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If you have intentions of growing garlic for next year,
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now is the time to be ordering your seed garlic.
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Garlic needs about six months in the ground to get to maturity,
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so here in the northern hemisphere we may be planting
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our garlic as early as mid-september in some areas.
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With the plethora of catalogs and websites and garden centers
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offering garlic to gardeners, how do you know what variety of
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garlic to choose? And should you be choosing hard
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neck or soft neck or that look alike?
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Elephant garlic. Today on Just Grow Something,
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we're going to figure it out. We'll talk about the differences
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between the types of garlic and what might make you want to
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choose one variety over another, whether it's to do with flavor
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or storage, disease resistance, or something else entirely.
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Let's dig in. Hey, I'm Karen, I started
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gardening in a small corner of my suburban backyard and now 18
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years later, I've got a degree in horticulture and operate a 40
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acre market farm. I believe there is power in food
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and that everyone should know how to grow at least a little
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bit of their own. On this podcast, I share
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evidence based techniques to help you plant, grow, harvest
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and store all your family's favorites.
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Consider me your friend in the garden.
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So grab your garden journal and a cup of coffee and get ready to
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So again, thank you to those of you who are concerned about
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this show. And I really do truly appreciate
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each and everyone of you. So let's talk garlic.
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There are over 600 different varieties of garlic in the
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world. So if you've felt a little
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overwhelmed looking at the choices, you have a very good
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reason to feel that way. Let's talk about the differences
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in the types so that you can narrow your choices down a
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little bit. And the first thing that we
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would be concerned with when choosing a type would be climate
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suitability. So the two main different types
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of garlic are hard neck and soft neck, right?
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So the most obvious difference between hard neck and soft neck
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garlic is the way they look and the way they sort of grow.
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Hard neck garlic has that long flowering stem growing through
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the center of the bulb and this is what we call the scape.
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Now generally we remove the scape from the bulb because we
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want to force energy into the bulb growth rather than allowing
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it to flour. These scapes are edible.
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We use them just like a chive or a green onion, but one that has
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a really strong garlicky kick. Garlicscape pesto is like one of
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my favorite spring treats. But if you were to leave that
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scape intact, it will produce a flower that is an humble, so
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it's a terminal pot at the very end of that scape, and that
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actually produces little bulbules.
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So those bulbules can actually be removed from the scape when
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they're mature, and then they're planted in the same way as we do
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cloves. But the difference is that those
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would actually need at least two seasons worth of growth, usually
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3, before they actually produce a differentiated bulb like what
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we're used to in regular garlic. Now.
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The other marked difference in hard neck garlic is the actual
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bulb itself that surrounds the scape.
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It is actually only in hard neck.
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It's one single layer of pretty consistently shaped cloves, so
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that the number of cloves actually depends on the variety
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that you're growing the cultivar, but it tends to be
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between 4:00 and 12:00. Soft neck varieties, on the
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other hand, have a much higher number of cloves, which means
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they have a larger bulb and these are the types that you
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usually see in the grocery store.
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So soft neck varieties usually produce between 10 and 20 cloves
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per per bulb, sometimes even more than that.
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And if you look at them side by side with the hard neck, the
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soft neck are more irregular in shape.
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And that is because where the hard neck variety grows just one
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layer around the center, a soft neck actually has two or more
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concentric layers of those cloves, each individually
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wrapped in their own little skin.
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So it means that they kind of look a little bit more wonky or
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or less uniform in shape compared to the hard neck.
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Now the fact that they grow more cloves is likely a reproductive
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compensation because soft necks do not usually produce escape
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like the hard necks, so they're not going to flower and produce
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those little bulbules. So if there's less chance of
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them flowering, then that means they need to produce more
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clothes. That's just an evolutionary
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trait, honestly. Generally speaking, hard neck
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varieties tend to grow better in areas with more severe winters.
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So this is where we start to make our decisions based on
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climate suitability, right? Hard neck garlic requires a
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greater period of vernalization so that that prolonged period of
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cooler weather than soft neck varieties do so.
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And then the opposite of that, soft necks tend to perform
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better in areas where the winters are more mild.
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So where I am, which is now zone 6 BI can grow both hard neck and
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soft neck. And I usually do grow both
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because sometimes we have really brutal winters and so the hard
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neck does way better. But then some years we have
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really, really mild winters and my soft neck will totally
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outperform my hard neck. So I just grow both to make sure
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that I'm kind of getting the best of both worlds.
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And, and where I am, that's absolutely possible.
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If you are in zones, usually we say USDA zones 3 through 7, you
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are better suited for hard neck garlic, right?
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So that's that's going to be sort of your go to and then if
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you're kind of on the border there, you know, six and seven,
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you can absolutely also grow soft neck alongside that.
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And just depending on how your winter goes, see which one does
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better. If you are in the milder
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climates, that's USDA zones like 8 through 11 soft necks are
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going to tend to do better for you.
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They're better in those warmer regions.
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Again, if you're on the border, like if you're in zone 8, you
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might try a hard neck. You just might have to do sort
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of a forced fertilization at that point, meaning that you
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would want to store your hard neck garlic in the refrigerator
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for a little bit before you plant it and plant it much later
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in the year so that it's closer to that colder time of the year.
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But definitely if your zones 8 through 11 soft neck is going to
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be the one that you prefer. Now there is 1/3 garlic and I'm
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doing air bunnies there and that is elephant garlic.
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It is not a true garlic. It is very closely related.
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It's a cousin to the leek actually.
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So it does produce really large bulbs, but those bulbs are
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definitely more mild. So it's more of an oniony flavor
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with a hint of garlic rather than being, you know, garlicky
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with with a softer finish. So if you are somebody who
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prefers a less intense garlic flavor, then elephant garlic
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might be the one that you choose.
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So besides climate, why would we want to choose one type over the
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other? So hard neck garlic cultivars
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tend to have a much more complex flavor profile than the soft
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neck ones. They are richer, they're
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spicier, they are just more garlicky.
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The hard neck garlics also tend to have larger individual clove
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size. So if we think about the way
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they grow, those hard neck cultivars just have the one
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concentric ring around the center of that scape, and they
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are all fairly uniform. There's fewer of them, but they
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are larger. They also have a thicker skin
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which makes them easier to peel. Soft neck varieties, on the
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other hand, tend to taste a little bit more mild.
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Although I have had some really good soft neck varieties and
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they are really good, just kind of drizzled with olive oil and
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roasted on the grill. Or they're really good for like
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roasting in the oven. You just take the entire thing
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and cut the top off and throw it in the oven and dry it or roast
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it that way. Soft neck are also really good
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for drying into garlic powder and they are the most often used
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varieties for processed garlic products.
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So if you're eating something from the store, 9 times out of
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10 it's going to be a soft neck variety.
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The cloves of the soft neck types are a little bit more
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difficult to peel because A, they've got that more irregular
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shape and B, the skins around them are super, super tight and
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very, very thin. So they're difficult to get
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apart. But this gives them an advantage
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in storage, so we'll talk about that here in a minute.
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So different garlic varieties offer distinct flavors from mild
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and sweet to very hot and very pungent.
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Your hard neck varieties tend to have that more robust, often
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spicy flavor. The soft neck varieties are
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usually more mild and some of them actually have a nice sweet
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little after taste, which incidentally is what my magic
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mind shots also have. They have a nice sweet after
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taste. I mean if you think about it,
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look, not only does that little green shot give me sustained
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energy throughout my day, but it's doing it by using all
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natural science backed ingredients.
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But some of those ingredients usually have a very strong
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flavor. You're talking lion's mane and
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Cordyceps, which are mushrooms and chlorophyllin, very green
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ashwagandha, all kinds of anti inflammatories like turmeric,
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which also has a really good strong flavor to it.
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And I love all of these things and all the mix of them for my
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endurance sports, but also for working out on the farm.
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The thing is that they have added just a hint of organic
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agave to sweeten it up just enough that it doesn't taste
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like green plants and mushrooms and turmeric, which means you're
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not forcing yourself to take it. It's an enjoyable experience.
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So you're much more likely to take it alongside your morning
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coffee or your tea. And that makes it a really good
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habit to start your day with. And if I sound energized, that
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is because I had my Magic mind right alongside my second cup of
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coffee this morning. So you can get this sort of
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energy that I have. You can also save yourself some
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serious coin on a subscription or a 20% off a one time purchase
00:13:13
by going to magicmind.com/just Grow Something and using code.
00:13:17
Just Grow Something 20 at checkout and try it for
00:13:21
yourself. magicmind.com/just Grow something with code.
00:13:25
Just grow Something 20 now I store my magic mind bottles in
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our drink fridge in our kitchen. And you need to know how long
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you want to store your garlic for because that is the next
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consideration for which variety you want to choose and that is
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your storage needs. So soft neck garlic typically
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stores for about 6 to 12 months. So a year.
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You can hold on to this after harvest once you have cured it.
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And that is because those skins are so thin, but they are so
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tight around the soft neck garlic cloves.
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Your hard neck garlic generally only stores for about 3 to six
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months and you will know that something has gone wrong or
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you've been storing them for too long.
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Because the hard neck garlic varieties, I have stored them
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and I have tended to sometimes store them a little bit longer
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than I was supposed to. And I kind of saw that they were
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sitting there and they looked just fine, so I just left them.
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When I got back to them finally, and it was probably a good six
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or eight months later, I went to go and grab them and I realized
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that they had basically just sort of disintegrated to dust
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within their little paper shells.
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So it looked like a solid head of garlic, but there was
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literally nothing in there. Like you squished it and it was
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like poof, nothing was there. I have not had that problem with
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the soft neck garlic. The other thing too, is that
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soft neck garlic is the one that you can braid so hard neck
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doesn't, you know, because it has that hardscape in there.
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First of all, it doesn't tend to braid as easily, even if you're
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cutting that scape completely off.
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And the softneck does this beautifully.
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And so this is one way that you can store them.
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You can actually just weave a braid together and hang them up
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and let them store and then just clip them to use them
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periodically. But if you're looking to
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dehydrate garlic and turn it into a powder, or if you want to
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just dice it up, one of the things that I will technically
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do is if I will dice it up in my food processor and then I will
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add it to a jar, a Mason jar, and then cover it with olive oil
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and stick it in the back of my fridge.
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And that way anytime I need basically one clove of garlic, I
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just take a half a teaspoon of that mixture and toss it into
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whatever it is that I'm using. You can dehydrate them and you
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can grind them and all that kinds of thing.
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At that point, which one you choose is entirely up to you.
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Like I said, the soft neck is a little bit milder.
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And if you're used to like store bought garlic powder, the soft
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neck is what you're probably going to use.
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The hard neck is more pungent and it that comes through
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definitely when you are processing it.
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So if you want that stronger kick and you want the kind of
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higher oil content, then go for the hard neck garlic.
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Or again, if it's possible in your area, do both and then you
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can decide from there. And then another reason that you
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might choose one variety or another would be for disease
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resistance. So if you have had problems in
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the past with anything in your your garden that is concerned
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with white rot or Fuserium wilt or any kind of like root rot
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nematodes, there are garlic varieties that have been bred to
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be resistant to those types of things that are common in
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garlic. So check with your local
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Extension Service for recommendations on disease
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resistant varieties that are going to be suitable to your
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region. You can also check with your
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Extension Service to see if there are just varieties in
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general that they recommend for your area.
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I know when I first started growing, I went to the
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University of Missouri website, the Extension Service website
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and the growing guide there listed very specific varieties
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that did well in this area. Now I've checked on that thing
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again, that planting guide here recently and they haven't
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changed it. So it's still those kind of
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older varieties. It doesn't seem like they have
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updated it with any of the newer kind of hybrids that have come
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out. So you, you might be, you know,
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in better luck than I am depending on where you're
00:17:32
growing, you're gardening. But always check with your
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Extension Service because they do continually sort of put out
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that information and that will help you to figure out what does
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really well in your area. The other thing too, don't
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forget, is to opt for varieties that are readily available in
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your region because they are likely to be better adapted to
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your local conditions. So check with the local farmers
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markets. If you have people at the
00:18:00
farmers market who grow garlic to sell, find out whether or not
00:18:04
they're selling seed garlic, which means that they have cured
00:18:07
it and it's ready to be put into storage or it's ready to be
00:18:11
planted in the fall and you will be able to plant from those.
00:18:15
Now the only caveat to that is if it's not certified seed
00:18:21
garlic, you are not guaranteed that it is free of any type of a
00:18:25
disease. So get to know your grower is
00:18:29
all I'm saying and make sure that you understand what they're
00:18:31
growing practices are and you can get the straight scoop from
00:18:33
them as to whether or not they have seen any diseases in their
00:18:37
garlic crop before you rely on them food to get your seed
00:18:41
garlic. We have grown it in the past and
00:18:45
just sold it as regular garlic, edible garlic, but I have known
00:18:49
customers who have purchased them from us specifically to
00:18:52
plant and since we've never had any diseases in our garlic,
00:18:56
we've never had a problem with that.
00:18:57
We have also purchased seed garlic from other local growers
00:19:01
when we haven't had a great crop or I want to try a new variety
00:19:04
and I haven't had any problems either, but that's not a
00:19:06
guarantee. So just make sure you know who
00:19:08
you are growing from or look for seed companies that specialize
00:19:13
in bioregionally adapted seeds for your area.
00:19:16
For us, that's the Buffalo Seed Company over on the Kansas side.
00:19:19
They have done a great job of growing varieties that came from
00:19:24
a climate that was very similar to ours and they have grown them
00:19:27
for several years over and over again and collected the seeds
00:19:30
from the best and continue to plant those.
00:19:33
And so everything that I have gotten from them has done
00:19:35
really, really well. And they do carry garlic.
00:19:37
So I again this year, the final thing to think about too is your
00:19:44
planting and harvesting time. Remember that hard neck garlic
00:19:49
needs a longer growing period because it requires that cold
00:19:54
exposure. You have to have that
00:19:55
vernalization in order for them to to form those differentiated
00:19:59
bulbs. Now, typically garlic is planted
00:20:00
in the fall and harvested the following summer.
00:20:03
The soft neck varieties don't tend to need as long and they do
00:20:07
not need that period of vernalization.
00:20:10
So if you're getting going late and maybe you're not hearing
00:20:15
this episode until the spring, or you hadn't really planned on
00:20:18
garlic and you haven't gotten any, you can sometimes plant the
00:20:22
soft neck varieties in spring in the milder climates and be able
00:20:26
to get a crop out of them. Your bulbs won't be quite as
00:20:28
big, but that's OK. You're still getting garlic,
00:20:31
right? But fall planting is generally
00:20:33
recommended. The soft neck varieties just
00:20:35
don't tend to take as long to get to maturity.
00:20:38
So you know you're planting and your harvesting time would be
00:20:41
one final consideration as to which garlic variety you choose.
00:20:48
So what are some go to garlic varieties?
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I said there are over 600 of them, but there are definitely
00:20:54
some favorites or someones that are more popular or more
00:20:57
available than others, especially if you were just
00:20:59
getting started in growing growing garlic.
00:21:02
In terms of hard neck garlic chestnut red, this is a purple
00:21:05
striped variety of hard neck. It is actually originated from
00:21:10
like the southern region of the country of Georgia.
00:21:12
It's got very rich sweet tones when they are roasted or
00:21:16
sauteed. Mild heat, but a nice garlicky
00:21:20
flavor. Another one is German extra
00:21:23
Hardy. This one is a really good cold
00:21:26
Hardy hard neck porcelain variety.
00:21:29
Fairly large heads for hard neck garlic.
00:21:32
Usually 5 to 8 cloves that are really good sized.
00:21:36
A little bit of a hint of purple to the coloring.
00:21:39
Sort of a very classic garlic flavor.
00:21:42
And then music is another very popular selection that has come
00:21:46
around here in the last, I don't know, 5 or 10 years.
00:21:49
It actually was derived from the German extra Hardy.
00:21:53
It has much larger cloves, like nice big jumbo cloves, really
00:21:57
good long storage potential and also very, very good for really
00:22:02
cold climates. So the skins are thick, they are
00:22:04
tightly wrapped. They do fantastically well if
00:22:07
you are gardening in a really, really cold climate.
00:22:10
In terms of soft neck in Chilium red, that's kind of the gold
00:22:14
standard, I guess. Very strong producer, mild to
00:22:17
medium pungency, right, but really good flavor.
00:22:21
That one was actually a national soft neck garlic taste test
00:22:25
winner, winner, sorry, and has really good storage potential
00:22:31
like 8 months to a year. So that probably would be the
00:22:34
top choice. And then you've also got
00:22:36
Sicilian, which it kind of has a wide flavor range.
00:22:40
It's like really rich and musky, sometimes downright spicy.
00:22:44
So if you like a really good garlic kick, but you need to
00:22:47
grow a soft neck variety, then Sicilian might be your choice.
00:22:51
There are so many varieties of garlic because there are also
00:22:57
subtypes of garlic, so it's not just hard neck and soft neck.
00:23:01
The hard neck and soft neck are then broken down into artichoke
00:23:05
type, Creole, silver skin, Rochem bowl, porcelain, purple
00:23:09
stripe. They all have different
00:23:12
characteristics and different flavors and different storage
00:23:15
life. So I absolutely encourage you to
00:23:18
try multiple varieties and just try to understand what it is
00:23:22
that you are buying. If you can, look online for
00:23:24
descriptions of the varieties that you're considering to see
00:23:27
if they're a hard neck or a soft neck, what their storage life
00:23:30
is, what their flavor profile is, etcetera.
00:23:33
Before you make a purchase, you'll have a better idea of
00:23:36
what to expect when you harvest. And then of course, just like
00:23:39
anything else, the flavor profile and the way it grows is
00:23:42
also going to depend on your soil composition and what's
00:23:46
going on in your individual garden.
00:23:48
Just be sure, especially if you are planting multiple varieties
00:23:52
at once, that you label your crop really, really well.
00:23:56
I have a variety of garlic that I have been planting over and
00:23:59
over again for several years, but I cannot tell you anything
00:24:04
about it because my garlic's got all mixed up one year in the
00:24:07
field and I have just been saving the biggest bulbs to
00:24:11
replant every season. I know it's a hard neck variety
00:24:14
and it's a purple stripe type, but that's all I can tell you
00:24:18
other than it's got a good flavor and that produces well
00:24:21
for me. So Needless to say, I am now
00:24:23
really good about labeling my garlic.
00:24:27
Until next time, my garlic friends, my garlic friends,
00:24:29
absolutely. You are my garlic friends.
00:24:32
You are also my gardening friends.
00:24:34
So keep on cultivating that dream garden and we'll talk
00:24:36
again soon. For more information about
00:24:38
today's topic and to find all the ways you can get in touch
00:24:41
with me or support the show, go to justgrowsomethingpodcast.com.
00:24:45
Until next time, my gardening friends, keep learning and keep
00:24:48
growing.

