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Post by brownrexx on Jul 8, 2015 7:51:39 GMT -5
I cure mine for about 3 weeks outside in a covered shed. I don't think that one cloudy day would harm the flavor. I thought that you might be keeping them outside for the whole curing time.
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Post by desertwoman on Jul 8, 2015 9:05:35 GMT -5
I don't understand bb's posts either. I also read it as , it was curing outside- which is not optimal. One day- cloudy or not- won't hurt the favor and storing capacity. But it's important to get the garlic to a covered, shaded area for curing.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jul 8, 2015 10:07:37 GMT -5
After drying a day or so on trays on my back porch, I clean my garlic off (it was really wet, this time), and I tie it into bunches of 6 or 8, checking as I go to see if any have less skins, or have split, and need to be used first, and I bundle those together, and mark them. Then, I hang all of the bunches in my basement for curing. The entire house smells like garlic, but then, that is a frequent occurrence here! LOL
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Post by datgirl on Jul 8, 2015 10:28:33 GMT -5
I pulled some of mine yesterday. They were good size but not as big as some years. They were planted in a different spot this year. I have them laid out on our front porch. The only place that is covered and not in direct sun.
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Post by Tomato Z on Jul 13, 2015 22:07:10 GMT -5
Finally dug up all of the garlic since rain is in the forecast for the next few days. It's in bundles of 10, hanging in the garage.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jul 15, 2015 5:09:14 GMT -5
I pulled the garlic last night and hung them in the garage and what a smell walking in there! Second year and have a couple dozen. Should I trim the roots now?
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Post by brownrexx on Jul 15, 2015 7:16:02 GMT -5
I don't think that it matters when you cut the roots off but the leaves should not be cut off until dry.
I cut the roots on mine when I cut the leaves off.
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Post by meatburner on Jul 15, 2015 8:29:26 GMT -5
I do the same as brownrexx but braid the leaves and hang in the kitchen. brownrexx, how do you store your garlic for long term? Are you getting a lot of rain as the radar shows some nasty weather your way?
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Post by brownrexx on Jul 15, 2015 8:53:15 GMT -5
Yes, it seems to be raining every evening here. Got 1/2" last night.
I cure my garlic outside on wire mesh until it is dry but this year with all of the humidity, I think that I may bring it inside the house for a few weeks to make sure that all of the moisture is out of the outer wrappings. The leaves look dry now so I will cut them off on the first really hot day that we get and then bring them inside. I don't want to do this on a rainy day like today.
After I am sure that they are dry I store my garlic in the basement. I have a nice dry basement with a cement floor so it's not too humid and it is about 55 degrees down there. I store all of my garlic, onions, potatoes and winter squash in wooden baskets with good airflow. I bought 1/2 bushel baskets (like you see at the produce stands) at Agway and they are perfect for storage.
Last year's garlic didn't start sprouting until May so it was stored for about 10 months.
Here is last year's basket of garlic ready to go to the basement. The basket is a bit oversized but more airflow is always better. I do my onions the same way.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Jul 15, 2015 9:26:19 GMT -5
Your garlic looks pretty uniform mostly. Mine seem to vary from small to large and a lot in between. What variety do you grow?
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Post by brownrexx on Jul 15, 2015 9:35:53 GMT -5
LA sent me some cloves about 4 years ago and she got hers from Liz1 so we really don't know the variety name but it is a hardneck.
I think that the head uniformity may have more to do with the soil and moisture uniformity than the variety. I totally mix up the soil in my garlic bed and add lots of compost each year. Last year I planted in 100% compost. It's too small of an area to till so I turn it over with a shovel and mix it up. The bed is covered with a thick layer of straw all year.
Out of the 50 cloves I planted last Fall, I only got 2 small heads. The others are all pretty much the same size.
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Post by desertwoman on Jul 15, 2015 10:28:28 GMT -5
I braid or simply gather and wrap stems around it to form a casual bunch. Then I hang off a beam on the edge of the kitchen out of any direct light. They store beautifully all winter into spring. They start to sprout or dry out by about May or June. But we still have a few left hanging from last years crop, that aren't too bad. Certainly not the juicy early cloves, but eatable, all the same.
I have a little variety in size, but not too much. Mostly medium sized with a few jumbos and a few tiny ones. I also hand turn the soil in the fall with lots of compost and OM and a thick layer of shredded leaf mulch.
I'm harvesting garlic today!
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