It is not surprising that many people are unaware of the many different varieties of garlic, but it is surprising that many chefs are ignorant of it as well. We are trying to educate those we have the opportunity to, on the different varieties and their unique taste qualities, so they may enhance their repertoire of dishes. Introducing them to garlic scapes has likewise been interesting and surprising.

On the other hand, we are fairly new at growing garlic, this being only our third year of major production, but we are trying to produce a quality product for our customers. We are growing a number of different varieties to determine which will do best here in our Iowa climate and soil conditions. Others, we are raising so they will be available. We are also raising interesting foreign varieties which are especially good for a specific countries cuisine.

This year has been what you might call close to a disaster! Though the previous fall held great promise, this was not to be. First was a hard winter and with spring came the realization that we had lost nearly all of our creole varieties.

Next was a wet spring which precluded any work in the garden, especially for weed control. Mud! And the weeds loved it! Where did they all come from? This would certainly have an impact on bulb size.

But the final blow was that just as harvest season was upon us, we had to leave for several weeks. This meant that the garlic stayed in the ground too long and much of it lost their covering sheaths. Some actually had nearly bare cloves! Therefore, we had little to really offer this year in nice neat clean bulbs.

We will hold out hope for next year as we learn more, especially about the varieties which do well for us here, and on taking precautions that will reduce the problems we faced this year. One can only hope.

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Enjoy!