August 24, 2024

 Thanks everyone, for checking out my list on the Catalogue page. I've nearly sold out in four days, which was about what I was expecting. I do have a few things left, and especially bulbils, because I had a feeling it would be a tough year, and I saved some scapes of nearly everything, just in case. After hail knocked a bunch of them off in June, it just seemed prudent.

So, if you are still looking to order, be prepared to compromise on the selection, or you can ask me to make up a variety pack based on what I have left, for as many kinds and amounts as you choose (I'll let you know if I have it).

It has been wonderful connecting with all of you this season, when you come out the farm and share your wisdom and gardening stories, that is my encouragement for the year.

All the best, Julie

Trimming and sorting progress report 2024

 Hello Everyone, 

I thought I'd share some uplifting pictures of what the bulbs are looking like this year. There is more staining to the wrappers, and a lot have been demoted to seconds because the skins are split, but I can sort out some really nice bulbs, and there are virtually no small bulbs, especially in the porcelain group. 

I am very grateful that we were able to hand dig them as quickly as possible once the rain receded, otherwise I'm quite sure I would have a lot less to offer you this year. 

I am working on a list as I trim more of the different kinds. This week I will work on Marbled Purple Stripes. They took it hardest, having all the rain, so that'll be a toss up as to what will be available for purchase. I did save lots of bulbils this year, so hopefully that will fill out your desires for new strains, and keep the diversity alive and flowing across the landscape, growing in those beautiful home and market gardens.  All the best - Julie

There were a few that got harvested before the rain - the early varieties like Turbans and Asiatics.

This Garlic Seed Library Needed an Ark

 Well, 2024 harvest has been fun! First we had some hurricane leftovers (nothing like what the southern United States dealt with of course, but a good 4 inches of rain none the less. I thought, okay, its early enough, we have time to let things dry out before I need to pull the garlic out. Well...

Yeah, we got more rain after that.

I was feeling a bit desperate on July 15th and went out with a wheelbarrow and a shovel. 

I was thinking, well, I can salvage some varieties! 

I'm very grateful that after that, it quit raining for about a week. I moved on it immediately, and started hand digging in the mud, then in the sticky clay, all the way into the reasonably dry top soil/still a little sticky underneath. Near the grand finally of our harvest window, it would have been possible to get the tractor out there, but it was hardly worth the set up. Besides, my sister and I are well conditioned to hand digging garlic - we do some of it every year, and it is how we got started, before we rented, and then purchased a black plastic lifter, that serves as our undercutter for the garlic.

On the last major day of harvest, July 21st, we did Red Russian and Duganskij MPS. They did not initially look ready, but I was suspicious of the top leaves turning uniformly yellowish, and sure enough, many of the bulbs were actually rotting in the ground. We've had to sort a lot of them out for emergency processing in our food dehydrator. 

The amazing thing is that it still looks like I have a something of a crop - there is just a lot more sorting and second grade bulbs. Once we did the work of getting them into the barn, it seemed possible to continue. The Catalogue will be much reduced this year, and the verdict is undecided about how much, of what kinds, I will grow next year. I need to determine what seed to save. This week I will start trimming, and will get a better idea of what I've got to work with.

Another feature is that with the adequate rainfall earlier in the summer, the some Porcelain bulbs are truly enormous! So, there is always something positive to focus on! I'll try to get some pictures while I trim and sort :-)

All the best with all of your own garlic adventures! Julie