12/7/20

Garlic Love -- Isaac "Zeek" Lee, Farmer-Veteran

 As many of you may know, one of our Farm Fellows this year, Zeek Lee, is quite smitten with garlic. Given that planting garlic is one of the last big projects of the year, I asked him to share some of the reasons he's passionate about this particular crop with all of you:

I fell in love with garlic when I smelled fresh garlic as I pulled it out of the ground for the first time. Garlic is the only vegetable that makes me smile when I see it growing in the field because I know that beautiful fresh smell is coming. It's also my favorite vegetable to harvest, cure, and process. 

Garlic is medicinal and has a crazy amount of health benefits due to a chemical called allicin. For example, it helps in the prevention of common illnesses and some think that it can even help to aid your body in preventing some cancers. Aged garlic extract helps to clear your vascular system, reducing blood pressure and improving cholesterol levels. Black garlic has a whole other list of medicinal properties including prevention of common cancers that both men and women should check out. Google it. I dare you!

Cultivate: 

Garlic is one of the most profitable crops to grow, because you can grow a lot of it in a small space. 

Garlic cloves need to be planted pointed side up at double the depth of their size -- if the garlic clove is an inch tall it needs to be planted 2 inches deep. If you plant an elephant garlic clove, which can be 3 inches tall, it needs to be planted 6 inches deep. 

Typical garlic needs 5-6 inches of spacing. Elephant garlic needs 8-10 inch spacing. Plant in a triangular pattern and you can fit more per square foot.  

Garlic is usually planted in October so order garlic online in August because you seed stock  will disappear quickly by the end of September. You can also plant garlic in the Spring when the ground first thaws. It’s best to use black landscape fabric over your seeds in October or during spring planting to keep the soil warm and weeds down. A 3-inch thick layer of straw or 2 inches of leaf mulch is similarly good for winter insulation and weed suppression. But you will still need to weed! 

Softneck garlic is best suited for southern states, but some varieties of hardneck are also good for southern states. Hardneck varieties of garlic grow curly scapes that turn into flowers. Harvest the scapes before they turn into flowers to enhance the size of the garlic bulbs. Plus, garlic scapes are great in stir fries. Softneck garlic does not produce scapes. Sad face!


Harvest & Cure: 

To harvest garlic you'll need a pitch fork or a shovel. You want to sink your fork in about eight inches away from the plant to steer clear of the piercing the bulbs, and lift up the earth to make each plant easier to pull. Pull the garlic at the base of the stem but be careful to not break the stem. Pulling hard can break the stem which may cause future bacterial problems in the bulb during the curing process, resulting in little to no shelf life. Do not clean the garlic; just gently shake the soil off the roots. Be careful with the bulbs as they are very sensitive to bruising. When one of the cloves of the bulb gets bruised it will be the first to rot. All cloves next to it will also go, so use them ASAP. 

Hang your freshly harvested garlic out of direct sunlight outside where it has plenty of ventilation. When all the garlic leaves are brown and dry, cut the garlic bulb stem 1 to 1.5 inches from the top of the bulb and store it in a dark room with ventilation. Store it in the refrigerator at a temp of 35-40 degrees for long-term storage


. Store garlic cloves in a ziplock bag or container of soil in the freezer if you plan to plant it in the spring. Like tulips, garlic needs a cold season to be able to produce a bulb.

Oh, I shouldn't forget to mention that I love garlic for the flavor. Did I mention that garlic is in almost every cuisine around the world?! It makes your food smell and taste better. Have you ever tried garlic bread without the garlic? Yea, not so great!

Hot tip: Softneck garlic is great for using fresh as a mince garlic or in dressings like Italian and Greek or added to a sauce like marinara and alfredo. Hardneck garlic is great roasted or sauteed. Elephant garlic is great for those who don't love the spicy taste of garlic. It's extremely mild in taste whether used raw or roasted! Also elephant garlic is not a garlic. It's in the leek family. Don't ask me why because it had me fooled too! Touché, Elephant garlic. Touché! 


12 comments:

  1. Are you searching for a very genuine loan at an affordable interest rate of 3% process and approved within 4 working days? Have you been turned down Constantly by your Banks and other financial institutions because of bad credit? Loans ranging from $5000 USD to $20, 000, 000 USD maximum LOANS for Developing business a competitive edge / business expansion. We are certified, trustworthy, reliable, efficient, Fast and dynamic for real estate and any kinds of business financing. Contact us for more details and information.
    Thanks & Regard
    Dr James Eric Finance Pvt Ltd
    (Whats App) 91-8929509036
    E-mail: financialserviceoffer876@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I lost my job few months back and there was no way to get income for my family, things was so tough and I couldn't get anything for my children, not until a met a recommendation on a page writing how Mr Bernie Wilfred helped a lady in getting a huge amount of profit every 6 working days on trading with his management on the cryptocurrency Market, to be honest I never believe it but I took the risk to take a loan of $1000. and I contacted him unbelievable and I was so happy I earn $12,500 in 6 working days, the most joy is that I can now take care of my family I don't know how to appreciate your good work Mr. Bernie Doran God will continue to bless you for being a life saver I have no way to appreciate you than to tell people about your good services.
    For a perfect investment and good strategies contact Mr Bernie Doran via WhatsApp :+1(424)285-0682 or Telegram : @Bernie_doran_fx or Email : Bernie.doranfx01@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had to leave this post here as a sign of gratitude since that is one of the least BRIXTON asked of me. From my calculations, I made $25,200 in 1-week trading but unfortunately lost it all after I tried to participate in an airdrop, I became very devastated until I read some wonderful reviews about WIZARD BRIXTON. I feel so much joy right now because BRIXTON did come through for me by getting my money back from those scam artists, my advice is for you to be mindful of the links you click online to avoid losing your money. The experience of losing your money to a scammer is not funny no matter how much. Feel free to ask me more hanswilton3@gmail.com or contact WIZARD BRIXTON via
    EMAIL : WIZARDBRIXTON(AT) GMAIL (DOT) COM
    WHATS-APPS : (+1- /807-23 ) 4-0428 .

    ReplyDelete
  4. Naturehydro is a professional blueberry grow pot & hydroponic equipment supplier.Aims help you setting up indoor & outdoor farming system.

    ReplyDelete
  5. منع تسرب الفريون من مكيف الهواء
    أحد أسباب تلف مكيف الهواء هو تسرب الفريون. يستخدم الفريون كمبرد وبسبب خصائصه ، يقترح المصنعون أن جزءًا صغيرًا سيتسرب حتمًا. هذا امر طبيعي. في هذه الحالة ، من الضروري إجراء الشحن المجدول مرة واحدة سنويًا أثناء الصيانة بواسطة متخصصي مركز الخدمة.
    ومع ذلك ، إذا كان التسرب شديدًا ، فإن مستوى غاز التبريد ينخفض وقد يسخن الضاغط أكثر من اللازم أو يتلف أثناء التشغيل. الضاغط باهظ الثمن واستبداله ليس بهذه البساطة ، لذا من الأفضل مراقبة حالته للتشغيل الطويل لمكيف الهواء.
    ضع في اعتبارك أن إصلاح مكيفات الهواء خدمة يمكن أن تكون باهظة الثمن في وقت ما ، وكل هذا ناتج عن نقص الصيانة والتنظيف والصيانة ...
    بمعنى آخر ، اعتني بمكيفات الهواء الخاصة بك وسوف يخدمونك لسنوات عديدة!
    بالطبع ، إذا لم تكن لديك خبرة ، فمن الأفضل طلب المساعدة من شركة تدعم هذا النوع من الأجهزة.
    شركة تنظيف المكيفات بالخبر

    ReplyDelete

  6. You who are blocked from the doors of your job, you have a permanent concern for money, you lack financial support to meet your needs and realize your dreams. I received a loan of 55000 euro and two of my colleagues also received loans from this man without any difficulty because I came across the right person. Here is his email: pierrecombaluzier18@gmail.com

    E-mail: pierrecombaluzier18@gmail.com
    E-mail: pierrecombaluzier18@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. If you are looking for a loan to implement your projects or to meet an urgent need, we offer our services at the international level. With a capital for short-term and long-term loans of € 1,000 to € 500,000 for all serious people who meet our conditions and with an honest goal, the interest rate is 2%. we offer all types of loans; financial, real estate, investment, automotive, personal and much more, satisfaction guaranteed in a short time within 3 days .. in the attachment to this post you will see an email address where you can contact us.

    write us directly to email: _ veronicahakeova@gmail.com _

    Entry in the Commercial Register: District Court Bratislava I, Section Sro, File no. 28991 / B
    Yours sincerely, Mrs. Veronika Hakeova

    ReplyDelete
  8. As a professional Hydroponic System & ebb and flow traySupplier, NATUREHYDRO was founded in 2009 with the target of bringing the highest quality Agricultural & Horticultural products at the most competitive prices with excellent customer service directly to all sincere customers all over the world.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Naturehydro is a professional hydroponic grow system & bato bucket supplier.Aims help you setting up indoor & outdoor farming system.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sveiki, dāmas un kungi! Vai jums ir nepieciešama finansiāla palīdzība? Es esmu Sjūzena Bensone. Esmu aizdevējs un arī finanšu konsultants.

    Vai jums ir nepieciešams biznesa aizdevums, personīgais aizdevums, hipotēkas aizdevums vai aizdevums, lai pabeigtu savu projektu? Ja jūsu atbilde ir jā, es iesaku sazināties ar manu uzņēmumu. Mēs sniedzam visa veida aizdevumu pakalpojumus, tostarp ilgtermiņa un īstermiņa aizdevumus, nodrošinātus un nenodrošinātus aizdevumus un daudz ko citu. Lai iegūtu papildinformāciju, rakstiet mums pa e-pastu: (sunshinefinancialgroupinc@gmail.com) vai rakstiet man tieši uz WhatsApp, izmantojot: +447360502110, un saņemiet atbildi vienā mirklī.

    Aizdevums no reāla un kompetenta uzņēmuma ir tas, kas jums nepieciešams, lai sasniegtu savu mērķi. Mēs esam visaptverošs finanšu pakalpojumu uzņēmums un esam apņēmušies palīdzēt jums īstenot visas jūsu vēlmes. Mēs specializējamies strukturētu finanšu risinājumu nodrošināšanā privātpersonām un uzņēmumiem visefektīvākajā un ātrākajā veidā.

    * Jūs varat pieteikties aizdevumam jebkurā laikā un vietā.
    * Elastīga summa – Jūs izlemjat, cik daudz vēlaties aizņemties.
    * Ātrs tiešais finansējums — saņemiet aizdevumu 24 stundu laikā pēc apstiprināšanas.
    * Elastīga procentu likme 3%.
    * Augsti apstiprināšanas rādītāji
    * Elastīga atmaksa — jums ir jāizvēlas atmaksas datums — katru nedēļu, mēnesi vai gadu 1–30 gadu garumā.
    * Vienkārša tiešsaistes lietojumprogramma.
    * Personalizētas konsultācijas un zināšanas.
    * Nav slēptu maksu

    Nepalaidiet garām iespēju finanšu trūkuma dēļ. Sazinieties ar manu uzņēmumu tagad, mēs varam jums palīdzēt ar aizdevumu, jo esam palīdzējuši daudzām personām un organizācijām, kuras visā pasaulē ir saskārušās ar finansiālām grūtībām

    Lai iegūtu papildinformāciju par mūsu aizdevuma piedāvājumu, lūdzu, nosūtiet mums savu aizdevuma pieprasījumu caur
    E-pasts: (sunshinefinancialgroupinc@gmail.com)
    WhatsApp: +447360502110

    Starpnieki / konsultanti / brokeri ir laipni aicināti piesaistīt savus klientus un ir 100% aizsargāti. Pilnīgā pārliecībā mēs strādāsim kopā visu iesaistīto pušu labā.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Vai jums ir nepieciešams aizdevums, esmu privāts, uzticams, uzticams aizdevējs; Es izsniedzu aizdevumus uzņēmumiem un privātpersonām ar zemu un pieejamu 3% procentu likmi. Vai meklējat biznesa aizdevumu, personīgo aizdevumu, mājokļa aizdevumu, automašīnu aizdevumu, studentu aizdevumu, parādu konsolidācijas aizdevumu, nenodrošinātu aizdevumu un riska kapitālu? Ja banka vai finanšu iestāde jums ir atteikusi aizdevumu viena vai vairāku iemeslu dēļ. Jūs esat īstajā vietā, lai pieņemtu lēmumus par aizdevumu, mēs piedāvājam aizdevumus no USD 2000 līdz USD 50,000,000,00 1–20 gadu atmaksas periodā visā pasaulē. E-pasts: (bryanstefanloanfirm@gmail.com)

    Kontaktpersona:
    Jirgens Stefans

    ReplyDelete