Garlic Harvest

The greens of the garlic are starting to brown and dry, a sign that the bulbs are ready to harvest.

We've already enjoyed the garlic scapes from this German Hardy hard-necked garlic; now its time to dig up and cure the bulbs.  Be careful loosening the soil with your trowel so as not to cut into the bulbs.  Once the soil is loosened, grasp the base of the stem and gently extract the plant.  

The bulbs need to be left in a dry, cool place for 3-4 weeks to cure, at which point they can be stored, ensuring delicious garlic for use in your kitchen for the next several months.  I built a simple frame around some chicken wire to fit into our garden tool shed, which, being constructed from pallets, offers plenty of air circulation.  Yes, the tools have to be relocated for a few weeks, but we do try to use our garden spaces for multiple purposes whenever possible! A fellow gardener uses old snowshoes to hold the garlic while it is curing - Vermonters are so innovative!

The stems are placed through the wire, allowing the bulbs to dry.  Once the papery skin around the bulb is white and brittle, the dirt can be brushed from the bulbs, the root and stem ends trimmed and your garlic stored in a cool, dry place and used as needed.  Don't over-cure the garlic, as the bulbs might split.

If you have enough, you can separate the cloves and plant them in early November for next year's crop.  

Sopa de Ajo

One of my favorite ways to use garlic is to make Spanish Sopa de Ajo.  While some might shy away from garlic soup, I find that roasting the garlic first ensures a mild but delicious base for the soup.

Split two garlic bulbs in half, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil.  Roast in hot (425 degrees) oven for 15-20 minutes.  Once cool, squeeze out the garlic and set aside.  Make some croutons with cubed, stale bread that has been tossed with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and toast in the oven until lightly browned (about 8-10 minutes).

Gently mash the garlic, add to a sauce pan in which olive oil has been heated and saute one minute.  Add a sprinkle of smoked paprika and continue sauteing for another minute. Add a generous splash of white wine and cook off the alcohol, then add 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth.  Heat through and season with salt and pepper.  Keeping the soup at a slow simmer, slide in two eggs and cook until egg whites are firm but yolk is still runny.  

Ladle soup into two bowls, included one egg in each bowl.  Serve soup with croutons. While not traditional, I like to sprinkle chopped parsley on the soup for a splash of color.