Planting the 2014 Garlic

Back in July we harvested the garlic.  We then hung them up to dry.  After they dried, we cleaned and sorted the garlic into three boxes, large, medium and small.  The largest garlic was kept to be planted. That way we will get more large garlic next year.  We ended up with 30 pounds of large garlic.

I separated all the cloves because each individual clove is a garlic seed.  The garlic will begin to grow in the fall and then stop through the winter months and resume in the spring to be harvested in the summer.  Such an incredible plant that is exposed to each season!

I placed the root side down into the ground, 6 inches apart in a bed of 4 rows.  It was my final planting at the Wormfarm.  And how beautiful that my work will grow into the next season.  

When I'm working in the garden outback, sometimes I get lucky enough to hear a "Meow" from a visiting Crook.  I'm gonna miss him so much.  He got in the way a bit by nibbling on my hand while I planted, begging to be pet but I still adore him.

For dinner I made Acorn Squash with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette.  I shared this recipe last season as well because it is so delicious.  Here is the recipe from smittenkitchen.com.

Harvesting Garlic for the First Time

I have been working on organic farms for 3 years and have always missed the garlic harvest. But not this time!

Jay went down each row forking the garlic to loosen up the soil and roots. Eleanor, Naomi and myself went after tugging the garlic out of the soil. It makes a lovely crunch sound when the roots are torn from the soil.

We gathered them into bunches of about 30 and tied slip knots around them.

We gathered em up to hang them in the barn to cure, this way they can last a longer time.

They smell so good!