Garlic

The garlic strains we grow are hard-neck, which means they have a hard leaf stalk, as opposed to the soft-neck types you see in store (much of which is grown in China). Characteristics of the hard-neck types are usually larger, easier-to-peel cloves. Hard-neck types are more suited to the colder conditions of the Northeast. We really like the flavor too.

We hang our garlic to dry in the barns, which cures it for longer storage. We hope it keeps until spring. If you have garlic that starts to grow little green shoots, you can still use the whole thing. Garlic is best stored dry and cool.

We harvest our garlic at several different stages of growth, so in addition to the bulbs with dried, papery husks, we also harvest green garlic and fresh garlic.

Green garlic are the scallion-type shoots that sprout from each clove.

Fresh garlic is what garlic looks like before it dries in our barn. If you don’t want to use your garlic bulb right away, leave the top plant on until it is dry (the plant will continue to transfer nutrients from the leaves into the bulb as it dries).