Garlic (Allium Sativum) is one of the first crops to herald in the harvest season. For thousands of years garlic has been valued as an important medicinal plant and condiment. Found everywhere from the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs to the dinner tables of nearly every culture and country, garlic is a universally valued crop.

Modern medicine has come to recognize garlic’s many beneficial properties that include the treatment of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing cholesterol levels. Garlic also performs admirably as an immune system enhancer, antiseptic, and internal cleanser of parasites and toxins such as lead! Besides all of these benefits, garlic is a delicious addition to countless recipes from many international cuisines.

This year’s crop is above average in yield and size for the area due somewhat to better weather conditions and also improvements in our cultural practices.

Keep your garlic in a cool dry location out of direct sunlight. Please remember to order as early as possible since our supplies usually run out by early October.
We include a simple page of planting & growing instructions with each order.

Garlic Varieties:

Bogatyr: From the former East Germany comes another exciting purple stripe rocambole that lasts two months longer than Russian Red. Bogatyr can yield almost identically to Russian Red. The leaves are narrower and the bulbs have fewer, hotter and more flavorful cloves. The 4-7 easily peeled cloves are a deep purplish- red, fine-grained, and extremely solid. Bulbs are more squat and wide with almost no doubles. Like other rocamboles, Bogatyr is a strong top-setting variety, producing a pod of small pea sized bulblets if allowed to go to seed. Very hardy and highly suitable for cold climates, “ We feel that this one may rival Russian Red for the Northeast”.

Rosewood: Another rugged porcelain type hardneck. Similar to German X-tra Hardy and Musik. Averages 4, full flavored dark pink to brownish red cloves in a very white wrapper. Makes a very dense fleshed clove of strong flavor. Stores 5 to 6 months and has been a proven performer in Maine.

Georgian Crystal: Continental or porcelain type, this boldly vigorous hard neck differs from rocambole types in that it produces massive 4-5 foot plants if allowed to seed. Bulbs are composed of 4-7 very large cloves. The bulb is more extended with the cloves being tall and pointed. Pale pink and tan cloves are easily peeled; their flavor is medium strong, long lasting and rich. The texture is moderately course and hard. Originally from the Republic of Georgia. Georgian Crystal is especially noted for excellent flavor and long lasting storage capabilities.

Siberian Red , From Russia; This especially dense fleshed for a purple-striped variety and has been with us since ‘97 , Impressively rich and hot. 5-6 rounded rock hard purple cloves are wrapped in white papers streaked with purple. Very strong plants are tall with deep root systems. Can become the largest of all the purple stripe types we have grown with exceptional storage of 9 to 10 months.

Russian Red: The standard of excellent flavor in rocambole garlics. Medium-long storage length. Russian red is one of the most thrifty bulb producers on a wide range of soils and is reliably hardy anywhere in the northern U.S. Short, broad leaved plants finish before most porcelains. We would not be without it.

Metechi: Another very uniform, hot, solid cloved rocambole much like Bogatyr. Bulbs are squat in appearance, purple streaked wrappers, averaging 5 cloves. Plants are short statured with narrow, almost horizontal leaves at maturity. Proven reliable and thrifty in Maine. Deliciously sharp at first. Stores as well as Bogatyr and finishes late.

German White: Huge, tall plants finish late. A rich, rather hot and full flavored porcelain type that we obtained from several sources in the past and have selected the best compared strains. Hardy and productive plants average four to six very large cloves to a bulb. ‘Workhorse’ of the porcelain group.

Musik: Late white 4-6 clove porcelain variety. Very productive, heavy bulbs, similar to Georgian Crystal, but perhaps a bit denser, full, rich and medium hot- an easy grower in Maine. Cloves are pinkish with a solid hard shell. Stores 9-10 months. Originally from Canada.

Chesnock Red: From the Republic of Georgia. Chesnock Red, a rocambole subspecies, produces medium to large tall bulbs with 8-10 deep purple cloves in purple tinged papers. Solid, strong and hot with good long lasting flavor, an excellent baker. Stands taller than most rocamboles or purple stripes. Requires very fertile soil to size well. Not offered in ‘07

Inchelium: A soft-neck artichoke type of garlic. Out of all the soft-neck garlic we have tested, this one we have yet to find fault with. This particular one came to us through Garden City Seeds in 1990, and has consistently hung in there with our variable weather conditions. Originally from an Indian reservation in Colville, British Columbia. Inchelium seems more tolerant of soggy weather than other soft-neck types. The medium, green plants are narrow leafed, ripen approximately a week to ten days earlier than our hard-neck varieties do. Occasionally a bulb will also have a short stiff seed stalk with a cluster of pointed purple bulblets a few inches from the ground. While this may interfere somewhat with braiding, it does not reduce the quality or soundness of the bulb. Artichoke types have 2-3 rings of cupped in cloves around a center. The 10-15 cloves are wrapped in creamy white paper-like skins. Fairly hot, highly flavored and fine grained. Similar in appearance to other artichoke types you would find in a supermarket such as California White. Stores very well and seems to prefer more calcium and phosphorous than the hard-neck varieties. 1# Limited quantity for ‘07

German Extra Hardy: A very rugged and dependable porcelain, often reaching great size.
Strong and richly flavored, medium-course fleshed cloves are fat and hard. This great keeper is fast becoming as popular as Russian Red here in the Northeast.

Kettle River: Possibly the largest of all the soft neck artichoke types we have seen. Unusually few and plump cloves for any soft-neck garlic. Resembles Inchelium in earliness and growth habit. Deliciously sharp, full flavor and good keeping qualities. Originates from the Kettle River area of Washington. Not offered for ‘07

Phillips: A true rocambole type, developed from plants found at an abandoned farmstead in Phillips, Maine. Much like Russian Red or German Red, but as much as two weeks later to emerge in the spring. A short plant with broad leaves like Russian Red with even better storage. Five to six, tan colored, fat smooth textured cloves are the epitome of garlic.

Georgian Fire: Grows very much like Georgian Crystal but finishes about a week earlier and is much hotter. A medium storage porcelain. Sold out for ‘07

Bavarian Purple: A classy German porcelain that sports great flavor in three to four bright purple cloves in a white wrapper Finishes very early along with artichoke types. Sold out for ‘07

Montana Giant, Persian Star, and Romanian Red will be offered in ’08, weather and performance depending.