It has been a weird year weather-wise and everything in the garden seems to be coming late. The garlic has been no exception. We normally harvest in July, sometimes as early as mid-July. This year, we did not harvest until early August!
In spite of the delay, the garlic is beautiful and delicious.
We grew 4 varieties this year, all hardneck varieties: German Extra Hardy, Armenian, Polish Hardneck and Deerfield Purple.
I am a huge lover of garlic and the annual harvest about about 100 heads is always a highlight of our gardening experience. I look forward to it every year. The smell of garlic drying on the porch, the taste of fresh, uncured garlic (we put it in everything) and the anticipation it brings for canning season, which is right around the corner... they are all things that make the garlic harvest a delight. I understand why our ancestors held festivals around the annual garlic yeild. Everything about it seems like a pure celebration. And... YUM!