Flowers

Garlic, a bulb for patient foodies

05.10.11

There are good reasons to grow the hardnecks, though. They’re more primitive plants, with more complex, bold flavors. In the field, their flower stalks are usually removed when they form, to allow the plant to put more energy into the bulb. This practice has a double benefit, because garlic stems, or “scapes,” are delicious to eat — great sauteed in olive oil or blended raw to make a fabulous pesto. Hardneck garlic is also the cook’s best friend because the head forms a single circle of fat, easy-to-peel cloves. Softnecks have several circles of ever-diminishing size, each more tedious to peel than the last.

Hardnecks are a bit more winter-hardy, but both types should do fine in the Washington area. In fact, planting a bed of each is not a bad idea, to give you some softnecks for braiding as well as better storage.

At our place we have grown the same two varieties for years, a couple of unnamed Italian heirlooms given to us by our neighbor, Tony. They have done brilliantly for us, so we save the nicest heads each summer, and plant the fattest cloves. By doing this we’re selecting for those best adapted to our growing conditions.

Source: Washington Post