St. Louis, MO 63144
Ph: 314-862-COOK (2665)
Mon-Sat 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Sun 12 to 5 pm
Several customers of Kitchen Conservatory have called to ask — no plead — “when will the fresh garlic be available?”
We planted the garlic last October and will harvest in early July and then the crop will be available for sale at Kitchen Conservatory. Fresh, juicy, hard-neck garlic tastes completely different from supermarket garlic. One head can perfume a whole kitchen.
Yesterday, the garlic “scapes” appeared. Scapes are the seed pods from the garlic and must be cut off so that the garlic plant will produce bigger heads. Some people saute or stir-fry the scapes and eat them like green beans, but I find them stringy.
The fresh garlic crop will be celebrated in two cooking classes: A Sunday in the Country on August 12 and Garlic Gala on August 16.
store information
Mon-Sat 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Sunday 12 to 5 pm
9011 Manchester Road
St. Louis, MO 63144
314-862-COOK (2665)
I wanted to know “What does your garlic start from? Do I buy bulbs from the supermarket, or purchase them from a store that specializes in herb plants? Any help would be appreciated. When would I plant it, since I live in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Thank you
If you plant a clove of garlic, you will get a head. Supermarket garlic has been treated so that the cloves will not sprout, though you sometimes see the green sprout in older garlic. We buy garlic from a garlic farm, Bobba-Mike’s, in Ohio. We like hard-neck garlic and the variety is called Music.
Plant the cloves in mid-October. Place each clove one foot apart from the next clove, about six inches down. Be sure that the root is down and the sprout will grow up. Place straw over the ground. The garlic will sprout in the fall, but it winters over and really starts to grow in the springtime.
I planted garlic cloves 3 weeks ago and the scapes have broken thru and are about 4″ tall. When is the right time to cut them off? Do I need to keep cutting them until it’s time to harvest?
Is there an approximate maturity time (ie 90 days after planting).
Thanks…
What is sprouting now is not the scape, but the plant itself. Do not cut that sprout off! I plant garlic in October and harvest the following July. You may be able to reap some garlic, but they will be small. The scape comes up in May and is not a leaf but a hard shoot with a seed pod. Cut it off when it makes its first curly-q loop. Dig up the garlic bulb when the green leaves start to die.
I felt like I was wrong…so I’m glad I waited for your response before I cut the sprouts. Phewph! I’ll patiently await the scapes to come through before cutting them!
Thanks so much!
Mio