CUISINE & CULTURE
There is no absolute window to harvest garlic, but late summer is a good time. There are two types of garlic: softneck and hardneck. Both types have an edible underground clove and attractive gray-green, long thin leaf blades but differ in how the crop matures.
Softneck garlic varieties are the types found in most grocery stores. Their flavor is mild, and cloves can keep for months. Softneck varieties have stalks of numerous leaves that remain soft and pliable at maturity and can be braided into pretty, long-lasting ropes for storage.
Hardneck varieties produce seedstalks, called scapes, that arise from the center of a clove. Young tender scapes take on snaking, twisting shapes that add bizarre statements in the landscape. The scapes of hardneck varieties become rigid when mature. Cloves of hardneck varieties have a savory, delicate, yet spicy flavor.
Garlic is ready to be harvested when about a quarter of the lower, older leaves begin to yellow and turn brown. For softneck varieties, the weight of the leaves causes them to fall over, signaling it is time to harvest. Hardneck varieties are ready to harvest when almost half the leaves have turned brown. Cloves of softneck varieties can stay in the ground a little longer without decaying.
Harvest by lifting cloves with a digging fork, digging under the cloves and gently lifting soil clumps with the cloves, stem and root. Garlic that is just yanked up will have a handful of drying leaves but roots hold the cloves in the ground.
Curing of cloves is important to extend shelf life. After harvest keep leaves and roots attached to the cloves. Hang garlic braids or lay unwashed cloves in a single layer on a flat surface in a warm, dry, dark spot. Direct sun sun scalds cloves. Cure cloves for several weeks until fully dry with papery outer scales; gently brush off residual dirt, trim roots and shoots, leaving about an inch of tops. Store in a cool, dark, well-ventilated spot Garlic is a year-round crop that adds ornamental value to a garden as well as a healthy vegetable. Garlic is a source of Vitamins A, C, K and the B-vitamin complex folate, thiamine, niacin (USDA National Nutrient Database).
Gardeners who did not plant garlic last year can plan to plant a new crop later this fall for next summer’s harvest.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
