and cold get them in the ground in mid September.  This allows the bulbs to put out roots before winter weather sets in.  The hard neck varieties do best in my zone 4 growing season (1a in the western garden book).  If you are wanting to plant Elephant Garlic  it does not do well in cold areas without some sort of covering.  I have used a 4 inch bed of straw placed over an outdoor planting, but usually suffer a fifty percent loss due to winter kill.  The past few years I have only planted the Elephant Garlic in the Greenhouse with a thick layer of mulch and it has done extremely well.

Plant individual cloves about 3-4 inches apart with the root side down, pointed side up.  Garlic likes loose, viable soil so add plenty of organic matter and till into the soil before planting.  Water well and cover with a thick layer of mulch.

If you do not have a greenhouse try planting garlic in a large cold frame

garlic is one of the first plants in my greenhouse to break ground in the early spring

(we feed the tender weeds to the hens so I just let them grow freely until we start planting tomatoes)

Egyptian or Walking Onion bulbs should also be planted in the fall.  Simply break them apart and plant the individual bulbs with a 3 inch spacing.  Do not dig up the mature plant.  It will winter over, multiply underground, and send up new growth in the spring.  Dig the onions for table use before they send up the long flower spike.  The bulbs become pithy as they put their energy into producing the tiny new plants at the end of the spike.  If left unattended the spike will eventually fall over to the ground and the onions will plant themselves.

Dig up the whole plant of bunching onions.  Divide into clumps of 6 to 8 onions.  Cut back the tops and replant.  Potato onions can also be planted this time of year.  Shallots are usually planted in the greenhouse to prevent winter kill, or if I plant them outside, I wait until early spring.  You can purchase garlic at the grocery store and plant.  Shallots and Jerusalem artichokes purchased at your local store usually do well also.   The onions from the store are mature and if planted will grow fresh green tops, but they are only editable for a short time in the spring before the onion produces a seed head and the stems turn pithy.  They make a beautiful statement in the garden however.

Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Harvested my first garlic head for the season.  I would have shown you a picture, however I promptly took it home and ate it, but I stopped along the way to pick a sack full of fresh spinach.  Rinsed the spinach while sauteing the chopped garlic in butter, removed the golden brown garlic and added the  drained and chopped spinach.  Wilted the spinach down and removed from the pan.  Added a little flour to the garlicky melted butter to make a rue and then added an 8 oz. package of cream cheese.  Melted the cream cheese and  added a big spoon full (1/2 c.) of sour cream, a spoonful of mayo, and a 3/4 c. of grated Parmesan cheese ( or use a cheese of your preference).  Stirred over warm heat until all the cheeses were melted.   Added 2 small cans of artichoke hearts (drained and cut), the wilted spinach and garlic.  Stirred this all together and popped it into the oven for 20-30 minutes. Browned thick slices of crusty bread on a cast iron griddle using lots of olive oil.  Served with tomatoes and cucumbers from the greenhouse to offset all the fattening cheese.  Whew, going to have to work really hard the next few days to account for all those calories, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!!!!!!  Good thing we had company so there was only one helping each.
  ( and Yes, I used my fine un-matching china).

Garlic

Packed the car with garlic and headed for market.  The smell was pungent and wonderful for the hour and 15 minute drive.  Garlic is a favorite at our house.  We use it medicinally and in our cooking.  One of our favorite is roasted garlic.  Just cut the tops off the whole bulb and place in a baking pan make sure you have enough bulbs for each individual.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Cover and bake about 45 minutes.  For a quick snack, a short-cut is to use a ceramic coffee cup, place the bulb (remember to cut the top off exposing the individual cloves)  in the cup, drizzle with olive oil and microwave about 45 seconds.  Serve  with a good  asiagio cheese  home-made crusty bread.  Add some heirloom tomatoes and you've got a gourmet meal.

During the winter we always have garlic on hand.  Take the first sign of a cold.  You can make a poultice and place on your feet to combat croup.  Cover feet with petroleum jelly and then place the crushed garlic on the bottom of your feet and wrap your feet in plastic wrap and put on socks.  When you can smell garlic on the breath it has been on long enough.

We have also used the garlic to help eliminate teenage acne due to sweating during sports.  Just cut a clove in half and rub the juice on the face after it has been washed.  Some people are allergic to garlic.  Use with caution.



             HOW TO MAKE GARLIC SALT

The planted garlic will send up a flower, or garlic scape.  This needs to be cut off so the energy will go into forming a larger bulb.  The flower below had bloomed before I cut it off.  Sprinkle the blossoms over scrambled or deviled eggs.  Top a salad with them or use anywhere you would like a hint of garlic taste.

To make the garlic salt I cut the blossoms off the flower head, gathered a handful of scapes and chopped the entire scape finely. Also  use full bulbs of garlic

Add chopped garlic to course sea salt and mix well.  Let set about 24 hours so the salt will absorb the garlic oils. This  course salt will be used in a salt grinder.

Spread salt on a large baking sheet and put in a warm oven, 250 degrees, until the garlic is dry, about a day or so.  Stir often.  When completely dry, put in airtight containers.  You can also add other dried foods ie:  tomatoes,red or green peppers, chillie peppers, onions, even eggplant, squash, or herbs. 

 I use approximately 1 large garlic bulb to 1&1/2- 2 cups of salt.  If you make it to strong, just add more salt after it is dried.

GARLIC SALT

This is how to make garlic salt that can be dispenced from a salt shaker.  Follow the above procedures, except use ground sea salt.  I usually just use the garlic bulbs for this salt.

After you have dried the salt throughly in the oven, put the salt in a blender or food processor and blend until fine.

HOW TO GROW GARLIC

Plant individul cloves of garlic in the fall.  Garlic likes well composted, loose soil.  For my area elephant garlic needs to be planted in the green-house because the winters are too cold, but other hard-neck varities do well planted outside. Plant garlic leaving 8 inches between cloves.  I add a 2 inch layer of compost and then a 4 inch layer of old hay or straw over top.  Water well  

if you do not get sufficient moisture during the fall.  In the spring the garlic will push through the mulch.  Keep moist and cut the scapes off to allow for bigger bulbs.  Many people ask me if they can just plant garlic from the store.  I say yes, but get a good hard-neck variety, usually has a red tinge to it.  They seem to produce better than the california white you find most available.  Elephant garlic you find at the stores can also be planted.

To Harvest:  When the tops turn yellow and dry out the garlic is ready for harvesting.  Dig out the  entire plant.  Leave on the long stems, bundle them together and hang in a shed or garrage out of the sun.  Allow for good air circulation.  When cured about a month or two, cut stems off 2 inches above the bulb and store out of direct light.  Most garlic will last through the winter with the exception of Elephant garlic.  Use it first.