Garlic

Gourmet Garlic - Tasmania

https://tasmaniangourmetgarlic.com.au/

Like lots of potassium

Autumn 2021 planting

Artichoke
3 planting units

Silverskin
1 planitn unit

Creole
4 planting units
14 Nov 2021

From left to right

Artichoke – Silverskin --- Creole

Storage
Artichoke --- 7-9 months Medium success – earliest maturity
Silverskin - + 12 months Failed – grew but perhaps picked too soon
Creole - up to 12 months Best

Experience

All planted on the same day 13 Apr 2021

Artichoke matured approx 3 weeks before other 2 & smaller

Creole largest and latest maturing ??

ARTICHOKE GROUP
Artichokes are a softneck, mid-season garlic with a medium to long
storage of between 7-9 months.  Evolved in Europe as a high
yielding garlic with a flavour that is more simple and not as complex
as other hardneck garlics.
These garlics have their place in the European kitchen, particularly
during the colder seasons, when stocks and slow food require a
garlic that can last the longer cooking durations, stand up to some
of the stronger ingredients and still be a hero in the recipe.
Garlic Type: Softneck
States:  NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA
Culinary Type: Sauteeing, Slow Food
Storage: 7-9 Months
Plant: Usually late April
Harvest:  Mid-season
Bulb Skin: Most artichokes have a nice white skin, however, some
have a purple blotched skin which is the reason it was called a “red”
garlic.
Cloves Number:  8-32 cloves in 2-3 rounds of white, vanilla, brown
or purple cloves.  Outer cloves are largest with square wedge face,
middle row is slightly smaller and inner row are tall and thin.
Bulbils:  1-3 Bulbils may appear in the pseudostem when under
stress
Growing:  Develops 4-6 leaves before winter dormancy.  Has large,
thick and wide mid-green leaves that fold midway and develops
very thick stem of up to 3-5cm in diameter.  will develop between 8-
12 leaves.
Harvest:  Before Creoles. In cooler, wetter climates where skin loss
in the ground is a risk – harvest with 6 green leaves to ensure good
bulb coverage.  If growing in hotter, dryer climates may be able to
harvest when almost all leaves have dried out.
SILVERSKIN GROUP
The Silverskin group is a softneck garlic and the longest storing of
all garlics with more than 12 months.  It is characterised by
cultivars that can be overly strong but also cultivars with incredible
fine spicy, complex flavours – so look carefully for the right
silverskin so you can enjoy the best of them.
This garlic group is a late season harvester with a bulb that
continues to mature are after the plant has leaned over to the
ground.  Often harvested too early and needs at least 3 weeks after
it leans over for full bulb size to develop.   Whilst it is a softneck, it
has the other unusual characteristic of being able to both produce a
scape and pseudostem bulbils when it is stressed – further
confusing novice growers.
The best of the Silverskins are exquisite cooking garlics and even
better when dehydrated.  A great addition to a backyard garden.
Garlic Type: Hardneck, Softneck
States:  NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA
Culinary Type: Raw, Stir Fry, Sauteeing, Slow Food
Storage: 12 Months +
Plant: Late-April to Early June
Harvest:  Late Season
Bulb Shape: Oblong to 3 layered flattened round shape.
Bulb Skin: Brilliant white, tissue-like thin skins.
Cloves Number:  9-25 cloves in three layers where the outer layer
is largest with a flat edged wedge shape with progressively smaller
cloves in inner and middle layer. Clove colours vary from white,
cream and hot pink.
Bulbils:  None usually. In stress 5-30 in scape and 2-3 in
pseudostem.
Scape shape:  None usually. In stress downward bend.
Growing:  Develops 4-5 leaves before winter dormancy, and wants
warm spring and warm summer to allow it mature. A tall strong
plant with large 4-5cm separations between leaf pairs.  Mid-green
leaf colour.
Harvest:  Harvest at 6 green leaves in cooler, moist or humid soil
conditions to maintain bulb skins, however in hot dry areas, plants
can be left until almost fully dead before harvesting.

CREOLE GROUP
The creoles evolved in both France and Spain and have become
renowned as the epicurean garlic of Europe for their superb blend of
spicy, complex flavours.
They store for up to 12 months and hide their incredible jewel
coloured cloves behind a beautiful white bulb skin.  They are a
weakly bolting garlic – so won’t produce scapes in warm climates
but will always produce scapes (which should be removed in colder
climates).  They are also a slightly smaller bulb than many other
garlic groups – but make up for it with their incredible flavours and
storage.
Some will find creoles too strong to use raw in salads, dips, pestos
or dressings – but many who’ve grown up in Europe – and prefer a
stronger garlic – relish the extra zing when used raw.  This strong
raw flavour softens and becomes more complex when cooked.
Garlic Type: Hardneck, Weakly Bolting
States:  NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS SA, WA
Culinary Type: Raw, Stir Fry, Sauteeing, Slow Food, Roasting
Storage: 12 Months +
Plant: Mid-April to Late May
Harvest:  Mid Season
Bulb Shape:  Round tennis ball shape
Bulb Skin: In warmer climates can produce a creamier thick skin,
but in colder climates will produce a brilliant white tissue-like skin.
Very occasionally, a young bulb may produce quite a beautiful pale
violet skin – but this is limited to only a few cultivars.
Cloves Number:  7-12 wedge-shaped cloves in single layer, often
with inner dividing leaf skin layer. Clove colours vary from vibrant
magenta to two-tone buff-brown on bottom to shades of pink on
top.  Some French cultivars have an almost white clove background
with pink tips.
Bulbils:  70-100 in scape, however can produce 2-3 bulbils in
pseudostem as well.
Growing:  Develops 4-6 leaves before winter dormancy, and wants
early warm spring and hot dry summer to allow it mature. Can
develop 10-12 leaves with strong upright growth characteristic in
warmer climates.
Harvest:  Harvest at 4.5 green leaves in cooler, moist or humid soil
conditions to maintain bulb skins, however in hot dry areas, plants
can be left until almost fully dead before harvesting.

ELEPHANT GARLIC
Elephant garlic is not a true garlic, it’s actually a hybrid of a leek
and a garlic. Originating out of the Russian region and used as a
vegetable to add a mild garlic flavour to stews – it has become both
an ornamental plant and a valued, long storing, large cloved bulb
loved by many.
It Italy it is known as the “kissing garlic” in a way to differentiate its
milder flavour from its more aggressive commercial garlic cousin.
In Queensland it is greatly loved for their large cloves and beautiful
garlic chips.
Garlic Bulb Development &
Maturity
Garlic bulbs mature underground and out of sight making it difficult to judge when they are at their
optimal maturity for harvesting.
But studies conducted by leading Research and Development companies like IPK Gatersleben, have
progressively photographed garlic bulbs during their development and show the incredible stages of
development until their optimal maturity.  From this research we can correlate the above ground
number of remaining green leaves that match the optimal bulb maturity.
So all you need to consider is whether your garlic is a softneck or hardneck to
understand the remaining number of green leaves that matches the bulb
maturity. 
Softneck garlic – harvest at 6-7 remaining green leaves
Hardneck garlic – harvest at 4-5 remaining green leaves