We spent the last couple of weeks finishing the garage to get ready for the garlic harvest. Here is the rack ready to go…
Our Shantung Purple is picked and tied in bunches.
Hanging up to dry…
And now, the entire crop…
The bulbs you can see here are on the front of the rack. There are just as many on the back side.
The bulbs are looking wonderful. We should have lots of great seed for sale in a month!
Here are a few recipes that we found to be good.
We cut the scapes into pieces and add them to stir fries. Really good with a nice, mild garlic flavour.
We also tossed them with oil and cook them right on the grill.
I found a recipe for pickled scapes last week.
Cut the tips and flower heads off the scapes.
Pack them into clean, sterilized jars.
Cover them with a vinegar mixture.
5 cups water
3 cups vinegar
1/4 cup pickling salt
(this will do about 2 quarts)
Add the lids and process them in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
They come out looking like this…
Here is what our crop looks like now.
The plants are all looking great. You can see the different varieties.
WE ARE NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR SEED GARLIC
CONTACT US BY EMAIL TO RESERVE YOUR BULBS
We have started to pick the scapes now. These are the tall, flower stalks that grow from the middle of the plant. They are removed so that the plant will put its energy into the bulb.
Scapes have a wonderful, spicy garlic taste if eaten raw and can be chopped into dips or potatoes for a nice bite!
When cooked, the scapes become milder. They are wonderful just bar-b-qued (cut off the long, narrow tip and toss with olive oil. Then just place them right on the grill and cook until tender) or added to stir fries. Scapes can also be pickled.
Welcome to our blog. Only the main information is posted so far, but we will be adding more pictures, etc as we go along. If you are interested in purchasing seed garlic from us, you can see the varieties, etc on the GARLIC page listed at the top.
Our names are Trevor and Carol. We have been living on Prince Edward Island for about 2 1/2 years now and love it. This garlic crop is our first one so we are quite excited to see how everything goes.
We purchased our garlic seed from an Islander, Al Pickett, who has his own website. He has wonderful garlic so we are confidant that ours will be good as well.
We grow several varieieis of HARDNECK garlics. They are called that because of the stiff, woody stalk that grows up the middle.
There are three distinct groups of hardnecks – ROCAMBOLES, PORCELAINS, and PURPLE STRIPES. The most readily seen garlics are the Rocamboles which have thin, parchment-like skins that peel easily.
We would love to hear from you if there are varieties that you would like us to provide or just to say ‘Hi’
More later…
Fine Fettle Farm 