DESPERATE?
This is a tough time of the year for garlic lovers. For many, the fall harvest has long found its way into delicious meals by the fireside. The poor excuses you find for garlic bulbs in most supermarkets are enough to make a true aficionado weep. These sad specimens, after their long journeys from China or whatever distant land, have shriveled to pale ghosts of their pungent past. What’s a garliholic to do? Garlic Powder? Garlic Flakes? Garlic Salt? OK…these help. But they're not fresh garlic.

Well, why not take matters into you own hands? You don’t have to wait for the late summer 2005 harvest to indulge in fresh allium sativum. First, TheGarlicStore.com does keep a supply of quality garlic in special cold storage for release to the market, both for chefs and gardeners, come early spring. See our comments on spring planting below. But you can also grow for garlic greens. As soon as your ground is no longer frozen, plant the cloves 2 to 3 inches deep, and an inch or so apart. Within 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the weather, the green shoots will be about 12 inches high. Harvest and enjoy (see our recipe section for green garlic ideas). They look like scallions, but have plenty of garlic taste.

Don’t have a garden handy? Try Flower Pot Garlic. It’s easy to grow garlic greens inside. (It is possible to grow small bulbs in a pot, but they don’t compare to the outside results. Thus we suggest sticking to growing greens indoors). And there is a variation on this theme we have learned from Chinese chefs. Take several larger cloves and put them in gravel or rocks in a shallow dish with lots of water, rather like you were growing paper whites. After a week or two, when the green shoots reach 5-6 inches tall, clip the upper portions to use as a garnish, like chives - expect lots of garlic flavor. We hear some folks keep a decorative garlic growing dish right on the table and keep snipping these super-fresh condiments for many weeks.



DON'T PANIC!
This time of year we receive many frantic emails from new growers about the state of their fall planted cloves. "Help, won’t the terrible cold kill them?" Especially if you mulched, the answer is almost always, No. garlic comes from Siberia, so it’s one tough plant (we have plenty of growers in Minnesota.) Though last year’s brutal winter did cause some crop loss in Maine, that is pretty rare. Some folks get nervous because their cloves didn’t come up in the fall. Not to worry. While some cultivars do sprout in the autumn, the majority do not. Be patient. As long as some passing gopher or squirrel didn’t enjoy them as a meal, they’ll be sprouting soon. Some are concerned about their shoots when they are up many inches, and winter strikes with cold and snow. Again, have no fear. The plant can survive zero degrees (either Celsius or Fahrenheit) with nothing more than a little tip burn.



AND THE WINNERS WERE...
One of the nice things about running an e-commerce business is that so much of the information is readily automated and at your fingertips. Because folks are curious, we let our fingers do some walking through our database, and find out which state purchased the most garlic in 2004. Drum roll please:
NEW YORK, The Empire State, the home of the Saugerties Garlic Festival and the Garlic Seed Foundation, placed number one.

What did folks buy? Once again, our biggest seller was elephant garlic. Now there are some purists who point out that, technically, the pachyderms are actually leeks, not true garlic. And some disparage their milder taste. But once you know how to roast a big elephant, and then smear it on some fresh French bread, you’ll get the idea. Following up in popularity for 2004: Chesnok Red, Spanish Roja, Italian Purple and Inchelium Red.    

A SPECIAL SPRING OFFER FOR YOU:
We at TheGarlicStore.com greatly appreciate your patronage over the past eight years, and are pleased to provide this little extra incentive in the cause of Spring Fever. We have been cold storing a number of popular varieties to meet the needs of spring planters. Of course, we will introduce the summer 2005 crop and open the web site for advance ordering of those beauties come early August, but for those wanting to spring plant for a crop by THIS summer, read on.

Who says procrastination does not pay?! If you place an order between now and 30 April 2005, we will deduct 20% from your total. BUT, in order to identify yourself as a subscriber, you must type in the code: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS in the “Comment to the Chief Clove” box on the ordering form (Sorry Pennsylvania growers...McNabb will come through next year.) The discount will not show up on the order total, but we will deduct the amount before processing your payment. (The discount applies to the cost of the items only, not shipping and handling). And if you want to tell a family member or friend about our special offer, that’s OK too. Among the garlic varieties that we will be offering on a first come, first serve basis are:

HARDNECKS
Siberian, Bogatyr, GSF#65, Music (conventional), German Porcelain (conventional), Persian Star, Siberian, German White (conventional), Chesnok Red, Zemo, Georgia Crystal, Korean Red, Xian
SOFTNECKS
Lorz Italian, Susanville, Silverwhite, Red Toch, Shantung Purple, Chinese Pink
ELEPHANT
Yup! Them, too. Big cloves for planting.

HOW THE GROUNDHOG DOES IT
It has been a tough winter in much of the U.S., especially in the east where places like Hell, MI did indeed freeze over. And it was pretty cold in Punxsutawney, PA where, on February 2nd, the nation’s “official” ground hog (aka woodchuck, a member of the marmot family), was proclaimed on network TV to have seen his shadow and, thus, we can expect six more weeks of winter.

Hmmm. Turns out The Chief Clove at TheGarlicStore.com is also a meteorologist by training. We would like to point out a few things. First, a check of the calendar will show that winter is in fact scheduled to continue for a few weeks more than six, until the vernal equinox on March 20th. It’s this way every year, incidentally. But there is a more pressing concern. In order to make network news slots, the Punxsutawney event is staged at 5:25 AM. A quick check of our computer shows us that the sunrise that morning is not until 7:29 AM! In other words, any woodchuck's shadow is being cast are from remote TV van headlights or flood lights illuminating the passel of reporters doing their live feeds. The idea is, you see, the animal has to cast a shadow from the sun! In any case, IF Phil (that’s the rodent’s name) actually has any forecasting skill, we would suggest he is using more sophisticated techniques. He might even have a link in his burrow to the real pros.

Check out the actual 90 day outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center.These folks have some really fancy equipment which is likely to be a bit more reliable than the hunch of a whistlepig (yet another regional name for the burrowing critter). The CPC calls for continued warmer than average weather in the western U.S, with ongoing dry conditions in the Pacific Northwest. It has been so mild in that region we have reports of garlic up to 8 inches tall already. It will be more likely near normal over much of the rest of the U.S., with less snow around the beleaguered Great Lakes. But no matter where you are, your fall planted garlic will soon sense it’s spring...and the miracle will begin again anew.

SPRING PLANTING
As we have recounted in the past, after tests with Colorado State University and the local USDA group here in Ft. Collins, we are confident that you can spring plant garlic with good results. As long as the ground is workable and not likely to freeze again, you can plant from anytime here on out. The earlier the better. Mid-April would be towards the end of the spring planting window in the northern tier states. Plant just as in the fall, 2-4 inches deep and 5 - 6 inches apart. Mulch, fertilize and water as usual (see how to grow on our web site. The garlic will at first lag its fall planted brethren, but come July it will catch up fast. It often is ready for harvest within a week or two of the others. The bulbs may not be quite as large, but they will taste just as great.

A NEW GARLIC RECIPE FOR YOU…
Winter is a time for snuggling up with a good book, listening to good music - and eating great soups. The following luxurious recipe is a great example of fusion cuisine, and is worth the time it takes to cook it.

Garlic-Shrimp Soup with Shallot-Lime Cream
4 cups broth cooked on the shrimp shells or other fish broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 3-inch piece ginger, grated
2 stalks lemon grass, white part only, finely minced
2 celery stalks
2/3 lb raw shrimp (or crab), peeled and deveined

2 cups cooked Jasmine (or other mild) rice

1 cup cream
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup sauteed shallots, finely minced

Boil the shrimp shells in enough water to make fish broth. If necessary, add fish or chicken stock to make 4 cups of good broth. In blender, puree lime juice and shallots. Pour into bowl and mix with cream. Cook cream mixture over low heat until reduced to 1/2 cup.Saute garlic, ginger, lemon grass and celery until translucent. Saute shrimp until just done. Puree the vegetable mixture with the shrimp and the rice. Add broth as needed. Mix in remaining shrimp broth. The shrimp mixture should be thick and smooth. Pour into bowls and drizzle in the cream mixture in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle with cayenne. Serves 4.

NEW PRODUCTS
Finally, we have a garlic-loaded BBQ sauce that we can really get excited about. Garlic Head (yup, that’s the brand!) Barbeque sauce is rich in tomato, molasses and TONS of garlic. This is one of the best we have had.

          

Tired of bland pickled garlic? Just pop a clove of “Gilroy Hot Stuff” Habanero Pickled Garlic! Dave’s Insanity Sauce it ain't, but it’s not for wimps. And you must try Collis’s Roasted Elephant Garlic Granules. These organic, crunchy little jewels of flavor are tremendous on a salad or veggies. Their close cousins, the Elephant Garlic Powder and Elephant Garlic Flakes are equally good. The flavors of the elephant garlic are intensified and an absolute must in a garlic lover's kitchen.

Also, we now carry the new garlic book that we announced in a pevious newsletter. Everything Tastes Batter With Garlic features treasured favorites like Caesar salad, chicken with 40 cloves, old-fasioned garlic bread are here along with sassy newcomers. The book also contains handy lists featuring all things garlic. A must for the garlickionado and a great gift!


The Garlic Grower’s Video/DVD
We call it “A Garlic Gardener’s Guide.” This 32 minute production shows you the tricks of the trade for growing your own top flight garlic, and also provides some historical facts about the history of garlic, along with fun scenes from the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Available now as either VHS tape ($19.95 plus S&H) or DVD ($19.95 plus S&H)

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
You can always email TheGarlicStore.com with your garlic questions (TheChiefClove@TheGarlicStore.com.) But if you would like your question answered in an upcoming issue of The Garlic Store Gazette, just let us know. We can publish your favorite garlic pictures too (just send them as an email attachment).

Published by: www.TheGarlicStore.com at Yucca Ridge Farm, 46050 Weld County Road 13, Fort Collins, CO 80524. A member of the Better Business Bureau Online. Email us at: TheChiefClove@TheGarlicStore.com or call us at 970-416-8695. (Mon-Fri, 10 AM - 6 PM Denver Time)
© The Garlic Store/FMA, Inc., 2004

Order online at www.TheGarlicStore.com