Choosing Garlic for Late-Fall Planting

If you're going to plant garlic for next year, it's just about the right time to buy your planting stock! There are lots of different types of garlic- I didn't even really think about the different varieties that exist under the larger type categories, let alone the types themselves! In addition to there being hardneck and soft neck types, there are 9 different types (that I know of) of garlic, and a bunch of specific varitieies of each type! There is actually a good list of different types of garlic here: check it out!

I've put together a list of varieties of that I'm interested in planting for next season- overall I'd like to plant about 6 heads of garlic, or roughly 50-75 new heads of garlic.

Softneck
Artichoke (3)

Applegate

Lorz Italian

Inchelium Red

Italian Late

Silverskin (1)
Silver White

Hardneck

Porcelain (1)

Romanian Red
Chesnok Red

Rocambole (1)

Spanish Roja

Here in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area, we have several choices for purchasing locally grown garlic- I hope you are as lucky and that you have local growers to choose from as well! 

There are several good options for organically grown garlic from seed companies like Hood River Garlic, Seed Savers Exchange, and Seeds of Change. I like all of these companies, and I often purchase seeds from these companies, but there are several perks to buying local garlic vs. seed company garlic for your planting stock:

• Local garlic supports a local farmer-
  This one is not a surprise, hopefully, but local growers are often hand-selecting the varieites you are choosing, screening for the best performance. The success of these local growers depends on your business.
• Local garlic is often cheaper-
  I've seen local garlic at the Farmers' Market that costs between $2 - 2.50 per head for a large size. I averaged out how much garlic from Hood River, Seeds of Change, or Seed Savers Exchange costs, and the answer seems to be about $3.70/head. That's not even including shipping prices!
• Local garlic is well-suited to your growing region- Because you are purchasing garlic that is grown close to where you live, it's unlikely that you could pick a varitiety that won't perform well in your garden (at least not because of normal climate issues)
• Greater variety of garlic is available to you- My go-to Garlic family grows 40 + varieties of garlic each year. That's a LOT! Most seed companies I looked at offer 3-10 varieties.

Again, not every grower will specialize in garlic like the Dyer Family does, but if you can find a farm or a farmer that loves garlic as much as you do, I can't think of a single good reason not to run out to your nearest Farmers' Market, Farm Stand, or Farm visiting day and snatch up some of that garlic!

I've grown garlic at home for several years now, and each year, although I'm able to save a heads to plant, I make a point to buy some from local growers too. That way, I can try new garlic types, and do my part to make sure that garlic lovers in my city & county get to by from those local growers for as long as they'd like to sell! Planting occurs around (Hardiness zone 6a) at the end of October-beginning of Novemeber, but it's not too early to start stocking up now! Good luck selecting :)

What's Up Wednesday

This is what's "up" in my urban garden today!

The two dwarf cherry trees are in bloom. Last year each tree produced 1 cherry each, so I'm hoping for more like 10 each this year haha! They're now 3 years old so they're starting to branch out & produce more.

Garlic is looking good- I have 37 heads of garlic growing- hopefully that will be enough to last me through June of 2013! I purchased 4 delicious varieties from my local garlic friends/farmers- if you can find locally-grown garlic near you, it is a worthy investment for eating, and planting too!

Kale, lettuce, leeks, onions, and carrots are planted at the South end of this long bed in the picture. Sugar snap peas are sprouting down at the far end by the fence. 

Just harvested out of the root cellar/garden! I've been using up the last of the carrots, and pulling the few onions that didn't get harvested last fall to use as green onions. Soon I'll have fresh new onions and carrots.

All out of garlic :( I got pretty close to getting through the whole year using only homegrown/local garlic- I think that's sort of awesome. Garlic scapes will come up in June, so there's really only a 2 month gap that I have to "outsource" my garlic. Yeah!

Start eating locally- Join a CSA this spring!

If you're new to this whole "Eat Local" movement, and you're not sure where to start or how to get into local eating, it can be overwhelming! Once you start making more informed choices about what you eat, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and get into an all-or-nothing type of mentality. I am here to say a) don't be so hard on yourself! and b) start somewhere simple!

These friendly folks are the Dyers! They just started a garlic CSA!

CSA Shares (Community Supported Agriculture) are an important part of the Eat Local movement as well as a increasingly popular way to support a local farmer and invest in the food you are eating.

The basic model that CSAs usually follow is that you pay for a subscription or a share of the CSA. This fee is either paid up front in a lump sum, or could be paid in a more flexible arrangement. In exchange for your payment, you get a weekly box of vegetables that are packed up for you and that you pick up at one of several location choices.

There are many new exciting CSA options in addition to this traditional model. In this post, we'll cover the basic "steps" of finding and choosing your CSA!

Things to consider in your CSA search 

Type of CSA- In the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area alone, we have some really interesting CSA options, including Fresh produce, frozen seasonal produce, prepared locally-sourced meals, garlic, home-brewing grains, staple foods, meat, dairy and more! If you're a reader from outside our little zone here,  there are several good resources for finding CSAs near you:
localharvest.org
realtimefarms.com
Google "Community Supported Agriculture + my city

Growing Practices- Most farms fall under one of several designations: Conventional growers, Certified Organic growers, or organic in practices/chemical & pesticide free growers. Conventional growers use some level of pesticides, fertilizers, etc., although they could be trying to minimize these types of practices. Certified Organic growers have gone through that certification process and obviously use organic practices when growing their produce. Farms that are organic in practice/bio-dynamic/chemical & pesticide free are most likely conscientious of the benefits of growing food organically, but either cannot or have not chosen to pursue the organic certification. It's good to have a conversation with the growers about their practices, no matter which category they fall into, to make sure you're down with their practices.

Location of Farm/pick-up- Most CSAs offer several pick-up locations, so even if they are not located in your city, they might very well deliver to your local farmers market. Most times, you'll be responsible for picking up your share each week, so make sure you are choosing a CSA with a share pick-up location you can and will get to.

Size of CSA share- There are typically several share options available; Full Share and Half Share being the most standard. Generally, a Full Share will feed 3-4 people, and a Half Share will feed 1-2 people. There might be other options, so again, it's good to ask! If you're single, or a couple, think about going in together and splitting a Full Share with a friend, family member or neighbor. After all, it is Community supported agriculture :)

Length of season- There can be a lot of variety in the length of season your CSA offers- 18-22 weeks is pretty common, and most CSAs I've seen run May or June through September or October. Some CSAs, depending on what the products for sale are, might run through the Fall and Winter as well, so check it out!

Price- Again, lots of variety in pricing too. Since shares run for a variety of weeks through different seasons, the best way to compare is through price per week. You also want to think about what you can afford to pay,  because as mentioned earlier, you might need to pay the season's fee in one lump sum. When you average the cost out though, CSAs are overall a great value! You can get great quality, locally-grown produce for a very affordable price; some farms will take SNAP/Food Stamps/EBT so if you're receiving those benefits, don't count yourself out!

Keep in Mind:

Ask questions!

• If you haven't noticed yet, a general theme (one that applies to the entire Buy Local concept) is ASK! If you have a question, ask. If you have a special accommodation, ask. If you aren't sure of the specifications, ask. One of the huge benefits of purchasing a CSA subscription is that you get to build a relationship with the Farm and the farmers that grow your food. Use that relationship to really own the knowledge of where your food comes from, how it's grown, etc.

Do your research

• You're essentially investing in this farm for the season. I would encourage you to take this seriously, like  other investments you might make. As I say frequently, each time you buy something, you are voting. So make sure the CSA you're "voting" for is the one that is the best fit for you, your family, and your food needs!

Sweet, local Honey goodness

this pic does not do honey justice

While there are many things that we look to get a bargain on when we shop, one of the I have learned not to compromise on is honey. It might sound silly- honey is pretty delicious to start with- why be picky? I asked myself the same thing, until I had truly local, raw honey, straight from the hives of two of my favorite Farmers, Dick and Diana Dyer. Diana is a Registered Dietician (and blogs here), and she and Dick got into farming as a full time gig several years ago. Their original specialty is garlic, another "common-place" thing I have learned to become picky about; once you realize there is more out there than just elephant garlic out there, it's hard to go back to the plain old grocery store variety!

Getting back on topic, I tried some of the Dyer's Washtenaw Wildflower honey earlier in the summer and I was hooked! The taste of home "grown" honey is far more deep, rich, and complex than the standard store bought kind. It's just amazing. As soon as I found out there was a second honey harvest this fall- a flavor entitled Fall Farm Goldenrod, I made sure I picked up 2 quarts of the stuff before it disappeared! It's a bit darker and not as light on the tongue as the summer honey, but just as delish!

If you can find local, raw honey, and support a family of incredibly nice farmers in the mean time, I suggest that you run out and purchase yourself some ASAP!

Tidying up the Fall Garden

Garden activities are finishing up now that it's mid-October.

It's time to harvest those last crazy tomatoes and pick those jalepeno peppers. They give great flavor to soup, or our new favorite family dish to make, chicken stir-fry. I transferred the little lettuces I started with my indoor grow light, and they are doing SO well- they love being outside :) I'm excited to have fresh lettuce for another few weeks. We planted garlic last week, and I actually had some garlic come up from when I planted it last spring mistakenly! I chose two different varieties from Dyer Family Organic Farms . I bought two cloves of each type, one to sample, and one to plant- Chesnok Red and China Stripe- both kind of "zesty" varieties- Yum!

Pictures to follow :)

I also started recently receiving weekly deliveries from Calder's Dairy! I've signed up to receieve a loaf of bread, two half gallons of milk, and butter as well! So far (minus an address mishap) I've been very happy with quality of products and bread was delish!

Now I am having local chicken, turkey, pork products, eggs, milk, butter, and bread delivered to my house- this is a big accomplishment to check off of my Local Eating Goals list!