| |
www.TheGarlicStore.com
provides one stop shopping for all your garlic needs
whether you are an aspiring garlic gardener or an accomplished garlic
chef. Our wide variety of garlic hot sauces, cookbooks, kitchen items
and fresh garlic also make perfect gift items.
Want to grow your own garlic? We'll
show you how - it is easy! Click our information resources for the latest
in garlic gardening tips. We have produced a video/DVD which will
bring you up to date on all the latest on growing your own beautiful gourmet
garlic bulbs. For some general growing questions,
check out the FAQs further down on this page.
Our
website is really our brochure, and that is
why we're sending you this email version.
We do have a printed brochure for people who are not on the internet,
but it is very plain and simple, and does not represent all the products
we carry, especially as availabilities change for the over 60 varieties
we carry. On the website you can find ideas on garlic gardening, harvest
and storage. There are dozens of great recipes, and garlic restaurant
reviews.
Need a gift for a garlic lover?
Tell your friends that now there is
a site that is 100% pure garlic. (Use our tell-a-friend feature on the
site.)
And be assured, we will never share
your personal information or email address with anyone. If you prefer
not to shop online using our secure server, you can also reach us at 1-800-854-7219
(Mon-Sati, 10 AM-6 PM Mountain Time); noon - 8 PM East Coast Time.
|
|
Some
FAQs
What are the basic kinds of garlic?
There are over 400 recognized varieties of garlic. But there are three
basic kinds. The Elephants are very large, flavorful, but not too hot.
The bulbs are great for roasting. Softnecks are the garlics consumers
most frequently find in supermarkets. They are characterized by many smaller
cloves and have a long shelf life. Some supermarket garlics are chemically
treated to retard germination, making them unsuitable as seed stock. Hardnecks,
also called stiffnecks or Rocamboles, are the royalty of garlic. They
have complex and interesting flavors, often very large cloves and are
thus generally much easier to peel. They produce curled scapes which shoot
up from the center of the plant. These should be cut to produce larger
bulbs-but they are a wonderful sight and are also very edible when harvested
just as they start to curl. Sometimes called garlic spears, they are great
in stir-fries.
What kind grows best in my part of the country?
Garlic is relatively tolerant of many climates. The plant originated in
central Asia, so cold winters are usually not a problem (given sufficient
mulch). As a rule, elephants do well in wetter climates (or with irrigation.).
Softnecks tend to do a bit better where the winters are milder and the
summers hotter. Most hardnecks do well anywhere, and many really thrive
in cold winter climates. Some of the best hardnecks are grown along the
border with Canada. We have indicated climate preferences for some varieties
on our web site. But with good soil, most varieties we sell can do well
in almost any part of the nation.
How
much garlic should I order?
We sell half pound bags of premium planting stock. Depending on the variety,
a bag contains between two and six bulbs. Each bulb contains anywhere
from a half dozen to 20 or more cloves. The trick is to plant the largest
cloves (perhaps the five largest) of each bulb and eat the rest. Each
clove produces a bulb, so after a year you are way ahead of the game.
Plant cloves about 5 to 6 inches apart and 2-3 inches deep.A half pound of hardnecks supplies 20-25 plantable cloves, and softnecks bags yield 30-35 plants. If you know
the size of your garden plot, you can figure it out from there. We recommend
trying several varieties to see which respond best to your local soil
and climate.
When do I plant my garlic?
Garlic is best planted in the fall, usually four weeks before the ground
freezes. This typically means late September (in the north) to late November
(in the south). This allows for good root establishment before winter
sets in. In the deep south, some growers plant during winter or early
spring and get good results. Like people, garlic takes about 9 months
to grow. Harvest is usually in July when about half of the leaves on the
lower 35-50% of the plant have browned. Note: Experiments with spring
planting in more northerly areas have produced acceptable results. The
harvest time remains about the same.
Where do I learn more about growing garlic?
Each bag of our garlic planting stock comes with complete growing instructions.
The garlic information section of our website. www.TheGarlicStore.com,
has a plethora of gardening hints. For the really serious grower, there
is always the "Bible" of garlic growing: Growing Great Garlic,
also available from our web store. And our video "A
Garlic Gardener's Guide", VHS or DVD, 32 minutes - produced
by the Chief Clove himself here at The Garlic Store - is fun as well as
educational.
How do I store my garlic?
A ventilated garlic keeper is fine, and looks good in your kitchen. Garlic
stores well at room temperature as long as it is not sealed up. The ideal
storage for garlic is at 55 degrees F and at 55% relative humidity. Never
refrigerate garlic, or it will try to sprout prematurely. And never ever
store garlic in oil at room temperature. It is a hotbed for botulism.
How soon will I receive my order?
We normally ship all orders within 2 business days of receipt. We use economical
and dependable USPS Priority Mail which usually reaches destinations in
the U.S. within 3-5 business days. The one exception will be if you pre-order
garlic for the upcoming planting season. When they become available, we
ship purchases in the order received, so the early birds get the best
bulbs. But we can not ship until the bulbs are fully cured. Most shipments
go out by mid-September, in plenty of time for planting.
|