Seed Garlic -
Hardneck Cultivars Grown By The Garlic Clubb
Rocamboles
Rocambole Garlic is one of the most widely grown garlic varieties. It is a great favorite and known for its robust, well-rounded, true garlic flavor. Its raw heat is nicely balanced by a deep and rich flavor, with sweet undertones. It’s excellent in any dish where the object is to showcase the garlic flavor. It is also great for roasting. Rocamboles have loose skins and are easy to peel. Bulbs can be large and characteristically have 8-12 cloves. The bulb wrappers usually have red, pinkish and purplish colours, and when harvested the cloves are encased in a reddish-brown skin. Rocamboles are attractive plants and have broader leaves than Porcelains, but do not grow as tall. Their only downside is that they do not store as long as Porcelains.
Rocambole Garlic is one of the most widely grown garlic varieties. It is a great favorite and known for its robust, well-rounded, true garlic flavor. Its raw heat is nicely balanced by a deep and rich flavor, with sweet undertones. It’s excellent in any dish where the object is to showcase the garlic flavor. It is also great for roasting. Rocamboles have loose skins and are easy to peel. Bulbs can be large and characteristically have 8-12 cloves. The bulb wrappers usually have red, pinkish and purplish colours, and when harvested the cloves are encased in a reddish-brown skin. Rocamboles are attractive plants and have broader leaves than Porcelains, but do not grow as tall. Their only downside is that they do not store as long as Porcelains.
French Rocambole
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Ukrainian Rocambole
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Marino
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Spanish Roja
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- French - A large garlic with 8-10 easy to peel cloves. Winter hardy. Sublime buttery flavour and medium heat that lingers. Light brown color. It comes to us from Al Picketts of Eureka Garlic in P.E.I.
- Ukrainian - A large, hardy robust garlic. 9-10 cloves per bulb. Early harvesting. Short storing. Full flavored and spicy with a warm rich aftertaste. A deep full garlic flavor.
- Killarney Red - A large, easy to grow Rocambole. It produces well and thrives in a variety of soil conditions. 8-9 easy to peel cloves per bulb. Grows well in cold winter areas. Better in wet conditions than most Rocamboles. Matures early, but is a shorter storing Rocambole. Killarney Red has a great deep garlic flavor and is one of the best tasting Rocamboles. Its flavor is rich, hot and strong.
- Marino – It has 6 to 8 large, uniformly-sized cloves with purple-striped skin. A mild garlic with warmth, some sharpness. Can be eaten raw. Large-sized with purple stripes. Easy to grow.
Additional Rocamboles that The Garlic Clubb will add in 2017:
- German Red
- Spanish Roja
Porcelains
Porcelain Garlic is the most impressive garlic plant. It grows lush and tall, and the bulbs can get very large. 4-6 huge cloves per bulb. Easy peeling with great market appeal. Grows well in Northern climates, at the same time doing better in Southern climates than many other hardnecks. Porcelains also have the highest allicin content, the sulfur compound that gives garlic its therapeutic benefits. It stores well and can last well into the spring.
Porcelain Garlic is the most impressive garlic plant. It grows lush and tall, and the bulbs can get very large. 4-6 huge cloves per bulb. Easy peeling with great market appeal. Grows well in Northern climates, at the same time doing better in Southern climates than many other hardnecks. Porcelains also have the highest allicin content, the sulfur compound that gives garlic its therapeutic benefits. It stores well and can last well into the spring.
Music
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German White
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Northern Quebec
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- Music is one of the most popular Porcelain garlics. Hardy and productive, it has an average of 4-6 cloves per bulb with beautiful satin white bulb wrappers. Clove wrappers have an attractive purple color. Scapes can reach heights of 6 feet plus. It grows well in many soil types, but does like to be well drained.
It is the predominant garlic grown in Quebec and Ontario. It is also popular throughout the Pacific Northwest. It’s a robust grower that tolerates a wide range of climates, faring particularly well in northern climates with very cold winters. Easy to peel and popular in the kitchen, it has a rich and robust taste — slightly spicy and with some heat but not overwhelming. Delicious and a prime example of what a hard-neck porcelain garlic is all about. A great choice for anyone growing garlic for the first time. - German White – Also known as German Extra-Hardy, Northern White and German Stiffneck, depending on location, is a large robust Porcelain garlic. It is widely grown and known for its hardiness in very cold winter climates. Large white bulbs with just a hint of purple containing 4-6 large and easy to peel cloves. A mild heat and a strong well balanced flavor makes it a great all purpose garlic.
- Northern Quebec – Large, hardy, vigorous Porcelain. White skinned robust bulb with white wrappers and 4 or 5 cloves per bulb. Popular with growers because it grows well over a large range of conditions. Excellent smoky, pungent flavor. One of the hottest Porcelains. Easy to peel.
Italian
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Yugoslavian
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Rasa Blanca
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- Italian – It is a robust grower producing large bulbs. There are 8-10 easy to peel purple cloves per bulb. It has a strong spicy, flavour and stores for 8-9 months or longer if properly cured. Medium heat.
- Yugoslavian - It has been grown in the Okanagan and the Kootenays of British Columbia for decades. It produces large bulbs with copper streaks and purple blotches. Grows and keeps well. 4-6 dark brown-skinned cloves per bulb. Strong up front flavour, with a hot, spicy taste that fades to sweet in the mouth.
- Rasa Blanca – It comes to us from Rasa Creek Farms, BC. “Porcelain with heritage from the Purple Stripe family and so full of the potent healing properties of garlic. Strong but not overly so, with scrumptious garlicky flavor.”
Additional Porcelains that The Garlic Clubb will add in 2017:
- Georgian Fire
- Georgian Crystal
- Romanian Red
- Polish Hardneck
Purple Stripes
Genetic studies have shown Purple Stripes to be the original line of garlic that other varieties evolved from. It does best in cooler Northern climates with cold winters. Named because of the vivid purple coloration and striping on the bulb wrappers and clove skins, it is a strikingly attractive garlic. Most cultivars have 8 to 12 cloves per bulb. They store slightly longer than Rocamboles and peel almost as easily. The cloves are generally arrayed in a single layer around the flower stalk, though very large bulbs may have inner cloves. For a similarly sized bulb, the cloves are more numerous and thus somewhat smaller than Rocambole cloves and considerably smaller than Marbled Purple Stripe cloves. Purple Stripes are fantastic culinary garlics. They have a strong, complex and rich garlic flavor, without being overly sulfurous. They are great for roasting, usually winning “best baked garlic” taste tests. They do not have the sweetness of Rocamboles, but some of the best may be even more characterful.
Genetic studies have shown Purple Stripes to be the original line of garlic that other varieties evolved from. It does best in cooler Northern climates with cold winters. Named because of the vivid purple coloration and striping on the bulb wrappers and clove skins, it is a strikingly attractive garlic. Most cultivars have 8 to 12 cloves per bulb. They store slightly longer than Rocamboles and peel almost as easily. The cloves are generally arrayed in a single layer around the flower stalk, though very large bulbs may have inner cloves. For a similarly sized bulb, the cloves are more numerous and thus somewhat smaller than Rocambole cloves and considerably smaller than Marbled Purple Stripe cloves. Purple Stripes are fantastic culinary garlics. They have a strong, complex and rich garlic flavor, without being overly sulfurous. They are great for roasting, usually winning “best baked garlic” taste tests. They do not have the sweetness of Rocamboles, but some of the best may be even more characterful.
Persian Star
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Chesnok Red
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- Persian Star – Medium sized with a clear white outer skin and purple streaked inner wrappers. 6-8 cloves per bulb. Also, known as Samarkand, Duganskij and Duganski, Persian Star is said to have originally been discovered at a market in Samarkand, Uzbekistan – the general area believed to be where garlic first originated. It is a great example of what Purple Stripe garlics have to offer, with vivid colors, a rich, strong taste, and large easy-to-peel cloves that make it a culinary favorite. Excellent flavor with a robust garlic taste and a mild spicy finish that isn’t as sulfurous and overpowering as some varieties can be. Stores for about five to six months.
- Chesnok Red – A medium sized garlic which originated in the Shvelsi region of the Republic of Georgia. It can grow large depending on soil conditions producing 8-10 good sized, easy to peel cloves per bulb. Stores for 4-6 months if properly cured. It is a full-flavored garlic with a mellow aftertaste that lingers nicely. Some years it can be hotter or milder than usual, but it always has a full garlic flavor. It is one of the best roasting garlics with a sweet creamy finish. It is a culinary favorite.
Additional Purple Stripes that The Garlic Clubb will add in 2017:
- Shatilli
- Italian Purple
Marbled Purple Stripes
Genetically different than Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe grows well in Northern climates, but can do well in Southern climates as well. It has striking purplish bulb wrappers, but the cloves are more on the brown side. Marbled Purple Stripes have grown steadily in popularity due to their consistent clove size, consistent taste, dependable growth in the garden and field, and relatively long storage life (six months and more). They have more cloves (5-7 large cloves per bulb) than Porcelains, but fewer than Purple Stripes. They can be quite hot when raw, smooth and mellow when cooked. Somewhere between a Porcelain and a Purple Stripe in flavor while providing good overall garlic character to many recipes.
Genetically different than Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe grows well in Northern climates, but can do well in Southern climates as well. It has striking purplish bulb wrappers, but the cloves are more on the brown side. Marbled Purple Stripes have grown steadily in popularity due to their consistent clove size, consistent taste, dependable growth in the garden and field, and relatively long storage life (six months and more). They have more cloves (5-7 large cloves per bulb) than Porcelains, but fewer than Purple Stripes. They can be quite hot when raw, smooth and mellow when cooked. Somewhere between a Porcelain and a Purple Stripe in flavor while providing good overall garlic character to many recipes.
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Eureka Judy
Comes to us from Al Picketts of Eureka Garlic in PEI. A typical Marbled Purple Stripe, hot when raw, smooth and mellow when cooked. Good overall taste. 6-7 cloves per bulb. Easy to grow. Additional Marbled Purple Stripes that The Garlic Clubb will add in 2017:
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Eureka Judy
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Glazed Purple Stripes
Genetically different from Purple Stripes and Marbled Purple Stripes. The bulbs are medium in size with large, stocky cloves that sit between Purple Stripes and Marbled Purple Stripes in shape and size. Cloves per bulb vary between cultivars, but commonly range from six to twelve. The bulb wrappers have a glazed, matte metallic appearance. They are silvery-purple with occasional gold tones. The clove skins are smooth and shiny with purple blush over a tannish background. The bulb coloration is certainly attractive, and these are very fine culinary garlics as well. They are of moderate heat, producing a warm, but not over-powering, taste - rich and complex. They are excellent for recipes requiring either raw or cooked garlic. They also have a respectable storage time of approximately six to eight months thanks to their tight clove skins. They are very adaptable to different growing conditions.
Glazed Purple Stripes that The Garlic Clubb will plant in 2017:
Genetically different from Purple Stripes and Marbled Purple Stripes. The bulbs are medium in size with large, stocky cloves that sit between Purple Stripes and Marbled Purple Stripes in shape and size. Cloves per bulb vary between cultivars, but commonly range from six to twelve. The bulb wrappers have a glazed, matte metallic appearance. They are silvery-purple with occasional gold tones. The clove skins are smooth and shiny with purple blush over a tannish background. The bulb coloration is certainly attractive, and these are very fine culinary garlics as well. They are of moderate heat, producing a warm, but not over-powering, taste - rich and complex. They are excellent for recipes requiring either raw or cooked garlic. They also have a respectable storage time of approximately six to eight months thanks to their tight clove skins. They are very adaptable to different growing conditions.
Glazed Purple Stripes that The Garlic Clubb will plant in 2017:
- Red Rezan
- Vekak
- Purple Glazer
Korean Red
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Sakura (Japanese)
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Asiatics
Asiatic garlics are weakly bolting, meaning they don’t always produce a scape. They are genetically different from the other weakly bolting garlics, Creoles and Turbans, and likely closer to Glazed Purple Stripe. The bulbs, tend to be pure white, produce firm plump cloves with thick wrappers richly colored in purple or mahogany. They average 8-12 medium sized cloves per bulb and have a shelf life of 5-6 months. Similar to Turbans, they are early maturing. They tend to mature suddenly, just ahead of Artichokes. Asiatics tend towards the strong and hot end of the taste spectrum, especially when eaten raw.
Asiatic garlics are weakly bolting, meaning they don’t always produce a scape. They are genetically different from the other weakly bolting garlics, Creoles and Turbans, and likely closer to Glazed Purple Stripe. The bulbs, tend to be pure white, produce firm plump cloves with thick wrappers richly colored in purple or mahogany. They average 8-12 medium sized cloves per bulb and have a shelf life of 5-6 months. Similar to Turbans, they are early maturing. They tend to mature suddenly, just ahead of Artichokes. Asiatics tend towards the strong and hot end of the taste spectrum, especially when eaten raw.
Asiatics that The Garlic Clubb will plant in 2017:
- Pyong Vang
- Korean Red
- Japanese
- Korean Mountain
Turbans
Turban is the earliest maturing garlic and popular for this reason. It is a good choice for those who want to spread out their harvest and enjoy some fresh garlic before the rest of the varieties are ready. It is a weakly bolting garlic. Its name comes from the shape of the umbel (the flower/seed pod on the scape). It looks like a turban, squat and hat-like. The bulbs are distinctly short and flattened, but are beautiful with bright purple stripes. They can attain a large size even though the plants are small. The heavily striped bulbs are very attractive and are ideal for early season marketing before other garlics appear. Cloves are normally plump, with light, glossy pink to brown color. They average 6 large cloves per bulb. They do not store as long (4-5 months) as Asiatics and are quite quick to sprout.
Turban is the earliest maturing garlic and popular for this reason. It is a good choice for those who want to spread out their harvest and enjoy some fresh garlic before the rest of the varieties are ready. It is a weakly bolting garlic. Its name comes from the shape of the umbel (the flower/seed pod on the scape). It looks like a turban, squat and hat-like. The bulbs are distinctly short and flattened, but are beautiful with bright purple stripes. They can attain a large size even though the plants are small. The heavily striped bulbs are very attractive and are ideal for early season marketing before other garlics appear. Cloves are normally plump, with light, glossy pink to brown color. They average 6 large cloves per bulb. They do not store as long (4-5 months) as Asiatics and are quite quick to sprout.
Creoles
Creoles have an exceptional flavor with a delightful nutty quality. They are renowned in the culinary world. One of the most famous creoles is Rose de Lautrec, the French pink garlic. Flavor can be sharp with a burst of heat that fades quickly leaving a pleasant aftertaste. Creoles have small but colorful cloves which are a surprisingly deep purple and/or red. There are 8-12 cloves per bulb. Creoles grow well in the Southern USA (even the deep South) and love heat. We are planting 3 Creoles next fall, but there is some question as to how well they will do because of our northerly location. They do not like extremely cold winters and do not grow well in the extreme North. They are long storing (9-10 months).
Creoles have an exceptional flavor with a delightful nutty quality. They are renowned in the culinary world. One of the most famous creoles is Rose de Lautrec, the French pink garlic. Flavor can be sharp with a burst of heat that fades quickly leaving a pleasant aftertaste. Creoles have small but colorful cloves which are a surprisingly deep purple and/or red. There are 8-12 cloves per bulb. Creoles grow well in the Southern USA (even the deep South) and love heat. We are planting 3 Creoles next fall, but there is some question as to how well they will do because of our northerly location. They do not like extremely cold winters and do not grow well in the extreme North. They are long storing (9-10 months).
Rose de Lautrec
Creoles that The Garlic Clubb will plant in 2017:
- Rose de Lautrec
- Burgundy
- Cuban Purple Creole
Seed Garlic -
Softneck Cultivars Grown By The Garlic Clubb
Italian
Artichokes
Artichoke cultivars are among the most productive and least problematic. They are early maturing, readily develop very large bulbs, and adapt to a wide range of growing conditions and soils. They rarely produce scapes which results in the plant directing most of its energies to bulb development rather than to reproduction – scapes. Bolting cultivars often require removal of the flower stalk to achieve the largest bulbs and greatest productivity. From the standpoint of a large-scale commercial grower, Artichokes are an easily grown, heavy producing garlic that does not need the additional labor-intensive step of scape removal. This favors Artichoke garlic at the expense of all bolting hardneck garlic. Artichoke cultivars are by far the most commonly grown commercial garlic. Most of the garlic in the supermarket is from the Artichoke group. The flavors are familiar, but have a bit of a vegetative element rather than the richer deeper characters of some of the other horticultural groups.
Additional Artichoke that The Garlic Clubb will add in 2017:
Artichoke cultivars are among the most productive and least problematic. They are early maturing, readily develop very large bulbs, and adapt to a wide range of growing conditions and soils. They rarely produce scapes which results in the plant directing most of its energies to bulb development rather than to reproduction – scapes. Bolting cultivars often require removal of the flower stalk to achieve the largest bulbs and greatest productivity. From the standpoint of a large-scale commercial grower, Artichokes are an easily grown, heavy producing garlic that does not need the additional labor-intensive step of scape removal. This favors Artichoke garlic at the expense of all bolting hardneck garlic. Artichoke cultivars are by far the most commonly grown commercial garlic. Most of the garlic in the supermarket is from the Artichoke group. The flavors are familiar, but have a bit of a vegetative element rather than the richer deeper characters of some of the other horticultural groups.
- Sicilian Gold - A popular Italian softneck garlic that has nice white skin producing creamy white cloves in purple wrappers. It delivers a mild to moderate flavor and is a great variety for braiding. In very cold climates, some plants may bolt or form scapes in the stem. However, these generally do not need to be removed for good bulb size. Bulbs have a good consistent size and have 10 to 14 cloves. Requires good fertility (particularly high Nitrogen) to size up properly. Should be harvested early once the first leaf or two have started to brown. Stores for up to a year.
- Kettle River Giant - Kettle River Giant is a highly productive cultivar. As the name suggests, it can produce very big bulbs, with similarly large cloves. In some cases, the bulbs can exceed 4 inches in diameter! It originates in the Kettle River area in NE Washington, near the Canadian border. This is one of the more flavorful varieties of softneck garlic and it stores very well, 8+ months. It has a rich full taste and is usually ready to harvest early to mid-season along with other Artichoke varieties. Can grow in warmer climates.
Additional Artichoke that The Garlic Clubb will add in 2017:
- Inchellium Red
Silverskins
They are the last garlics to mature each season and they store the longest – 10+ months. There is a great range of tastes, pungency and onset of pungency, clove color, leaf color and size as well as time of maturity. They make a good addition if you like to spread out your Garlic harvest. Silverskin bulbs are smaller than those of Artichokes, but they have a large number of cloves per bulb, easily 10 plus. The cloves are arrayed in multiple layers. many of the inner cloves are often tall, slender, and small. The outer cloves are relatively large, flattened on the interior side, and tallish, with rounded corners and a graceful curvature that helps form the teardrop shape of the bulb. The outer cloves may be quite thin and wide in some cultivars. The bulb wrappers are white but may have yellow or tan veining. Clove skins range from white to tan, prominently pink-blushed, or even reddish purplish. Silverskins are popular with supermarkets because of their long shelf life. The flavours of Silverskins are typically hot and aggressive. If you like your garlic strong, this is the Garlic for you! No other garlics braid better than Silverskins.
Additional Silverskin that The Garlic Clubb will add in 2017:
They are the last garlics to mature each season and they store the longest – 10+ months. There is a great range of tastes, pungency and onset of pungency, clove color, leaf color and size as well as time of maturity. They make a good addition if you like to spread out your Garlic harvest. Silverskin bulbs are smaller than those of Artichokes, but they have a large number of cloves per bulb, easily 10 plus. The cloves are arrayed in multiple layers. many of the inner cloves are often tall, slender, and small. The outer cloves are relatively large, flattened on the interior side, and tallish, with rounded corners and a graceful curvature that helps form the teardrop shape of the bulb. The outer cloves may be quite thin and wide in some cultivars. The bulb wrappers are white but may have yellow or tan veining. Clove skins range from white to tan, prominently pink-blushed, or even reddish purplish. Silverskins are popular with supermarkets because of their long shelf life. The flavours of Silverskins are typically hot and aggressive. If you like your garlic strong, this is the Garlic for you! No other garlics braid better than Silverskins.
- Nootka Rose - Nootka Rose garlic is an heirloom softneck Silverskin that came from the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Nootka Rose Farm in Waldron, Washington is generally credited with popularizing the variety. Bulbs are large for a Silverskin and will typically have 15-20 cloves. The bulb wrappers are very white although the clove wrappers are rose-tinged and can be strikingly beautiful. Nootka Rose is a favorite with many growers because it is visually very appealing and can be easily braided. It is the last cultivar to fully mature, in late July/early August. This late maturation and long storage time helps stretch out the selling season as far as having fresh garlic available for sale late into the year. It has a bold, robust taste with medium to hot flavor.
Additional Silverskin that The Garlic Clubb will add in 2017:
- Western Rose
Western Rose
Photo credits: http://www.rasacreekfarm.com/