Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A year's worth of garlic


And a few bonus potatoes...



Freshly dug garlic and 'taters.

In the spirit of rotating crops, I planted my garlic last fall where my potatoes had been.  This was done in November, when it was getting cold but the ground wasn't frozen yet.  I planted a couple hundred cloves saved from some heritage garlic that had been given to me the year before.  I'd planted about 50 the previous year, and saved enough to increase my crop.

Apparently, I didn't get all the little potatoes up last year and they grew with the garlic.

Garlic bulbs.

The bulbs are on the small side when compared to the giant hybrid garlic that you commonly see in the grocery stores.  But these are packed with flavor not to be compared with the garlics grown for size and not taste, like most grocery store produce.

This is a lot of free food for surprisingly little effort.  All organic, too.

Garlic is harvested when the lower few leaves turn brown, while the tops are still green.  They need to dry under cover in an airy location.  I tied mine in small bundles along pieces of re-purposed baling twine and hung them in the garage.  Later I'll trim the roots and tops and store them in a cardboard box....or I may braid them and store them on display in my kitchen.

 Five strings hang from the garage ceiling, each with about 40 bulbs of garlic.

The bonus potatoes are "new" potatoes and harvested while the tops were still growing.  These won't keep well, so many were given away.  We don't eat potatoes that often, just as an occasional treat.  The hubster is still losing weight and I am still working to keep my blood sugar absolutely stable to allow healing in my adrenal glands.  Starchy foods work against both goals.  We still enjoy them, but rarely and only with LOTS of butter to reduce the impact on our goals.  Butter.  Yum.  Lots.

Since February, when we really started focusing on eating for blood sugar regulation (we'd been eating traditionally prepared foods for some time, so this was another major tweak in our lifestyle), we've both seen an enormous impact on our health.  Peter lost 50 lbs so far and his blood pressure is getting closer to ideal.  I feel better, sleep MUCH better, and have even more energy, and am no longer struggling to maintain my weight.  Not bad considering we have over a hundred years between the two of us!


12 comments:

  1. I was looking at the garlic this morning and thinking, hmmmm, just about time. But I have a couple other things that need attention first, like weeding, and keeping the dehydrator going with herbs, etc. So maybe later in the week.

    What variety were the potatoes? They look like the ones we've been planting the last couple years. I don't do potatoes (nightshades) due to pain issues, but DH does. He's had the Dark Red Norlands for the last couple years.

    My garlic is German Extra Hardy that I've saved bulbs from for several years. It keeps well. Ours gets cured in the wood shed.

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  2. The potatoes originally came from a bag of Stop'n'Shop organic so I don't know what they are. The garlic was given to me by an online friend and they were given to her so I have no idea either! There are at least two varieties and I've never seen a scape. I hope to add more varieties eventually, would like some hardneck so I can have some scapes.

    I thought I was allergic to potatoes as I'd get a very bad reaction starting in my mouth. But someone told me they started using a new fungicide some years ago, around the same time (15 years or so?) that I started reacting. I decided to try organic, and I can eat them now. That is scary. I'm thankful that I reacted, because it protected me from ingesting something obviously poisonous that remains on the potato. Sheesh.

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  3. Geez, I'd not heard that about potatoes. :((

    Maybe we can barter some hardnecks for something. I usually have more than plenty and this year looks to be no exception. I get nice scapes from them.

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  4. Sure, that'd be great! Howzabout some onion wine? I need to bottle it soon. Great for cooking. I'm hosting the WAPF potluck in August.

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  5. No wine here, sorry! Maybe an elderberry tutorial? I "think" I have some in the swamp behind the house... Real hesitant to ID on my own, but once I know for sure....

    I'll be watching for the date of the potluck here on your blog!

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  6. Pam, if you take some pics of your elderberry suspects, I'll identify them for you. I can identify them at any time of the year, even the dormant winter bushes. I'm elderberry obsessed!

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  7. Just found this last reply. I'll try to get some pics if I can. The flowers are gone now, but I'll see if I can find the plants. Any word on the WAPF potluck date yet?

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  8. Yes, we have a date, but I won't publish it here or the address, that is just too unsafe.

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  9. How will I find out then? I do not do facebook.

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  10. Through WAPF Northampton chapter?

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  11. Just found your blog...am wondering what you regimen you are using to regulate your blood sugar and heal your adrenals. Would LOVE to know as I am starting that journey.

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  12. It is really too much to cover in a post or two, but join if you haven't already....I'm going to offer a teleconference class in Sept and will describe and announce it here as well as on facebook. There will also be some great giveaways coming up here soon! Actually, there are still a couple of unclaimed prizes on my fb page giveaway: https://www.facebook.com/BlueViolaNutritionalTherapy?ref=hl

    This stuff has changed my life, and now my client's lives. Loving it!

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