Thursday 16 November 2017

garlic here, garlic there, garlic everywhere

Dear Family & Friends

My dream of pickled garlic for next year might finally come true 8 months from today. I aimed to plant 200 garlic this autumn and I did. The seed bulbs were ones from my harvest this year, as I managed to grow big healthy looking bulbs. But then, that left us with limited supply for the kitchen use as I've only planted around 80 garlic bulbs last year. In reality, I should have 80 garlic cloves this year but only around 60 were harvested.

unharvested garlic bulb start sprouting in clumps

You see, along the way during it's growth period, someone decided to help me in my gardening and mounted a lot of soil onto my vegetable bed where my garlic was growing!...I was furious and accepted that I lost a few plants. I should have just chilled out...because those garlic I thought was buried alive under an avalanched of dirt were still OK even though I couldn't see them anymore.

got to dig the clump and divide and replant individually

A year onward, the missing garlic bulbs - the unharvested ones, start popping themselves up in clumps of green new leaf growth. I was happy to see them again. I dug them out so carefully, divided  each clumps into bulbs, all with healthy roots, and planted them in given individual spaces. I kept finding garlic clumps in the garden that I ended up with additional 100++ garlic  - planted out.

pre-peeled garlic can be frozen for future use

Garlic are so easy to grow and one that you should plant because it's expensive to buy, specially if you eat quantities of it. It's a very good food. a natural anti-biotic. We don't have a medicine cupboard in our home...no tablets, or pills lurking around whatsoever. When virus comes bothering (which is very rare), we grind garlic and eat them with toast...or, if you are like my husband, he just peel and eat them as it is. He would really stink but any colds, swelling, infection, pains immediately goes away:) It's very effective! ... I find garlic sweet and delicious - just frying them in little oil with some left over rice, plus a pinch of salt, makes the best garlic fried rice anytime - yes, better than any steak meal:)

Wishing you a great week. Mine looks a bit of stressful journey ahead, as I anticipate a lot of unexpected work...but I'll see to it that I will overcome it all.

Yours

9 comments:

  1. So that's a really healthy garlic post Annie, I love eating garlic too, but I don't think in such a quantities.....just for me alone. Garlic is not grown very much in our country I wonder why not, I have to try it.
    Regards, Janneke

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    1. Hi Janneka, I should think that garlic, a bulb plant, would grow well and easy in your country. After all, Netherland is so popular and successful with growing flowering bulbs. Sending you wishes for lovely autumn days to enjoy:)

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  2. I tried growing garlic once but they were small and skinny. I like garlic but they must be cooked. I only take cooked garlic.

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    1. Hi Nancy, I also prefer to cook my garlic...only the brave ones, like my husband could eat them as raw cloves! Too spicy and stinky :P Mind you, we have a variety of garlic that is very big...and the taste is not too strong. Hope you have a nice day today:)

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  3. That's very nice.. once I tried, but couldn't grow.. again I'll try..

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    1. Krishna, there's a trick to growing garlic. You have to grow them in autumn (for us it's around beginning of October). Growth will slow down in winter but it will not die. Comes spring, it will resume it's growth again, and by summer, it's ready to harvest. Hope you'll try again but use organic garlic bulb to make sure that they are not sprayed to stop sprouting. Have a lovely day.

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  4. Garlic are certainly determined to grow, no matter what happens to them!
    Glad you got a lot of surprises.

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    1. I'm sure you understand more about gardening than me Sue... because most of the time, gardening for me are all 'fortunate chances' when I get my success...it always takes a while for me to understand exactly how to. Sending you some of our sunshiny days for this weekend:)

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