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Garlic is in season!
Most people are familiar with the unmatched flavor that garlic adds in so many dishes, but I would venture to guess that many don’t know the stages garlic goes through before it ends up in our produce department every summer. Some would probably be surprised to know that garlic has a “season” because it is generally available year round, thanks to its amazing storage capabilities.
Fall
In fall, garlic cloves are planted into loose soil and allowed to germinate. Yes–the same cloves that you cook and eat are essentially the same cloves that are planted to produce garlic bulbs! Farmers at Soil Born plant cloves from bulbs from the previous year that were identified as ideal bulbs to replicate. The garlic cloves spend the winter in the ground growing roots and beginning to sprout.
Spring
Some customers are surprised in spring when the Co-op has little or no garlic to sell. This is about the same time we start getting green garlic from our local farms. They’re either thinning the field to make ample space for bulbs to grow to full size or they’ve planted specifically to harvest the immature garlic. For farms, early spring is a time when they often have little to sell; the earth is at a time of rest before the abundance of summer crops. Green garlic offers garlic for our customers and a bit of income for our farmers too. Depending on when they’re harvesting it, you’ll see it as small as one clove or as it is beginning to bulb. A bit milder in flavor than mature garlic, it offers subtle depths of flavor to dishes. It is more perishable, so use it quickly. The papery covers haven’t had a chance to form and cure, so you just trim the root off and slice or chop the whole fresh bulb.
Summer
About nine months after planting, the bulbs are ready to harvest. Because garlic is one of the first crops to harvest, many farmers view the success of the garlic harvest as a predictor of what the rest of the season will look like. This year, a few of our produce staff were able to help the farmers at Soil Born Farms harvest and get the garlic ready for curing. Garlic needs another month out of the soil, exposed to the air to dry out so it can be stored for longer periods of time in your kitchens. Most growers bunch and hang the garlic to dry. This year Soil Born did it by spreading the garlic in a single layer on stacked pallets separated by cinder blocks, allowing for plenty of airflow. After a month or so of curing, the roots and tops are trimmed and the garlic is ready for market!
Garlic has so many known nutritional benefits–it is an antifungal, antibiotic and antioxidant food! It can also be a heart healthy choice. Regular consumption of garlic can help support your immune system and cardiovascular system. In some people, it can irritate the digestive system, so it isn’t the best choice for everyone.
We are so proud to have built strong relationships with our local farms so we can learn and share information about the food they grow for you. We’ve been working closely with Soil Born Farms since their inception in 2000, and for the past few months, produce staff have been able to spend some time assisting Soil Born farmers in harvesting and planting. Farm days like this help build connections between growers, retailers and consumers, strengthening the links in the supply chain. The stronger these relationships are, the stronger the links become, which is good for all of us!
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