Fresh from The Spring Farm: Garlic

By Jenny Spring

Did you know that garlic is so easy to grow in Muskoka? In fact, Ontario garlic can be some of the best garlic out there.

Unfortunately, I am not allowed to bring garlic to the market because there is already someone there selling it, but if you need organic garlic to stock up for the winter or to plant yourself, I have a ton at the farm. Some of my heads have been growing in Huntsville for four years now so it is well adapted to this area and grows very well.

Last week I harvested all my garlic. There were a couple of very hot days and I left the garlic to cure in the ground. I then harvested it all and laid it on the ground to dry out. Before the next rain we brought it into the barn to hang and cure for the next couple of weeks.

I usually pick my garlic a couple of weeks after the garlic scapes have been picked. You know it is ready when the stems start to fall back and turn yellow.

Garlic growing tips:

1. Unless your soil is naturally loose, add a lot of organic matter like compost or well-aged manure.
2. Separate the garlic bulb into individual cloves (just like you do when cooking but without peeling them).
3. Plant garlic cloves about an inch deep. The fatter end that was at the bottom of the bulb should be at the bottom of the hole.
4. Space your cloves 2 to 4 inches apart. Your rows can go 12 to 18 inches apart.
5. While the plants are green and growing, fertilize them, but stop fertilizing after they begin to “bulb-up.” If you feed your garlic too late, your garlic won’t go dormant.
6. I tend to not water my garlic too much, especially before I harvest it. I think it grows better when it is on the drier side.
7. Your garlic is ready to harvest once your leaves turn brown. You can start checking when five or six green leaves are left.
8. Garlic needs to cure before you store it anywhere. Make sure to bundle eight to a dozen together by their leaves and hang them in a place to dry.
9. Once you have harvested all the heads, collect the biggest bulbs to use for garlic seed.

Recipes

Pickled Garlic

I take all the small garlic cloves and pickle them for the winter.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup canning salt
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 2 pounds fresh garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 heads fresh dill

Instructions:

1. Combine canning salt, water, and vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes (180 degrees).
2. Meanwhile, pack garlic into 4 sterilized pint jars (about 8 ounces per jar) leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1 head of dill to each jar.
3. Using a ladle, divide hot pickling liquid between the 4 jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles, clean jar rims, center lids on jars, and adjust band to fingertip-tight.
4. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. The jars must be covered by at least 1 inch of water. Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool 5 minutes. Cool 12 hours. Check seals.

Roasted Garlic

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut top 1/4 inch off heads of garlic to expose cloves. Place garlic in small baking dish.
3. Add oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
4. Turn garlic cut side up.
5. Bake until garlic skins are golden brown and cloves are tender, about 55 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic cloves from skins.
6. Serve with fresh bread or it can be eaten alone.

Garlic Risotto

Ingredients:

• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 cloves of garlic
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio
• 1 cup mizuna, roughly chopped (or arugula)
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Reduce the heat and keep warm.
2. In a large heavy bottom pot heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant and tender, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring often for about 1 minute.
3. Add the wine and stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes. With a ladle add about 1 cup of the warm broth. Cook, stirring often, until broth is absorbed, about 4 minutes. Keep adding broth, 1 cup at a time until the rice is tender but still al dente and sauce is creamy (you may end up with more broth than you need), about 20-25 minutes.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the mizuna, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Jenny Spring and Oliver Wolfe are co-owners of The Spring Farm with Andrea and Brian Currie. Each week, Jenny will share a recipe featuring in-season, Muskoka-grown produce from their local farm, which is just five kilometres from downtown Huntsville. She’ll also share a gardening tip about the chosen vegetable. You can find these vegetables and more at the Huntsville Farmers’ market on Thursdays after Victoria Day in the Canadian Tire parking lot, or at The Spring Farm gate on Bethune Road North starting in June.

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