She's quite tall, this beauty, her scape with bloom just brushing my cheek as I move in for a closeup photo.....slim, willowy, with rather large cloves growing under the soil. It's the first year she's been here, but hopefully, not the last. I would like you to meet, Susan Delafield.
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| Susan Delafield lounging by the firepit. |
Boundary Garlic describes this garlic variety as one of their hottest and most flavorful porcelains, growing tall, producing large bulbs and more tolerant of wet conditions than others. Well, even with the scape left on, this grew a larger than normal sized bulb and I am terrifically pleased with the results. The bulbils are just forming in the scape, uniquely beautiful. Here are two photos to compare this Porcelain with a Racombole. There are more lovely photos on the Boundary site and at Henry's Photos.
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| Susan Delafield, Porcelain Garlic, not yet matured to flower. |
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| Unknown Rocombole Variety |
The Rocomboles I have, are an unknown variety, a gift about thirteen years ago when I started the garden. In fact, until two years ago, I didn't grow garlic "properly". We just harvested the bubils using them when fresh and crispy as they are now (perfect for sprinkling on anything that loves garlic). In the fall, we dug the baby rounds out of the damp soil, and froze them for winter use. I still maintain a nursery bed of garlic which continues to reseed year after year. It gets out of hand some years but, I wouldn't be without it. The bulbils, if left to their own devices, dry on the stem, drop to the ground, root and grow on. Sort of like Egyptian Walking Onions...you can have them for life ;-)
For now, I've started curing the harvested bulbs, in cool dry shade inside the summerhouse and elsewhere. There's a breeze blowing through so it should be fine, otherwise, we can put a fan there to help. I did read online that you could crack/bend the stem which would speed up the curing and I have done that to some of mine for comparison. Any comments regarding that ( and all comments of course) would be appreciated.
That's a new variety for me.
ReplyDeleteWell it was new to me last year Sue. I knew nothing about her height, and heat, and have found little about SD's history online. Thanks for you comment.
DeleteWow Bren, this is really encouraging. Porcelain is a new one on me. I'm going to grow more garlic next year and more varieties - and I'll be asking you about whether it is better to bend or not. Sadly I don't see a UK supplier for Ms Delafield.
ReplyDeleteThe Porcelain types seem to be those white papery ones we buy from China but can so easily grow ourselves.... there are a lot of varieties. If you visit that Boundary site I linked to...so much..so much! But true..importing garlic is a big issue worldwide...cost being a consideration. A great book.."In pursuit of Garlic" by Liz Primeau is available through Amazon..a great read!!
DeleteFresh garlic, nothing beats it roasted whole and squeezed on to toasted foccacia bread. Yumsville!
ReplyDeletePaul
okay...you made me hungry for garlic again; love it roasted... Yumsville...gosh so many wonderful words bloggers give me... Thanks Paul.
DeleteIt looks awesome Brenda. Thank you for sharing with us!! You sure know what you are doing. :-)
ReplyDelete"Know what I am doing"..well Erin thank you for your kind words. I have stumbled along for years and years..and you know I am in the second have of my life century...so an ole gal picks up a few things along the way..but garlic is kinda new to me in many ways, as explained. Heh...will eating it daily get me to the end of my century!?!?!?!? Garlic..good for you!!
DeleteYour garlic looks beautiful! Garlic is such an easy and gratifying vegetable to grow. Will have to look into those varieties.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ng..it is, quite simply as you state, an easy and gratifying plant to grow. If I had known it could form bulbs in my garden, I would have divided and planted the baby rounds years ago..I just wasn't thinking. Ms Delafield was a surprise, I must say. Stands as tall as I am.
DeleteMost of the garlic that I can get in the grocery store comes from China and isn't all that nice. I wanted to grow my own last fall but got busy and left it too late. When should I best order and plant my own garlic this fall Bren? I love your rake drying rack. It is quite ingenious.
ReplyDeleteJennifer..I can post you some cloves from here if you wish. Let me know. Plant in October..nice rich soil..not to wet in winter..you know..not spending it in wet feet..just normal feet))) Liz Primeau has a great new book out on garlic, available on Amazon.
DeleteKnowing your garden as viewed on your blog, garlic can also enhance your flower beds. It pops up in mine here and there...good structure...reflects the upright line of the pickets.. ..very beautiful.
Thank you Brenda for the updates on the garlic. I just checked mine last night and noticed some lower leaves starting to yellow so decided to pull a few after your last post. Sure enough the bulbs are huge and look like they could be ready to eat. Never realized they would reseed themselves - I have been pulling apart the bulbs and replanting those.
ReplyDeleteThe garlic are early this year. Even those I am curing are separating...not a bad thing..just doesn't look as perfect as we expect.
DeleteYes, they reseed...oh so yes, do they reseed!!! Those little baby bulblets do what nature intended...fall to the ground and hope they find fertile soil to grow on. If you saw my garden, you would see garlic in a lot of places I didn't plant it )))
Am actually thinking if pulling off a lot of the bulblets and blitzing them with a bit of oil and putting them in freezer cubes for winter use. Why not? It will cut down on the reseeding ))))
Bren, as always, what gorgeous photos you take! So very inspiring.. and Susan Delafield, it was lovely to meet you!
ReplyDeleteNiki...I took of the scapes tonight as they seemed still, very immature compared to the other garlic...well if those cloves are as hot as the scapes (put on our salad at supper),look out...!!! Flame on Dragon breath!
DeleteSusan D says lovely to meet you too!!
Tks re the photos. I do enjoy that part of blogging.
I love your last photo ... it's so inviting! Guess what ... I'm allergic to garlic!
ReplyDelete~Michele