https://southernseedgarlic.com/home daily 1.0 2026-02-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1652450375175-6M5VM75UOFC6S38ZFDP0/Verb-Footer-BG.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1653072748905-CNC7I3OWGBAN2MBKUFPG/ssg-planting-guide-bg.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1653520344915-RUHY70VGR865IB3OBHPY/ssg-bulk-garlic.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1655482188678-G6UKMCPTJKJLVSDVHNP9/Untitled+design+%288%29.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1655504483960-E6GYKPRPA13K69VCT7R4/ssg-hero-bg3.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/85c8b3f3-215f-410d-bca4-26e3bff53a29/Garlic+101+Planting+Guide.png Home - Are you a first time grower? Get to know our garlic with best practices and tips for planting, harvesting and curing your garlic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/108c54a0-942b-426a-9cba-bd3e5568840d/ssg-footer.png Home Verb Bookstore - Love is a Verb - A Mobile Arkansas Traveling Bookstore https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/3002e113-f637-47db-afe6-342f063c8715/ssg-about-2.png Home - Get to know our growers! Matt and Sarah Singer live on a fourth-generation farm in Central Arkansas. From managing a herd of heritage breed cattle and raising their own produce, to running local service businesses and a teaching studio, Matt and Sarah do a little of it all. With over 25 years of farming experience under their belt, Southern Seed Garlic is their way to share the quality products from their farm beyond the local area. On their naturally-run farm, the Singers grow lots of produce, southern-specialty seed garlic, and a love for living close to the land. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife daily 0.75 2024-11-27 https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/fermented-garlic-honey monthly 0.5 2026-01-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/f154169e-d590-456d-a4c1-a26e1093ec05/Garlic_Honey Life on the Farm - How to Make (and Use) Fermented Garlic Honey - Fermented Garlic Honey Garlic honey was introduced to the world decades ago by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, and it continues to be a favorite for natural health seekers. Honey and garlic each have antimicrobial properties, and combined together they make a powerful duo for both taste and healing benefits. This is not something to wait to prepare until you are feeling under the weather. It takes a month or longer to reach maximum potency, so make it up now to have ready when needed. Like many herbal remedies, this works best as an illness prevention rather than healer. To use, eat a clove every day during the flu season. If you feel like you are beginning to fight an illness, take a spoon of the honey with a clove every hour or as needed. Most people can tolerate the raw garlic, but if you have any stomach issues or reactions, stop use. But you do not have to use garlic honey only medicinally. It makes a nice flavoring (and general health boost) in a number of dishes. My favorite way to use garlic honey in everyday cooking is as a sweetener in salad dressing. I’ll share a favorite recipe at the end of this blog. Thanks for reading! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/658d44b8-8822-4af8-adb3-f37a581248f8/Do+you+Know+what+it+is%2853%29.png Life on the Farm - How to Make (and Use) Fermented Garlic Honey - How to Make Fermented Garlic Honey Sterilize a glass jar in a hot water bath and dry thoroughly. Peel enough garlic cloves to fill your jar. (While there are faster methods for peeling a lot of garlic, it is best not to soak your cloves in water during the peeling process to avoid introducing mold to your ferment). Place peeled garlic cloves into your sterilized jar. Fill with raw honey to at least 1” above the cloves. Seal with a lid. Set on counter at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Rotate placing the jar on its lid and its base every 12 hours for 3 days to make sure honey coats the garlic well. Open the lid briefly after 3 days to release any built-up gases. Place jar in fridge. Begin using at about 1 month. Can be kept in fridge for up to a year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/0730b97b-27ed-4eb5-b9ee-7f74fc9893d7/FermentedGarlicHoneyRecipe Life on the Farm - How to Make (and Use) Fermented Garlic Honey - Peas and Bacon Tossed Salad There is probably not been a trip our family has taken in the past 12 years that I have not taken along this salad. I think of it as our “travel salad”, and my husband takes it for granted that there will be one of these salads in the ice chest for him when we pull over for lunch the first day of travel. It is so easy to prepare ahead of time, and I also love the immune boost from it thanks to the fermented garlic honey in the dressing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/8fc28c9c-8404-4897-a888-1c64ad9943a9/Do+you+Know+what+it+is%2857%29.png Life on the Farm - How to Make (and Use) Fermented Garlic Honey - How to Make Salad Dressing: ~ 1/2 cup mayonnaise ~1/4 tsp. sea salt ~1/4 tsp. black pepper ~1-2 tsp. fermented garlic honey Combine in small bowl and stir well with a fork. In a large bowl, layer chopped greens, frozen peas, and grated Swiss cheese. Add a dollop of dressing to taste. Repeat layers. Top with cooked, crumbled bacon if desired. Refrigerate until serving. Right before eating, toss with a fork to mix all ingredients. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-grow-echinacea monthly 0.5 2025-12-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/4bee17a6-f4a4-4e76-bb89-34412a1221cd/How_to_Grow_Herbal_Medicine Life on the Farm - How to Grow Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) - A Year in the Life of Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea, better known as Purple Coneflower, is a native wildflower of North America. Some species of Echinacea are endangered, and the pollinator is worth preserving and propagating in any garden. This beautiful and iconic wildflower also has a long history of use as a plant medicine. Native American peoples used it extensively, and it still one of the most widely recognized herbal remedies of modern times. It is used for boosting the immune system, helping to prevent an illness before it gets started. Like many plants, it is most potent when fresh, which is another great reason to grow your own supply. In this article, we will look at a “Year in the Life” of Purple Coneflower so you can have a year-round, self-propagating supply of this wonderful medicinal plant in your own backyard and garden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/bb88ed30-43a4-4e0f-8723-3dc20334d3c8/How_to_Grow_Purple_Coneflower Life on the Farm - How to Grow Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) - Starting the Plants (Mid-Winter to Early Spring) If you have an established bed of Purple Coneflower already, then you may not need more plants. Echinacea will drop seeds from its dried flower stalks in late fall. However, birds really enjoy nibbling on these seeds over the winter, so it may or may not spread very fast. I like to start a few plants in early spring just in case. One method of propagation is to scatter the seeds in prepared soil in late November, and cover lightly with mulch. As long as there are adequate freezing temperatures and the birds do not find your seeds over the winter, the seeds will sprout in the spring. If you do not experience freezing temperatures or do not want to risk seed loss with the outdoor method, you can start the seeds indoors. This has been the most successful way for me. For this method, start in January by taking the seeds out of their packet and placing them in a small plastic freezer bag. Add 1 TBSP of sand or vermiculite and 1/2 TBSP water. Shake it up, seal tightly, and place in your freezer for 4-6 weeks. At the end of this period, remove the seeds and place in a seed tray with quality potting soil. Water well and cover with a layer of plastic wrap or a seed tray dome. Set in a sunny window and keep moist until sprouted, 2-3 weeks. Remove plastic covering and continue growing indoors until ready to transplant outdoors in late spring. Alternately, you may be able to find a potted Purple Coneflower plant in the spring at your local plant nursery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/0e7db174-50af-429e-bfda-ddc827f0cbad/Do+you+Know+what+it+is%2848%29.png Life on the Farm - How to Grow Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) - Caring for the Plants (Summer) Purple Coneflowers require little care in the summer. Keep well weeded, both for the vitality of the plant and the ability to harvest a clean root system later for tinctures or other uses. Heavy mulches, even woven plastic mulches, can help make this easier. The plant is very drought tolerant, but if it begins to look wilted, water deeply. Spring and early summer is the best time to harvest the leaves. These are excellent for drying and using as an immune boosting tea. The flavor is strong but pairs well with mint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/aae50a9b-5420-4bb2-9af3-538864484fe4/How_to_Harvest_Echinacea Life on the Farm - How to Grow Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) - Harvesting and Cold Weather Care (Fall and Winter) Fall and winter are an important time for this perennial plant. If you plan to make a root tincture, harvest a second-year, mature plant with a good system once the plant begins to die back. To harvest your own seeds, wait until the flower stalk begins to die and turn brown. Cut off the stalks and dry the seed heads by hanging upside down in bundles in a cool, dry environment. Once completely dried, you can cut off the seed heads and store in a breathable container in a dry place, or place in airtight bags in the freezer. Weed the beds well and cover with a heavy layer of mulch. If you want to try direct-seeding, this is the time to do that. If weeds are threatening to take over the bed (a common problem with a non-aggressive perennial like Echinacea), you can cut the plant to the ground and cover with woven plastic landscaping fabric in the fall. Leave on until the plant begins to sprout in the spring. Purple Coneflower sprouts later than a lot of native plants here in my region, often not putting out leaves until late April or early May. Just be sure to make a note on your calendar or have another reminder to check on your bed, because the plants can be smothered if the plastic is not removed in time. With a good start ahead of the weeds, your plants will be ready for another successful year! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/four-tips-to-market-garlic monthly 0.5 2025-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/2c2dbdab-bf74-41ef-b273-a00762f14a59/Do+you+Know+what+it+is%2813%29.png Life on the Farm - Four Tips for Marketing Garlic - Marketing Garlic Garlic is wonderfully useful in the kitchen, garden, and medicine cabinet. It also has potential as a cash crop. Because we get a number of inquiries from growers interested in selling their crop, we wanted to share some thoughts on using garlic as a cash crop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/f1606173-af5a-4980-9721-76bf5abfc7a9/Do+you+Know+what+it+is%2814%29.png Life on the Farm - Four Tips for Marketing Garlic - Four Tips for Marketing Garlic 1. Decide your target market. Garlic can be marketed three ways: Seed, Culinary, or Processing. Seed garlic gets the best price per pound for the grower, but requires the highest standard of growing methods. Bulbs sold as seed must be seed grade--meaning over a certain diameter, disease free, and with proven performance--so generally only a portion of your crop will be viable for selling as seed. Growing garlic for seed is the most demanding, but also (potentially) the most financially rewarding. Culinary garlic does not usually sell for as high as seed garlic, but specialty garlic varieties and very large bulbs can still bring a good price with the right market. Culinary garlic can be sold directly to the consumer or as wholesale. Processing garlic gets the lowest price, but is a good option for bulk sales or inferior bulbs. 2. Have a temperature-controlled curing environment. If you do not invest in any other special equipment for garlic, invest in a temperature-controlled curing environment. If you plan to sell your garlic, you need reliable results from curing. Unless you live somewhere with cool, dry summers, it is worth the investment to have an enclosed curing shed or other building where you can control the temperature and humidity for clean, mold-free bulbs with long shelf life. 3. Hardneck garlics are a good choice for selling directly to consumers (such as a Farmer's Market) or to restaurants. Hardnecks are not widely available in grocery stores in the US, and are impressive to buyers for their beautiful colors, large size, and easy-to-peel cloves. 4. Don't forget value-added items! Garlic can be dried for garlic powder and homemade seasoning blends, or used in salsas, dressings, and other items that can also be marketed from your farm. Growing garlic is reward in itself. If it can be used to benefit your farm and family in other ways, then that is a bonus. If you have more tips for marketing garlic or questions that are not answered here, we would love to hear from you! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/7ddb55f5-6ba6-4bc8-8307-429d84926b4a/Garlic_Book_Cover.png Life on the Farm - Four Tips for Marketing Garlic - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/our-farm-story monthly 0.5 2025-04-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/8b8762aa-06ba-4cf0-a656-27ba32d8eb92/Homer.jpg Life on the Farm - Our Farm Story - Our Farm Story A family farm is the story of a lot of different people who loved each other very much. It's the story of generations and the times in which they found themselves. It’s a lot of work, the memories of how and what they grew, and the miracles that kept them together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/429fed0e-9929-4e6d-b523-0cebffb453e5/FarmStory Life on the Farm - Our Farm Story The story of our farm began in 1939 when a Texas farm boy joined the U.S. Marines. He wanted to marry and buy his own farm, but jobs were scarce and land was expensive. The Marine Corp offered a regular paycheck, so he hitched a ride to Austin to enlist. He had never seen a train before that trip to Austin, but before it was over, he would see the world...and a war. After going through Marine bootcamp, he was boarding a ship with his division for duty on Wake Island. At the last possible minute and without explanation, he and one other man were called off that ship and placed on another. That ship went to Midway. At Midway, he was doing picket-duty early one morning when the island, along with Pearl Harbor, was attacked. For three months his island was cut off from communication and under frequent bombardment. Of his original division sent to Wake Island, every man was lost. That was just his introduction to the war, for he would go on to serve as a gunner in the battles of Midway, Guam and Iwo Jima. He was told by commanders before some of the worst battles that there was no chance he would live to see the next day. And yet somehow, in the front lines and on foot, he did. At last, in 1946, he was on a ship bound for a ground attack on mainland Japan when word reached them that the war was--at last--over. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/2177819b-8d9a-4b35-a680-5fd4e032ffb4/Tractor_Kids.jpg Life on the Farm - Our Farm Story Homer Hoffman returned to Texas and his war bride. They worked as ranch hands and picked cotton until they were able to buy land in Arkansas at the high price of $15 an acre. Here they raised three daughters and spent the rest of their lives. Their great-grandchildren are the fourth generation (and counting) to live and love on this land. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-make-comfrey-fertilizer monthly 0.5 2025-04-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/7bc7c552-170b-47c1-8f8c-77ebeea63db6/Comfrey_8.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Natural Liquid Fertilizer with Comfrey - Why Comfrey? Comfrey is an amazing plant. Used medicinally by people for thousands of years, comfrey also offers a lot of benefits to its fellow plants. One of my favorite ways to use it is to make comfrey tea fertilizer. Learn how to make and use your own free and abundant natural fertilizer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/4ee148e9-e24b-45da-a207-7d228c6d7f7e/Comfrey_Fertilizer.png Life on the Farm - How to Make Natural Liquid Fertilizer with Comfrey - Why Liquid Fertilizer? When I switched over to all-natural gardening practices years ago, I found out that I did not miss most of the common fertilizers and pesticides. The garden grew just as well and the pest problems were no worse. The one thing I missed was good ol’ Miracle-Gro © style liquid fertilizer. There are just times when there is no substitute for a liquid fertilizer. It is quickly absorbed by the plants, prevents nutrient depletion from overwatering during hot or dry spells, and can be used closer to harvest time than granular or manure-based fertilizers. Liquid fertilizer is especially helpful for young plants. Sometimes a tray of seedling uses up the nutrition in its potting soil before the ground warms up enough to put them outdoors. Other times, a stressed or root-bound seedling needs some extra help to survive the transplanting shock. Then there are the delicate starts like lettuce that need some help getting their roots established ahead of a heat wave. A good shot of Miracle-Gro © gives a short-term answer but adds dubious ingredients to the soil. I tried various organic liquid fertilizers and—while I am sure there are some out there that work well—I never found one that seemed to make noticeable difference. Any that I tried were too expensive anyway to be practical on a garden as large as ours. But last year, I came across information on using comfrey to make liquid fertilizer. I was intrigued! Another use for comfrey’s abundant foliage! So late last summer I started a batch of comfrey fertilizer and tried it out. After an unusually successful fall garden, I can say that it was worth making. It helped my late summer transplants survive the heat and perked up the more mature plants. It is so difficult to keep young plants watered enough during late summer without flushing out the soil nutrients, but comfrey tea solved the problem. It was easy to make and gentle on the plants. I feel a lot more confident going into the spring planting season this year knowing I have this natural and effective fertilizer already growing out in my garden! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/9a7a0ee7-a1c1-4de1-a597-23a31561f856/Comfrey_3.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Natural Liquid Fertilizer with Comfrey - Comfrey Tea vs. Manure Tea If you have ever heard of making “manure tea” as a fertilizer, then you already know the principal of comfrey tea. Manure tea is made by placing raw animal manure in a bucket, filling the bucket with water, and “steeping” the bucket with a cover on it in the sun for several days. Then the manure is strained out and the liquid used to fertilize the plants. I have made manure tea for my garden, but always had concerns about the safety of using it on anything that was anywhere near harvest stage (for the same precautions about using raw manure). The odor, also, was a deterrent. This being said, comfrey tea does not smell beautifully after a few days of “steeping” either, especially in hot weather, and I would still be careful about letting it come in contact with any edible parts of the plant close to harvest time. However, overall I feel better about using a plant-based fertilizer rather than an animal-based in regards to the possibility of parasite or disease transmission. I also happen to prefer stuffing a bucket full of leaves right there in my garden than hauling it out to the cow pasture! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/52fcdafd-0f8f-4bd2-91b9-a4d1acc2eac2/How_to_make_comfrey_fertilizer.png Life on the Farm - How to Make Natural Liquid Fertilizer with Comfrey - How to Make Comfrey Tea Making comfrey tea fertilizer is easy! Fill a bucket about 3/4 full with comfrey leaves, stalks, and flowers. There is no need to chop them, just stuff the bucket with the foliage to about half full. Next, add water to the bucket until the leaves are well covered. Place a lid or covering over the bucket and let it sit in the sun for about a week (less in hot weather). Strain out the leaves. The wilted leaves you removed can be laid on the soil around mature plants as a mulch and additional source of nutrients. Dilute the liquid to half-strength and use as a liquid fertilizer. It can also be strained and used as a foliar (leaf) spray. You can bottle and refrigerate the liquid for use later. I prefer to store mine outdoors for up to another week in the bucket that I used to steep it, then start another batch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Natural Liquid Fertilizer with Comfrey - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/healthy-minestrone-recipe monthly 0.5 2025-12-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/4b03754a-0c40-4a1e-ab20-6ba8795244d2/No-Tomato-Minestrone-Recipe.jpg Life on the Farm - Healthy Winter Veggies Minestrone Recipe - Winter Veggies Minestrone Recipe I remember reading the memoirs of a man who grew up in a traditional Italian home. He told how his mother always had a pot of minestrone going on the back of the stove. In lean years, there were only vegetables in it. When the family prospered, little pieces of meat were added. But his whole childhood, no matter what time of day he came home, there was always a hot bowl of nourishing soup ready for him. For several years, minestrone was a regular at our farm here, too. Under that loose title, I could toss in whatever vegetables were in season, some home-canned tomatoes, leftover cooked meat, and the children’s current favorite pasta shape. A little Italian seasonings and it was good to go. However, when Matt had to eliminate nightshades from his diet several months ago, the minestrone pot grew cold. We all missed it. Finally I started doing some research into other soup bases besides tomato. When I tried this one, we were hooked. In fact, everyone here claims it is much tastier than the old tomato-based version. Whether or not eating tomatoes is a problem for you or not, there are good reasons to try out this soup base. For one, it is based on root-vegetables. Winter is our favorite time to eat soup, and root vegetables are such a rich source of the nutrients that help maintain our health in the winter months. They store on the shelf without any preparations, and we always have an abundance left from our summer garden. This soup base is our new favorite way to eat them. Another reason to make this soup is the flavor. Even if you aren’t a fan of root vegetables, you should give them a chance with this soup. The mellow vegetables, roasted garlic, herbs, and cooking wine (optional) give it a rich and comforting flavor. This recipe is wonderfully flexible. Follow the directions for the base, and then adapt the “fillers” to your family’s taste, what is in season in your garden, or just whatever sounds good today! Here are the details on how to make this wonderful minestrone, with a quick-reference recipe at the end. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/36c36665-17fe-4711-9155-173c7393b925/Minestrone-wouthout-tomatoes-recipe.jpg Life on the Farm - Healthy Winter Veggies Minestrone Recipe - Preparing the Soup Prepare one whole bulb of garlic for roasting. I recommend you not substitute raw garlic, at least the first time you make it. The roasted garlic adds such a rich flavor that is worth the extra step! While it roasts, prepare the rest of the veggies: ~3 small onions, peeled and sliced ~5-6 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped ~About 3 pounds of butternut squash (can substitute with pumpkin, other winter squash, or sweet potato.) Peel, seed, and coarsely chop ~3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped. ~1/2 bell pepper (optional), seeded and coarsely chopped ~Kale or other winter greens (optional), washed and coarsely chopped Place all the vegetables into a large soup pot. Add 2 quarts broth and 1/2 cup red wine (optional). Season with 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and salt to taste. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5511997d-a302-490f-be11-869cd7ece23c/How-to-make-no-tomato-minestrone.jpg Life on the Farm - Healthy Winter Veggies Minestrone Recipe - Puree the Broth When the veggies are tender, let the mixture cool slightly. Add the cooled roasted garlic to the pot. Remove in batches and puree in a food processor. Or you can use an immersion blender (pictured) and puree it in the pot. I prefer using an immersion blender, but I have to use my deepest pot or it does splatter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/066a8858-3898-4e88-9e4f-0a0d15d60968/No-Tomato-Minestrone-Recipe.jpg Life on the Farm - Healthy Winter Veggies Minestrone Recipe - Getting Creative The soup base is delicious by itself, but you can make it heartier by adding your favorite fillers. Some of our favorites include: Cooked pasta Chopped all-beef hot dogs or kielbasa Cooked, chopped chicken Hominy Cooked White Beans Sauteed or canned Mushrooms Chopped Olives Canned Peas Canned Corn What else do you like? Let us know your favorite minestrone ingredients, and thanks for reading! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-roast-garlic monthly 0.5 2025-02-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/e215b4ee-eb1c-47e5-8421-4de446203dd8/How_to_Make_Roasted_Garlic.png Life on the Farm - How to Make Roasted Garlic - How to Make Roasted Garlic Roasted garlic is a recent discovery for me. With so much garlic around our house these past years, you would think I would have been making it before now, but it just seemed like too much trouble. I am not like the little chef mouse from the Pixar classic Ratatouille, who delights in gourmet flavors. When you are cooking three meals a day for a hearty-eating family and growing most of the ingredients yourself, the less steps in that process the better. After all, I thought, garlic tastes like garlic, and there is no point going through the extra step of roasting it. But I was wrong! Making a soup recipe the other day, I finally decided to try roasting the garlic. The first thing I discovered was that it only takes a minute to get garlic ready for roasting. It is not time-consuming at all. The second thing I discovered was that, once roasted, getting the clove out of a garlic bulb is actually easier than trying to peel raw cloves…another time savings. The third thing I discovered was the….taste! I felt like the Ratatouille mouse for a moment. The roasted garlic added such a new and rich flavor to the soup. Not only that, but the whole family told me it was their new favorite soup recipe. Finding ANY soup that everybody likes, much less loves, sold me on roasted garlic. Since that experience, I have been roasting garlic for every soup and chili recipe I have made, and am continuing to find more uses. It makes a yummy spread for toast and adds new flavor to Italian-style dishes. You can even eat it straight! The best was I can describe the taste is a rich garlic flavor without the sharpness of raw garlic, plus a whole lot of other delicious flavors that I haven’t quite identified. Maybe Ratatouille could help me… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/9f37d6e0-9f81-44b6-b76c-e2c9c0fe4bb0/How_to_Make_Roast_Garlic.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Roasted Garlic - Cut the Bulb To make roasted garlic, cut open the bulb. You can cut it directly in half and roast both sides, or you can cut a “cap” off the top, exposing the inner cloves, and only roast the larger section. For large-cloved bulbs like Russian Inferno, it works best to just cut them in half. Cutting the bulb can be a little challenging with hardnecks, due to their hard inner stalk. Softnecks are cut more easily. With a sharp knife and a cutting board, however, you can get through the center stalk. If you are using both sides of the bulb, you may need to cut off the stalk at the top of the bulb, so that both sides can lay relatively flat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/faa818d1-50ad-4b60-bcef-e7506a429ffa/Roasted_Garlic_Recipe.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Roasted Garlic - Prepare for Roasting Place the cut garlic pieces on a piece of foil approximately 10” x 15”. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto the open face of the bulbs, using your finger to rub the oil well into the cut face of the cloves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/6c9df6e5-989e-44a8-b007-3c77136d953b/Roasted_Garlic.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Roasted Garlic - Roast the Bulbs Wrap the foil up and over the cut bulb, creating a little packet. It is best to keep the foil from touching the open face of the cloves, where you rubbed the oil, as it can create burned spots on the garlic. Place the garlic in an oven or convection oven and roast at 375 degrees. There seems to be a lot of flexibility on the roasting time. The bulb has softened and the flavor has mellowed after only about 30 minutes, but I have left it in the oven for 2 hours and longer without it burning. For the first try, 375 degrees for 1 hour is a good starting point, and you can adjust the cooking time and temperature to suit your tastes. Once the garlic is done, unwrap the foil and let the garlic cool for about 30 minutes. Then use your fingers to squeeze or scrape out the soft, gooey garlic. Use the roasted garlic in soup or pasta recipes that call for garlic (it will blend into the hot liquid, or you can use an immersion blender). Spread directly on toast or find your own favorite new use! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/ff9bf85b-35f2-466a-8f6f-cc5b93c5586f/How_to_Roast_Garlic.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Roasted Garlic - Make it stand out Reserve your favorite garlic varieties today! Thanks for visiting! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/when-does-garlic-grow-leaves monthly 0.5 2024-11-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/f1857411-140e-441e-8c3d-cf5518130d93/Garlic_Snow.png Life on the Farm - Should My Garlic Grow Leaves in Winter? - When Does Garlic Grow Leaves? Most gardening sources tell you that garlic does not begin sprouting leaves until spring. This is true in the northern United States. But as you probably already know, southern gardening is its own world. Down here, just about anything goes. Let’s look at the different stages of garlic growth and what you can expect from your southern garlic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/61401ef3-fe74-4cba-95ca-5f121ba54e2b/%E2%80%9CGod+Bless+America%2C%281%29.png Life on the Farm - Should My Garlic Grow Leaves in Winter? - Fall and Winter Here in central Arkansas (Zone 7b), we plant in late October and the garlic usually sprouts in about two weeks. It grows to a foot or two in height, with several leaves. Further south, the foliage is even thicker. Further north, it will sprout minimally or not at all. Most years in our region the top growth remains all winter. A couple winters ago we did have a very cold spell that killed off all our foliage. We were uncertain how this would affect the crop, but it simply produced more growth within a couple of weeks and at harvest times had a good bulb size. If you are wondering if you should cover your garlic against frost or freezes, the answer is no. There is no need to protect your garlic leaves against frost or snow. Garlic is very cold hardy and is usually more productive with as much cold exposure as possible. Wild garlic is native to cold climates. In regions where it does not sprout until spring, the bulb size is often larger. In these regions the plant develops a strong root system over the winter and does not spend energy on foliage until the last months of the growing season. However, garlic grown in the South can and does still yield large bulbs. The situation may not be ideal for the garlic’s native climate, but it is a hardy and adaptable plant. Some growers ask if they should trim their garlic leaves. I do not recommend trimming leaves. It will stress the plant and take more energy from the bulb to produce new foliage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/2d3a3336-7b6d-435b-b530-5527a5f3abe6/20220501_140958.jpg Life on the Farm - Should My Garlic Grow Leaves in Winter? - Spring and Summer Whether or not your garlic sprouted in the fall, with the first longer days and warm weather of spring, it begins to produce foliage in earnest. The stalk thickens up, adds more leaves, and is beautifully vibrant through the spring and early summer. As harvest time approaches, the leaves begin to yellow and die back. This is a signal that the bulb is working on reaching maturity for harvest, storage, and reproduction. When most of the foliage is gone, the bulb is harvested and its life cycle is complete. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Should My Garlic Grow Leaves in Winter? - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/best-garlic-spaghetti-recipe monthly 0.5 2024-09-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/c131f5df-fdca-4dbc-9f03-6026c77e1bea/Garlic_Spaghetti_Recipe2.png Life on the Farm - BEST Garlic Spaghetti Recipe - Homemade Garlic Spaghetti Recipe This amazing spaghetti recipe is on its third generation and counting with our family. And it has spoiled us for any other spaghetti we have tried anywhere. Made with from-scratch ingredients, it is an unbeatable comfort food. We make it using our own tomatoes, herbs, beef, and, of course, garlic. Let me tell you, it’s good. My children prefer noodles, but I often cook up a spaghetti squash for myself as a gluten-free option. So good! The flavor is the richest when you can let the sauce simmer for a few hours on the back of the stove. So start it early in the afternoon and enjoy a ready-to-go supper in the evening. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/3977611f-d60b-4cbd-abcb-4c0f5105f06f/Garlic_Spaghetti_Recipe3.png Life on the Farm - BEST Garlic Spaghetti Recipe - Meatballs INGREDIENTS: 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup water or milk 1 cup whole or quick oats 1/2 tsp. sea salt 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 TBSP fresh parsley, minced, OR 1 tsp. dried 1 pound ground beef DIRECTIONS Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl by hand, and shape into 1" balls. Bake in a greased 8"x8" glass dish at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/e812bf73-9a9c-4832-8b61-999a4875288b/Garlic_Spaghetti_Recipe.png Life on the Farm - BEST Garlic Spaghetti Recipe - SAUCE 1 pound ground Italian sausage 1 small onion, chopped 1 small green bell pepper, chopped 5 garlic cloves, minced 56 oz tomato puree 16 oz tomato sauce 6 oz tomato paste 1 small can beef broth or 2 beef bullion cubes 2 tsp. EACH dried basil, oregano, parsley, sugar, and sea salt. 1/4 tsp. black pepper DIRECTIONS In large pot, brown the sausage, onion and bell pepper until sausage is no longer pink. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain. Return to pot and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered 2-3 hours or until thickened. Add meatballs the last half hour of cooking. Serve sauce over cooked spaghetti noodles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - BEST Garlic Spaghetti Recipe - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/health-benefits-garlic-salve monthly 0.5 2025-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/f530d56a-1131-44de-b34d-3341ca3593e9/How_to_Make_Garlic_Salve.png Life on the Farm - How to Make Garlic Salve - Raw Garlic has Health Benefits… …and not just by eating it! A gentle way to harness its antiviral and antifungal properties is garlic salve. I found out about garlic salve many years ago from Rachel Weaver’s Be Your Own Doctor series (Share-a-Care Publications) and our family has used it many times to treat colds, bronchitis, ear infections and more. No, I am not a doctor—you are in charge of your own health and should do your own research. But if you are looking for a creative way to apply garlic’s healing benefits to your family’s health, here is how we make and use garlic salve here at our farm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/359bd591-5e5b-42ac-b211-ee85abf383d0/How_to_Make_Garlic_Salve_2.png Life on the Farm - How to Make Garlic Salve - Garlic Salve INGREDIENTS 1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil 8 cloves peeled garlic 5 drops lavender or other essential oil (optional) HOW TO MAKE Blend at high speed in a food processor or blender until smooth. Alternately you can finely mince the garlic or use a garlic press, and stir into the other ingredients. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any pieces. In cool weather when the coconut oil is not liquefied, it may be necessary to set the salve in a warm place to strain, such as near an oven or stovetop. Do not heat beyond what is necessary to liquify the oil. Use immediately or refrigerate leftover salve for up to 3 days. To use, remove a small quantity and set at room temperature to soften. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/three-tips-grow-hardneck-south monthly 0.5 2024-08-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/c96fcb4e-8671-4308-acb4-b53a0fc8f5b6/How_to_Grow_Hardneck_in_South.jpg Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Hardneck Garlic in the South - How to Grow Hardneck Garlic in the South Food critics love hardneck for its rich and complex flavors. Chefs love it for its huge, easy-to-peel cloves. And gardeners enjoy its showy blossoms and scapes in early summer. However, hardneck varieties can be challenging to grow in a hot climate like our southern United States. After a lot of trial and error, here are three of our best tips for growing your own hardneck garlic in the South! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/3dc0854e-4cc8-4f47-878e-ca10fb244c1e/Untitled+design%2836%29.png Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Hardneck Garlic in the South - #1. Keep it Cool Hardneck garlic grows best in cooler climates. If you are growing in the South, anything you can do buffer your garlic from excessive heat it may encounter during late spring and early summer can help your bulbs reach maximum size. Ideas for keeping your garlic cool include: ~Deep, light-colored mulches. A thick layer of straw can reduce the soil temperature by several degrees. ~Partial shade. In hot climates, garlic can benefit from afternoon and evening shade. Some growers plant in beds beneath deciduous trees, which allow sunlight during the winter but offer shade during the growing season. ~Frequent watering can help reduce temperature. Some growers even do ice water treatments on hot afternoons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/18bd455f-f77f-431f-9137-3d31e6d31c52/How_To_Vernalize_Garlic Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Hardneck Garlic in the South - #2. Try Vernalization…& not Where it is possible to grow garlic WITHOUT artificial vernalization, seed garlic will likely do best if planted directly without pre-refrigeration.. However, where chill hours are too few, then vernalization is the only way to get the garlic to sprout. I suggest first-time growers in deep South zones to plant at least a few cloves that have not been vernalized, and vernalize the rest of their seed. This will help confirm whether your microclimate requires vernalization or not. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/2036b436-eb0e-493f-b625-def63e24622d/Untitled+design%2837%29.png Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Hardneck Garlic in the South - #3. Plan to Replenish Seed Occasionally One significant challenge southern growers encounter with hardneck is its shorter storage life (as compared to softneck). This means there is always a risk of seed stock not making it until the next planting season. Additionally, since hardneck is less adapted to southern climates, it is likely to downsize over time from poor soil conditions, high heat exposure, or other factors. Southern growers should plan to replenish their hardneck seed stock every few years from a reputable grower. While softneck garlic—properly grown— can yield an indefinite supply, hardneck may be more of a “guest” crop in the southern garden, and require help from outside stock to keep the garlic growing. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-vernalize-garlic monthly 0.5 2024-08-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/4351716d-38f5-44d8-9faa-022500406129/Untitled+design%2835%29.png Life on the Farm - Garlic Vernalization - How to Vernalize Garlic: The greatest obstacle to growing garlic in the south is the need for vernalization, otherwise known as winter cold exposure. Like some other herbs and plants, seed garlic requires exposure to cold to trigger germination. If you cannot expect temperatures below about 45 degrees F for a minimum of 6-10 weeks, you may need to artificially vernalize your garlic before planting. Fortunately, all you need is quality seed garlic, a home refrigerator, and a few weeks time before your zone’s planting date. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/b170d4dc-bcdf-4ff9-85bf-66d76653fd5f/Untitled+design%2829%29.png Life on the Farm - Garlic Vernalization - How Long to Vernalize There have been various studies conducted on the best temperatures and lengths of times to chill garlic. A study from China, a major world producer of garlic, concluded that 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 days to be an optimum time. (Wu, 2015). However, a study from Trinidad and Tobago seems to indicate a longer vernalization period. This study found 42 days refrigeration at between 38 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit had the most potential for large final bulb size (Bridgemohan, 2017). A Brazilian study concluded 40 days as well (Resende, 2011). The take-away from these studies indicates that if you find yourself short of time before planting, you may be able to get away with only three weeks refrigeration time. Eight weeks is a better option if time permits. If you are very deep south (Zones 9b or higher), the full eight weeks is probably necessary for best bulb development. Sources 1. Fluegel, S. (2017). Southern Garlic Grower’s Guide. Grey Duck Garlic. https://www.greyduckgarlic.com/Southern-Garlic-Growers-Guide.html 2. Bridgemohan, D. Debisingh, G. (2017-2018). The Effect of Vernalization and Simulated ‘Cold’ Conditioning of Garlic under Tropical Conditions. www.cedaf.org.do>eventos>cfcs_2019> 3. Wu, C., Wang, M., Dong, Y. (2015). The Effect of plant age and vernalization on bolting, plant growth and enzyme activity of garlic. Science Direct. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/18bd455f-f77f-431f-9137-3d31e6d31c52/How_To_Vernalize_Garlic Life on the Farm - Garlic Vernalization - Steps of Vernalization 1. Eight weeks before your planting date, place your seed garlic in a mesh or paper bag. Garlic can rot if stored in a sealed container, so make sure the bulbs can "breathe" somewhat.Use whole bulbs, not cloves. Cloves deteriorate quickly after being separated from the bulb. Place the garlic in the produce drawer of your refrigerator. Monitor to make sure your refrigerator does not dip below freezing. Frozen garlic will not germinate. 2. Leave the garlic in refrigeration for 6-8 weeks. Remove seed garlic from refrigeration when you are ready to plant. Garlic will sprout rapidly once removed from refrigeration, so it is important to time this with your planting date. 3. Plant your garlic as quickly as possible after removing from refrigeration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/6d3b83d1-e7d2-4b12-bb4b-515f20dda10c/Untitled+design%2834%29.png Life on the Farm - Garlic Vernalization - Do I Need to Vernalize My Garlic? Zones 2-7: No artificial vernalization (refrigeration) needed. Zone 8: Upper regions should receive adequate chill hours to trigger germination. Lower regions may not. Experiment to find what works in your area. Sprouting and growth rate is generally better without artificial vernalization if there is at least minimal natural cold exposure. If you are not sure about your region, try refrigerating part of your seed before planting and planting the other half directly and see which does the best. Zones 9-10: Vernalization will probably be required. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-store-fresh-garlic monthly 0.5 2024-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/72377d4f-78ad-48ad-b276-1dfdf19b9719/How_to_Store_Fresh_Garlic.png Life on the Farm - How to Store Garlic - Three Easy Steps for Storing Garlic: Ideal curing conditions are different from ideal storage conditions. Once your garlic is cured, you need to prepare it for long-term storage. Southern growers have to store their garlic longer than northern growers. Learn some important tips on keeping your garlic fresh for both eating and replanting. How to store garlic from your garden, how to store garlic cloves, and more! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/576ff6aa-8f32-4d03-8af1-6a965dd28e45/How_to_Store_Garlic.png Life on the Farm - How to Store Garlic - 1. Prepare Bulbs for Storage If you cured your garlic with the stalks intact, cut off the stalks before storage. Leave about 1/2" of neck on top of the bulb to keep the bulb from coming apart at the top. For hardneck varieties, cut straight across the neck rather than at an angle to avoid leaving a painfully sharp point. Inspect all bulbs for mold or rot, and dispose of any soft or damaged bulbs. Brush off dirty outer layers if needed, but be careful to not remove too many layers or the bulb can come apart. If you cured your garlic in a braid and have room to hang it indoors, no special treatment is needed. Simply move the braid indoors to your storage area without cutting the bulbs from the necks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/80da5c24-02cf-462a-8041-d713e64125b5/How_to_Store_Garlic_Garden.png Life on the Farm - How to Store Garlic - 2. Choose the Right Storage Container Garlic needs to breathe for long-term storage. One of my favorite storage containers is an old-fashioned wicker basket. A basket of your fresh garlic makes a lovely dining table centerpiece! Other ideas are wire shelving racks, or recycled produce mesh bags. Pantry moths can damage garlic. These tiny moth are commonly found in homes, and if you store a lot of garlic or onions they can damage the crop during long-term storage. Pantry moth pheromone traps really help reduce an infestation. Storing the garlic in a fine-screen box that lets in airflow but keeps out the moths is a good preventative method. If you have more than one variety of garlic, be sure to label them if you plan to save them for seed! Many varieties are hard to distinguish from each other by sight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/0117f2c9-3750-43ed-a807-510df082af21/How_To_Store_Garlic_Cloves.png Life on the Farm - How to Store Garlic - 3. Use the Right Storage Conditions Airflow: Garlic needs to breathe but not be in direct airflow. Early in our production, we stored our garlic in a small store room that was closed off from the rest of the house. To compensate for the lack of airflow, we used upright air-purifying fans. This experiment resulted in a lot of dehydrated garlic and high seed loss. Garlic seems to do best in an area with natural airflow rather than direct or forced airflow. In a basket on the kitchen counter works great. Humidity: Garlic stores best with humidity levels between 45% and 65%. If humidity is too high the garlic may sprout prematurely. If humidity is too low the garlic may dehydrate. For this reason refrigeration of garlic seed is not recommended for long-term storage. Temperature: Ideal storage temperature is between 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperatures may trigger premature sprouting and higher temperatures lead to bulb loss. Northern growers may be able to store their bulbs in a shaded outbuilding or shelter and find the garlic keeps well through their short summers. In the south, temperature-controlled storage is necessary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Store Garlic - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-harvest-and-cure-garlic monthly 0.5 2025-05-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/7b910692-dcc4-438b-9919-55f8f60fde40/Ready_To_Harvest.png Life on the Farm - How to Harvest and Cure Garlic - How to Harvest and Cure Garlic Is your garlic ready to harvest? Then let’s get going! Check out these pro tips on how to harvest and cure your garlic for long-term use, storage, and re-planting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/70ebb5fc-2b5e-499b-8195-b94d8fce639d/Untitled+design%2817%29.png Life on the Farm - How to Harvest and Cure Garlic - How to Harvest First, make sure your garlic is ready to harvest. Garlic harvested too soon may not have reached optimum size, while garlic harvested too late may not store well. Stop watering 7 days before harvest if possible. Dry garlic bulbs will cure better than excessively wet ones. To harvest the bulbs, grasp the stalk firmly close to the ground and work the bulb loose. If the root system is deep or the ground has a lot of clay, working a small hand shovel around the edges can help loosen the bulb without breaking the stem, but be careful not to nick the bulb with the shovel (it may be a bigger bulb than you expect!) Keep the harvested bulbs in shade as you pull the others. Bulbs should not be exposed to the sun any longer than necessary. What about if a stem breaks? No worries, if a stem breaks, the bulb can still be harvested and cured just fine without the stem. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/86efa8ed-07fb-42d9-9cfc-36b0a1efc3c0/Untitled+design%2818%29.png Life on the Farm - How to Harvest and Cure Garlic - How to Clean the Bulb Once the bulbs are harvested, they need to be cleaned before going to curing. Dirty bulbs can retain moisture, which can cause the bulb to rot prematurely. It is best to clean at harvest time rather than wait until later. Dirt left on the bulb will stain through multiple layers of wrappers, permanently lowering the visual appeal, so it is important to clean the bulb immediately after harvesting. If you will be curing in temperature-controlled storage or live in a dry climate, it is possible to wash the bulb with water to clean. However, if you will curing outdoors in the humid south, it is usually better to keep the bulb as dry as possible. To clean a bulb without washing, grasp the lowest green leaf on the stalk and pull off, exposing a clean wrapper layer on the bulb. Do not remove more leaves (layers of bulb wrappers) than necessary. It is best to remove the roots before curing as well. Cut the roots off with a knife or heavy-duty scissors. Roots harbor dirt and pathogens, as well as absorb moisture from the atmosphere and hinder curing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/d93e0706-2047-4c39-ac8d-6f9f44a38bd2/How_to_Cure_Garlic.JPG Life on the Farm - How to Harvest and Cure Garlic - How To Cure Garlic To cure the garlic, gather into bundles of 8-12 and hang to dry. A 10" piece of heavy cotton twine with a loop tied in each end works well. Wrap the twine around the bundle, pass one loop through the other, then hang the bundle by the other loop. Our first curing area was our long front porch. We put screws along the header board and hung the bundles from the screws. We currently cure in an indoor shop building with long conduit rods running length of the roof vault. We loop the string over wire ‘S” hooks and hang the hooks on the conduit rods. Alternatively, garlic can be cut off the stem at harvest time and cured on a screen or other open-weave surfaces. A fan underneath the screen can help improve the airflow, but should not blow directly on the garlic. Garlic cures in two to four weeks, depending on the conditions. Garlic is done curing once the necks are dry and brittle. Check stems by cutting or by piercing with your fingernail. If the inner stem is still green or and moist, the garlic is not cured yet. Once the garlic is cured, you can cut it off the stalk for compact storage or leave it on the stalk. Garlic should be stored at room-temperature with good ventilation. Properly cured and stored, garlic will last from 3-9 months, depending on bulb size (smaller bulbs store longer). Use the bulbs, or replant in the fall. Read our article here for more information on storing garlic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Harvest and Cure Garlic - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/is-my-garlic-ready-to-harvest monthly 0.5 2024-04-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/76c9a5f2-4b17-4ef9-b5e7-7994017f5d43/Ready_To_harvest_1.png Life on the Farm - Is My Garlic Ready to Harvest? - Is My Garlic Ready to Harvest? Garlic doesn't hang out on the vine like a tomato where anyone can see how close it is to ripening. The “fruit” of this plant is under the ground, so short of pulling up the bulb and checking, we need other clues to tell us the best time to harvest. This is an important question for growing the highest-quality garlic, because there really is a narrow window for optimum harvest time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/83dd1805-2128-4d0b-8dbd-d5f082464fa3/Ready_To_Harvest_2.png Life on the Farm - Is My Garlic Ready to Harvest? - When to Harvest So what is harvest-ready garlic? Garlic that is "just right" has been left in the ground until it has the right amount of wrapper layers to hold the bulb together through its storage life-- and no more. To determine the number of wrapper layers on a bulb pre-harvest, simply count the leaves. Each leaf is actually an extension of the bulb wrapper. The leaf extends down the length of the stalk and wraps around the bulb, protecting it in the soil. When a leaf has died back the wrapper will be disintegrating as well. Leaves start to die back beginning at the bottom on the stalk and working up. So we count from the top down to see how many viable leaves are remaining. The standard advice for a harvest-ready bulb is 5-6 viable leaves remaining on the stalk. This number allows 1 wrapper lost at harvest time when the bulb is cleaned, 1-2 layers lost during the curing or storage process, and 2-3 layers remaining to hold the cloves together. For a small crop, bulbs can be harvested individually as they are ready. For larger crops, watch for about half of the crop to reach this stage before harvesting. What time of year is this? For us in Zone 7, we harvest the end of May in dry years, or mid June in wet years. Growers in the deeper south harvest in late May, while far north growers may not harvest until mid July. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/07568db8-27cf-4399-8fda-280bebb53ac7/Ready_To_Harvest.png Life on the Farm - Is My Garlic Ready to Harvest? - A Note: Yellowing leaves do NOT equal dead leaves. Yellowing is a natural part of the garlic growing process. It could be the nutrient deficiencies that can result from being in the ground such a long period of time, or just the nature of the variety itself. We can definitely see a difference in discoloring between the various kinds of garlic we grow here. Yellowing begins weeks before harvest time approaches. True dying back is when the leaf is becoming definitively brown and brittle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Is My Garlic Ready to Harvest? - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-make-lacto-fermented-pickles monthly 0.5 2024-04-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/420e49a8-8aeb-4268-ab6c-49f5bd8ea664/How_to_make_lacto-fermented_pickles_3.JPG Life on the Farm - Lacto-Fermented Pickles - Homemade Pickles in 15 minutes! Have you ever seen the Andy Griffith episode about Aunt Bea and the pickles? In this classic episode, the grandmotherly homemaker goes on a pickling binge, making jars and jars of not-so-good pickles. "Kerosene Cucumbers", Barney Fife calls them. Perhaps it was that episode, but I always had an aversion to making homemade pickles. Canning is not my favorite summer activity, and besides, by the time you boil the life out of vegetables and soak them in vinegar, it does not seem like you are particularly better off than just buying a jar from the store (minus the pesticides and dyes, of course). But then one summer, I had an inspiration. It really was that, I think. And since that day, we have been enjoying LOTS of homemade pickles that do not taste like kerosene cucumbers, don’t require canning, and are loaded with health. And best of all it only takes about 15 minutes to put a jar together! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/f69e2686-7fe3-4d0d-8bb3-6f547b93a142/How_to_make_lacto-fermented_pickles_1.JPG Life on the Farm - Lacto-Fermented Pickles - Ingredients and Supplies Ingredients and Materials: For one quart pickles you will need: 2-3 fresh cucumbers (pickling cucumbers are always best for texture, but I have used slicing varieties also. The fresher the cucumber, the better the pickle texture) 2 Tablespoons Sea salt (It is very important that it NOT be iodized. Iodized salt will kill the enzymes that keep the food alive, leading to spoilage). 1 quart distilled or sterilized water. (Do not use tap water or spoilage will likely occur). Sterilized quart jar 6-8 Fresh garlic cloves 4-5 Bay Leaves, Oak Leaves, Muscadine Leaves, and/or Blackberry Leaves. (These add tanins, which help maintain a crisp texture in the cucumbers). 1 teaspoon each of one or more of the following: Peppercorns, Whole Dill Seed, Whole Allspice, Whole Coriander, and/or Mustard Seed. Optional: Fermenting weight and lid (more info below) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/6054601b-2e4a-40b3-b11a-1daf222a288d/How_to_make_lacto-fermented_pickles_2.JPG Life on the Farm - Lacto-Fermented Pickles - How-To Dissolve Salt in Distilled Water In a separate container, place the salt in the water to make the brine. No need to heat the water. As long as it sits a few minutes, the salt will be sufficiently dissolved. 2. Slice Cucumbers 1/4" thick A mandolin slicer works great, but I do advise the protective "no-cut" gloves (available online). They have made my pickle-making faster and painless. (Steel-blades have a magnetic attraction to my fingers) 3. Discard Blossom Ends The blossom end of the cucumber contains enzymes which will soften the pickle, so be sure to discard the little end pieces. 4. Place half the garlic cloves and half the seasonings in the bottom of the jar. The seasoning is very much a matter of taste. My "go-to" is 4-5 peppercorns and about 1/2" teaspoon of dill seed in the bottom of the jar and the same amount in the top of the jar after layering in the cucumbers. I have used the other seasonings also, but prefer a milder flavored pickle. 5. Place 2-3 bay leaves and/or blackberry leaves, or 1 large oak or muscadine leaf in bottom of jar. These leaves contain tannins, which help keep your cucumbers crunchy. I always use bay leaves because I think they add to the flavor, but since bay leaves are small I usually throw in a couple of oak leaves also. We have wild muscadine and blackberry leaves around our farm too, and I think they give a good flavor as well. Do, of course, make sure of your tree's identity, but it is fun to have something to use an oak leaf for, right? 6. Fill the jar with sliced cucumbers. Pack in the cucumbers as compactly as possible. They will soften and settle with the fermentation process. Leave an inch and a half headspace at the top. 7. Weight the cucumbers. A little sandwich bag filled with salt and sealed well can serve as a weight. Place it in the jar on top of vegetables to keep them under the liquid. The object of lacto-fermentation is to keep the vegetables SUBMERGED the entire time, as anything in the jar that rises to the top will be subject to mold. If you plan to do any amount of fermenting, I highly recommend the glass fermenting weights sold for this purpose. 9. Add the brine. Pour in your pre-mixed salt water until the vegetables are completely covered. Some bubbling will occur so leave 3/4" or so headspace between the brine and the top of the jar. 10. Cover the jar. For experimental purposes, a coffee filter or a clean rag can be secured to the top of the jar. As in the weights, a set of fermenting lids is a wonderful purchase. I would say my fermenting success was about 65% before buying lids. Now it is close to 100%. The jar needs to be covered to keep out dust and dirt, but breathe enough to release the gases as the vegetables ferment. 11. Set the jar at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Signs of fermentation include bubble rising to surface, the brine turning cloudy, and the cucumbers interior turning translucent. This usually begins in about 12 hours, depending on the room temperature. 12. Move to refrigerator after approximately 24 hours. Pickles can be tasted at any stage of the fermenting process. I prefer to set my jar in the refrigerator after about 24 hours. This slows the fermentation process and keeps them from getting too "punchy" for my taste. You can experiment with what time frame you like best. These will not go bad sitting on the counter, but will store longer under refrigeration (up to three months). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/4acf760c-fa7b-47ed-a06e-cdfb3cd04d1c/How_to_make_lacto-fermented_pickles_5.JPG Life on the Farm - Lacto-Fermented Pickles - Safety Notes: Lacto-fermentation is generally considered a safer method of food preservation than canning. That being said, pieces of vegetable rising to the surface, or a weight sticking above the water surface, can cause mold to grow. It often appears as a pink or slimy film on the surface and inner rim of the jar. (White bubbles at the surface are normal and no concern). Some fermenters say you can remove the mold from the top and still consume the food, but I prefer to play it safe and discard the batch. After sitting too long on the counter, or after enough months in the fridge, random batches may turn VERY punchy, and I usually have to discard these also. Again, a set of fermenting lids will greatly improve results. Lacto-fermentation is not a cut and dried formula. Its goal is to foster a healthy environment where the good enzymes and probiotics overpower the bad. It is a work of art to "grow" this living jar of healthy food. If your first try is not successful for some reason, don’t feel badly! We have all had those batches. This is easy and inexpensive enough to try again, and before long you will end up with a refrigerator full of good, homemade pickles that would make Aunt Bea proud! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Lacto-Fermented Pickles - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/purple-sweet-potato-pie-recipe monthly 0.5 2025-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1713126641532-4BRAA6O48N3PZ3CQKT86/Purple_Sweet-Potato_Pie.jpg Life on the Farm - Purple Sweet Potato Pie - Sweet Potato Pie Gone Tropical! Sweet potatoes have long been a staple on our farm. They are easy to grow in our southern climate, prolific, and long-storing. Best of all, they are packed with more nutrition than almost any other staple crop. But until a friend gave me some slips a couple years ago, I had never heard of purple sweet potatoes. Was I in for a surprise! They not only out-performed our other varieties in yield, but their color was something out of this world. There are truly few other foods that retain such rich color even after cooking. Purple sweet potatoes are part of our yearly garden plan now, and this recipe is one of our favorites. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/02a93060-c093-4cc9-a377-b1f369e4a945/Cooked_Sweet_Potatoes.png Life on the Farm - Purple Sweet Potato Pie - Cooking the Potatoes This recipe calls for 2 cups cooked purple sweet potatoes. To prepare the potatoes, start with 1.5 to 2 pounds purple sweet potatoes. There are a couple different methods you can use to cook them. To cook the potatoes a slow-cooker, wash the potatoes and place in crock with about 1/2” of water at the bottom. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until tender. To cook the potatoes in an oven, place the sweet potatoes in an oven-safe dish. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the dish about 1/2”. Cover tightly and back at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours or until tender. Alternatively, the potatoes can be wrapped tightly in foil and baked on a baking sheet. Do not pierce the skin before baking with any of these methods. The goal is to retain as much moisture as possible in the potato while cooking. Once the potato has baked and cooled completely, remove skins and discard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/abeaca79-f6fc-4d41-8372-e0ce1fbad0c5/Purple_Pie.png Life on the Farm - Purple Sweet Potato Pie - Purple Sweet Potato Pie Recipe Ingredients: 1 unbaked pie shell 2 cups mashed cooked purple sweet potato 1 cup whole milk or coconut milk 1 cup brown sugar 3 TBSP melted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 3 eggs, beaten Whipped Cream, optional Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prick holes in pie crust and bake for 10 minutes or until about 3/4 done. Remove crust from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a food processor or blender, combine the sweet potatoes, milk, sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until smooth. Pour mixture into a separate bowl and gently fold in the beaten eggs. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until just set. It may be necessary to cover edges of crust with foil to prevent over-browning. Cool completely. Serve with whipped cream if desired and store leftover pie in refrigerator for up to one week. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/760f2df2-079f-45e6-a785-29869ab29011/Sweet+Potatoes.png Life on the Farm - Purple Sweet Potato Pie - Check out our guide on how to grow, propagate and use sweet potatoes on your southern farm! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-make-echinacea-tincture monthly 0.5 2025-12-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1304d9e5-d6c9-4d1d-942b-e2a2402b478c/2.png Life on the Farm - How to Make an Echinacea "Super Tincture" - Benefits of Echinacea The purple coneflower, also known by its Latin name Echinacea Purpurea, is a powerful medicinal plant. Used for centuries by Native Americans, it has become widely-known again for its healing properties. It is especially beneficial as an immune-system stimulant. All parts of the plant are medicinal and can be used in a variety of ways. The real powerhouse of the plant, however, is in the roots. The nutrients and active properties of the plant are found in their most potent form in the roots. The best time to harvest Echinacea for a root tincture is in the fall. In the fall, as the plant begins to die back, life and helpful properties of the plant are absorbed back into the root system for the winter dormant season. With this simple root tincture recipe, you can harvest and preserve the maximum potency of this plant for easy use throughout the year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/aa936cf8-88b2-4f0f-82e8-d4e6765e4f05/3.png Life on the Farm - How to Make an Echinacea "Super Tincture" - Harvest and Tincture In the fall, harvest a second-year Echinacea plant with a good root system. Cut off the stalks and leaves and discard. Wash the roots thoroughly under running water until clean of dirt. The fine root hairs may hold onto a lot of soil material, but carefully combing them out with your hands under running water will get them clean. Coursely chop the clean root pieces. Excessively wet root pieces may mold, so dry the root pieces in a dehydrator on lowest setting for about 1 hour, or let wilt on a clean towel for several hours. Place the root pieces in a sterilized glass jar. Cover the chopped roots by at least 1” with 80 proof vodka. Seal the jar with a plastic lid, or a metal lid with a layer of waxed paper to keep the alcohol from corroding the lid. Set the jar out of direct sunlight. Let the roots tincture for 4-6 weeks, shaking occasionally. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/69ea1d63-a58c-497e-8d9d-b9e6bc53181a/5.png Life on the Farm - How to Make an Echinacea "Super Tincture" - Storage and Use When the tincture is ready, strain out the roots and pour the tincture into an amber bottle. Label and date. Store in a cool, dark cabinet. Echinacea tincture is best used within one to two years. For routine use, take one dropperful a day straight or in hot tea. It can be taken more intensively (as often as every hour) if you have been exposed to an illness or are experiencing symptoms. There have been studies that showed Echinacea loses its effectiveness after about 2 weeks of use. It is best to take a break every 2 weeks, or to just use during flu season or when fighting an illness. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/homemade-garlic-powder monthly 0.5 2024-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/04660a1b-2c85-410a-8b43-b9371324c89f/3.jpg Life on the Farm - Quick Tips for Homemade Garlic Powder - How to Make Garlic Powder Homemade garlic powder is a labor of love, but the rewards in flavor are more than worth it. There is no going back to store brands once you have tried the real thing. Use homemade garlic powder as a substitute for fresh garlic in recipes, in homemade seasoning blends like garlic sea salt and chili powder, or for any savory dish. We make it by the quart here at our farm. Let me share our quick tips for making the best garlic powder you ever tasted! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/8bb21df1-d3bc-4df3-884f-92b19def9cfc/9.jpg Life on the Farm - Quick Tips for Homemade Garlic Powder - Best Methods for Peeling Garlic The most labor-intensive part of garlic powder is peeling the cloves. I have tried a lot of different methods including shaking them vigorously in a container, rolling them in silicone tubes, and hot water baths. The most effective method for me has been hot water baths. Since the cloves are about to go into a dehydrator or oven anyway, it will not hurt them to get wet. (This method should not be used for other preservation methods such as garlic honey which require the cloves to be well-dried to avoid mold potential.) For the hot water bath, fill a large pot with hot tap water. Alternately the water can be heated on the stove, but it should not be heated to the simmering point. If the water is too hot it will blanche the cloves and make them unsuitable for dehydration (yes, I’ve done it…). Place your cloves in the hot water and let them soak for a couple minutes. Remove the cloves one at a time, slice off the root (flat) end of the clove, and the skin should slip off in one motion. It will not hurt the cloves to soak an hour or two, if needed, and there is no need to reheat the water as it cools. If you do not get all your cloves peeled in one setting, simply drain and place the soaked cloves in refrigeration until you are ready to finish. Peeled cloves should also be refrigerated if it will be more than a couple hours before they are ready for dehydration. I wear disposable gloves for the peeling process to avoid skin irritation. Good ventilation helps too. Garlic is not as irritating to my sinuses as onions, but prolonged inhalation can be a little overpowering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/8e316990-1b99-496f-86dd-60d11cf9cfce/1.jpg Life on the Farm - Quick Tips for Homemade Garlic Powder - Making the Powder Place the peeled cloves in a food processor or blender. Process for 3-5 minutes or until a fine puree. Spread puree onto dehydrator trays covered with parchment paper and place in dehydrator at lowest setting for 6-12 hours. Alternately, puree can be placed on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper and dried in the oven at its lowest setting. I prefer the lower temperatures available with a dehydrator for a more “raw” product, but an oven does work if a dehydrator is not available. Garlic is ready when the puree is completely dry and brittle with no soft spots or spongy pieces. Avoid over-drying. To make the powder, grind the dehydrated garlic in a coffee grinder, blender or food processor. Our smoothie maker gives us the best texture. Sift the powder through a fine-mesh sieve to remove chunks. Re-process the leftover chunks again until it all reaches the desired consistency. It can take multiple processes. Store the powder in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. A homemade desiccant package can be made by folding up a teaspoon of white rice in a small coffee filter and stapling it closed. These help keep the garlic from caking for long-term storage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Quick Tips for Homemade Garlic Powder - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-plant-garlic-in-a-pot monthly 0.5 2024-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1706805647963-24HFSYOV5CXDD0EGE29K/How_to_Plant_Garlic_in_a_Pot_7.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Plant Garlic in a Pot - How to Plant Garlic in a Pot Want to know if you can grow garlic in a pot? Learn all you need to know about growing potted garlic ★ Pros and Cons ★ Best Pots for Garlic ★ How to Plant Garlic ★ Special Growing Needs ★ And More! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/39f8f1f1-7125-41ff-ae6b-773d71182c98/How_to_Plant_Garlic_in_a_Pot_8.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Plant Garlic in a Pot - Best Containers for Growing Garlic The best container for growing garlic is one that allows for root growth. The clove of garlic may look small at planting time, but it will be yielding a bulb the size of a tennis ball, not to mention a heavy stalk up to 3 feet tall. To support all that mass, an extensive roots system is required. For maximum size and yield, I recommend a minimum of 8”x8” cube of growing space per clove of seed garlic. A 5-gallon bucket is an inexpensive growing container. Thanks to their depth, one bucket can produce up to three bulbs. These buckets can also be set up as wicking pots (see online articles about how to make wicking pots out of 5-gallon buckets). These have better moisture and nutrient retention, helpful for garlic’s long growing season. Trough-shaped containers (usually sold as herb gardens) are another good option for garlic. Depending on their length, they can accommodate multiple bulbs. Some herb garden containers have bottom-watering options also, which is helpful for potted garlic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/803138e0-847a-4da3-81e6-2c5cc9086896/How_to_Plant_Garlic_in_a_Pot_6.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Plant Garlic in a Pot - How to Plant Plant garlic in the fall after first frost. For garlic planting dates by USDA zone, get our free download below. If you live in the deep south, you may need to artificially vernalize—or chill—your seed. To plant, break your seed bulb apart into cloves. Plant cloves with the pointed side UP and the root side DOWN. Cover the clove with 2-3” of soil. Mulch thickly with about 6” of lightweight mulching material, such as chopped straw, leaves, or peat moss. Water deeply. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/3aae0884-64f3-4c2c-964c-2ee65d48ea95/How_to_Plant_Garlic_in_a_Pot_1.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Plant Garlic in a Pot - Garlic Growing Needs 1. Sunlight Garlic needs at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. While garlic planted in the ground can take full sun, in warmer climates some dappled shade later in the growing season is helpful for potted garlic to reduce moisture loss. Leave the garlic in full sun from fall planting time until spring temperatures reach over 75 degrees in the afternoons. Move the garlic to dappled shade until ready for harvest in late spring or early summer. 2. Watering The soil should stay moist but not saturated. Over-watering in a pot will speed up nutrient loss. A good layer of mulch is the best way to retain moisture. Do not leave the pot outside during heavy rains to avoid damage to the plant and soil. 3. Fertilization Garlic grows slowly through the winter months, focusing mainly on root growth. With increased daylight hours in the spring, it develops foliage. Bulb size happens at the very end of the growing season, often not until the last two or three weeks before harvest. If you start with a rich soil base, garlic should grow well until spring. In the spring, layer active compost on the top of the potting soil, water with compost tea, or use foliar sprays. The smaller the pot, the more fertilizations will be necessary to give the garlic what it needs to produce the largest bulb. Note: Garlic leaves will yellow the last few weeks of growth as the bulb gets close to harvest (for us, this starts about mid-May). Earlier yellowing may indicate nutrient deficiency. 4. Chill Hours Garlic needs adequate chill hours to grow, at least six weeks of temperatures in the 40’s. If you do not have these temperatures reliably in your zone, then artificial vernalization may be required (see the Guide). Potted garlic should be kept wherever it receives the most light and the coolest temperatures. For extreme south growers, this may be indoors rather than outdoors. Otherwise, garlic is an outdoor potted plant. 5. Freeze Insulation On the other extreme, garlic should not freeze solid during the growing process. A potted plant is more likely to freeze than a plant insulated by ground warmth. If temperatures are in the 20’s or below for enough time to freeze the potted soil, the plant should be moved indoors or heavily insulated by burying it at ground level or in straw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1677961717378-RHRH41C89NBGBJS4IPLA/Garlic_Book_Cover.png Life on the Farm - How to Plant Garlic in a Pot - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/homemade-strawberry-bread monthly 0.5 2024-01-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/13f2a5a5-4bf2-4195-a2dd-5a47913c504f/Strawberry_Bread_Recipe_Photo_by_Robin_Richards_Spotlight_Images.jpg Life on the Farm - Homemade Strawberry Bread - Homemade StrawberryBread Moist and full of flavor, this comforting bread has been one of our family favorites for over 40 years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/b08b86bf-2667-4b28-8982-6286d67c4851/Cooking-strawberries.jpg Life on the Farm - Homemade Strawberry Bread - Homemade Strawberry Bread Ingredients: 1 quart chopped fresh or frozen strawberries 4 eggs ¾ cup oil ½ cup unsweetened applesauce 3 cups flour 1 cup sugar 3 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp baking soda Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine strawberries, eggs, oil and applesauce in a large mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. Add dry ingredients to strawberry mixture and stir until well-blended. Do not over mix. Pour into 2 greased and floured large loaf pans, or 4 mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes. Loosen edges of pan with a butter knife, and carefully remove loaves. Cool completely on wire rack Note: This recipe doubles well for larger batches https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1678133830380-J60QLOAE5YJXZRIJDKSP/1.png Life on the Farm - Homemade Strawberry Bread - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Homemade Strawberry Bread - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-grow-strawberries-in-the-south monthly 0.5 2024-01-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1705612458957-23GS4X4JEQPDVAT0L8CX/Photo_by_Artur_Rutkowski_on_Unsplash.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Grow Strawberries: Top Three Tips for Southern Growers - Top Three Tips for Growing Strawberries in the South Want to grow strawberries? Find out just how tasty your southern berries can be with these three important tips for getting your strawberry patch off to a great start! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/e201d624-733d-4f9d-acfd-627526f2aaf4/Chapter4-2-FreshFruit-Photo_by_renee_baude_on_Unsplash.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Grow Strawberries: Top Three Tips for Southern Growers - 1. Use June-Bearing Varieties June-Bearing strawberries put all their fruiting efforts into one short spurt of about 3 weeks in late spring, This allows the plant to produce its full crop before the main heat of summer. They are not dependent on a certain temperature window, as are Day-Neutral varieties. They produce the largest berries and, in my opinion, the most flavorful. June-Bearers produce a high yield of runner plants, which guarantees a continuous supply of new plants for bed renewal and plant sales. In the deep south, June-Bearers many have to be treated as annuals and replanted yearly, but they will still yield the most fruit in hot climates. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1705615172570-6TR96E5D5ZGLTX9IEPXD/image-asset.jpeg Life on the Farm - How to Grow Strawberries: Top Three Tips for Southern Growers - 2. Plant in the Fall Strawberries can be planted in the spring or fall. But if you want to save yourself a summer’s work, plant your June-Bearing strawberries in the fall! If planted in the spring, fruiting must be delayed in order to let the roots develop well. “Delayed fruiting” means picking off e-v-e-r-y blossom the first season. Since they put out blossoms for a couple of months, this gets really tedious. Plants that are allowed to set fruit immediately after planting will not yield as well the rest of their life. If you set June-Bearing plants out in the fall, however, they have all winter to develop their root system and will produce a good crop the following spring. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/34f1aab5-23e2-4c86-94ff-df7f5626abc5/1558652612148.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Grow Strawberries: Top Three Tips for Southern Growers - 3. Set-up a Cooler Micro-climate. Strawberries are native to cool climates. To help strawberries handle the heat, provide afternoon shade or use shade cloth during the summer. A smaller bed can be planted under the shade of a tree, especially in deep south or desert climates. Use deep, light colored mulches to help keep the soil cooler. A deep fluffy later of straw will not only cool the soil but also retain moisture and suppress weeds. You almost can’t over-mulch strawberries, especially in the south. Water deeply. Drip-tape buried under mulch works well. Put it on a timer if needed. Strawberries need consistent moisture through hot summers and autumns in order to set fruit for the following year. As with most crops, well-draining beds are important in any climate to prevent fungus and disease. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1678133830380-J60QLOAE5YJXZRIJDKSP/1.png Life on the Farm - How to Grow Strawberries: Top Three Tips for Southern Growers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Grow Strawberries: Top Three Tips for Southern Growers - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/easy-garlic-aioli-recipe monthly 0.5 2024-01-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/a931dedf-9bf3-4814-b361-7ff646066fa1/Aioli_1.jpg Life on the Farm - Easy Garlic Aioli - Easy Garlic Aioli This easy version of classic Mediterranean Aioli (pronounced I-o-lee) is a great way to incorporate raw garlic into everyday eating. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/7554009a-6c5c-47d3-9ecd-f1b451599bca/Aioli_4.jpg Life on the Farm - Easy Garlic Aioli - Easy Garlic Aioli Ingredients: 1-2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced. 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil 1/8 tsp. sea salt Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until well-blended. Alternately, you can combine all ingredients in a small food-processor or with an immersion blender. The advantage to this method is the garlic cloves only need to be coursly chopped before adding to the mixture. Refrigerate in a covered container until serving. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Easy Garlic Aioli - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/growing-comfrey-in-the-south monthly 0.5 2025-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/809ca93d-0090-48bb-a9d4-df5bf7873d2b/Comfrey_7.jpg Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Comfrey in the South - What is Comfrey? Comfrey is an ancient medicinal herb that is being rediscovered for modern use. It is also used for improving livestock health, as well as a natural fertilizer for other plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/93b69442-fdaa-43af-bcf9-d05e08fc6a32/Soil.jpg Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Comfrey in the South - 1. Prepare the Soil Comfrey is a perennial plant, which means—properly tended—it can keep growing in the same space for many years. To set comfrey up for long-term success, start with a weed-free bed. Tarping existing soil or using sterilized garden soil can help your bed get off to a good start. To establish a comfrey patch, start with a designated raised bed, a hügelkultur mound, or a large tarped area. Break up the soil and any existing hardpan. Fertilize with animal manure, compost, or chopped leaves. Keep moist and mulch well once comfrey has sprouted. Comfrey may be hardy plant once established, but you need to start with well-prepared soil and give it the same care you would other garden plants to get it started. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/306574a6-14a8-4dfe-8938-522f369e3353/Watering_Can.jpg Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Comfrey in the South - 2. Water Regularly Comfrey can survive hot summers. The deep roots hold onto the plant’s life throughout a long hot spell. However, surviving does not equal thriving. If you want an abundance of foliage to harvest in the summer, comfrey will need regular watering. If not irrigated, comfrey will produce spring and fall foliage but not summer. Shadecloth may be needed in desert climates. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/81e42cbe-0eaa-438f-a24a-a03a0ac6dedb/Chapter2-1-a-ConcreteBlockRaisedBeds.jpg Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Comfrey in the South - 3. Not so Invasive After All While comfrey can be an aggressive plant in some climates, it is tamer in the south. Our southern tough-guys like kudzu, runner-grass, and even common mint will crowd out comfrey every time. Do not take your comfrey patch for granted and watch out for the weeds. Intermediate tarping (see our Homesteader Guide) is very helpful for keeping a comfrey bed going long-term. Another option is to move your comfrey to a fresh bed every few years or when the existing bed becomes too infested with weeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/16739298-488c-4ce7-86ef-cb9d863c08be/1.png Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Comfrey in the South - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Three Tips for Growing Comfrey in the South - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/how-to-make-comfrey-salve monthly 0.5 2024-01-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/89f77f1c-b81d-41aa-a038-f305846e8fa0/Comfrey_2.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Comfrey Salve - Benefits of Comfrey Salve your whole family will love! Comfrey salve is a gentle, healing salve that helps increase cell growth and rejuvenation. Apply topically to bruises, sore muscles, rashes, and minor burns. It is also great for a natural lip balm! Recommended for topical use only. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/e0fe816e-51c9-4dcc-8d20-1a16f51e630c/Comfrey_4.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Comfrey Salve - Homemade Comfrey Oil 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup dried comfrey leaf OR 2/3 cup fresh comfrey leaf, wilted and chopped. If using fresh leaves, allow the leaves to wilt for several hours after harvesting, or place in a dehydrator on the lowest setting until wilted. Too much moisture content can cause potential mold. To make the oil, sterilize and dry thoroughly a half-pint glass jar. Place comfrey herb in jar. Add olive oil. The oil should cover the leaf by at least 2 inches. Seal the jar and place in a sunny window. Shake occasionally and allow to steep for 3-4 weeks. Strain out the oil through a fine strainer or cheesecloth. Store in amber bottles in a cool place out of direct light. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/0fef9dc8-7963-45c3-97bc-7dee770e92df/Comfrey_5.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Comfrey Salve - The Salve 1 cup comfrey oil 1/4 cup beeswax pellets 10 drops lavender essential oil (optional) Place the ingredients in a glass, oven-safe measuring bowl or small dish. Place dish in a double boiler over low heat. Warm gently, stirring occasionally, until beeswax pellets have melted. Do not microwave and do not heat above melting point. Test the consistency if needed by placing a few drops on a plate and chilling a few minutes. To thicken, add more pellets. To thin, add more comfrey oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Pour into jars, cool, and seal. Store at room temperature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - How to Make Comfrey Salve - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/comfrey-benefits monthly 0.5 2024-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/823c274d-e2e2-4862-859c-9801a1fad589/Comfrey_1.jpg Life on the Farm - What is Comfrey? Three Benefits of One Great Plant! - What is Comfrey? Comfrey is an amazing plant. Let’s meet one of the most versatile members of the Plant Family! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/941c3c5d-35cd-4c35-b159-c94b64ad9c39/Comfrey_2.jpg Life on the Farm - What is Comfrey? Three Benefits of One Great Plant! - 1. Natural Health Native to Europe and Asia, Comfrey was known in ancient times as the “knit-bone” herb. As early as 400 B.C., Greek historian Herodotus documented its healing qualities. Comfrey appears in the major pharmaceutical writings of the Greeks, Romans, and Medieval Europeans and continued to be recommended for use by leading physicians through the 1700 and 1800’s. Today we are rediscovering the value of this remarkably healing plant. Comfrey is believed to double the rate of cell growth. In other words, it makes everything heal faster! Like its Latin name suggests, it has been used for thousands of years to help heal broken bones and fracture. Often used in natural health communities today, there are many stories of its amazing help for growing bones back together. Cell repair and growth is not just for bones, however. Wounds, ulcers, and burns have also been treated successfully with comfrey. Check out our Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Comfrey for more information on comfrey uses and safety, How to Make Your Own Comfrey Salve, as well as ideas for practical use. I also highly recommend Rachel Weaver’s Be Your Own Doctor and Backyard Pharmacy, available from Share-a-Care publications. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/9a7a0ee7-a1c1-4de1-a597-23a31561f856/Comfrey_3.jpg Life on the Farm - What is Comfrey? Three Benefits of One Great Plant! - 2. Natural Gardening Comfrey is a prolific and resilient plant, producing many pounds of foliage per year. For its ability to produce an abundance of foliage in a small space, comfrey is hard to outshine. Comfrey can help renew depleted soil. Its deep roots can go down 6 feet or more in the ground searching for nutrients. Then it puts those nutrients to work making an abundance of large leaves. As these leaves die off, they release the nutrients into the top layers of the soil to feed plants with shallower root systems. Another popular use for comfrey is for natural weed control. In some gardening zones, comfrey can be planted around the base of fruit trees to control weeds and enrich the soil. Alternatively, leaves are harvested in mass and laid thickly around other crops. As the leaves decay, they suppress the weeds and add nutrients back to the soil. suppress the weeds and add nutrients back to the soil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/f13113c9-242c-405d-9af1-25d8c2b3717d/Goats.jpg Life on the Farm - What is Comfrey? Three Benefits of One Great Plant! - 3. Natural Livestock Both because of its straight-up impressive amounts of foliage as well as the intense nutrition packed in those leaves, comfrey is also useful as livestock fodder. Goats: Comfrey is probably most documented as a fodder for milk goats. Very helpful for pregnant and nursing does, it helps prevent and treat mastitis. It is an easy source of greenery for foraging goats. Cows: Comfrey is also useful for cattle. I have fed it regularly to our Dexter milk cow for a couple of years and have not had a case of mastitis so far. She eats it with gusto early in the season when grass is scarcer. Later in the season she is not as enthusiastic and seems to prefer it wilted. This may have something to do with the more tender texture of the plant earlier in the season as well. She will eat it, however, and we have had good results with her health. Chickens: Comfrey can be used as a supplemental chicken feed as well. They love its green leaves any time of the year and it is a rich source of nutrition for a laying flock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - What is Comfrey? Three Benefits of One Great Plant! - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/growing-garlic-coastal-desert-south monthly 0.5 2024-04-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5a695ed4-034f-4803-bfc5-b9773ef9aab3/adam-kring-nlj5yOZyFvU-unsplash.jpg Life on the Farm - 5 Tips for Southern, Coastal, and Desert Growers - Pushing the zone Can garlic be grown in hot regions? Let’s look at tips on pushing garlic out of its “comfort zone” a little. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/c22e5f63-e989-42ff-9370-37f79eb4b065/courtney-rose-afwADKOEfaE-unsplash.jpg Life on the Farm - 5 Tips for Southern, Coastal, and Desert Growers - 5 Tips for Southern, Coastal, and Desert Growers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/2d3a3336-7b6d-435b-b530-5527a5f3abe6/20220501_140958.jpg Life on the Farm - 5 Tips for Southern, Coastal, and Desert Growers 1) For southern or coastal growers, plant Softneck varieties. Softneck garlic is much more tolerant of warm winters than hardneck. It has a longer storage life, which helps if you want to hold seed over until the next planting season. Softneck garlic also can develop larger bulbs with shorter exposure to cold weather than hardneck generally does. Choose a softneck over a hardneck for your first try at garlic-growing in the South. For desert growers, choose a hardneck variety. Hardneck garlics are more tolerant of the extreme temperatures you may experience, particularly if you have cold nighttime temperatures in your area. 2) For southern and coastal growers, refrigerate bulbs before planting to trigger germination. 6-12 weeks of refrigeration (also known as vernalization) may be the trick you need to get the bulbs to begin to sprout. The further south you are, the closer to a full 12 weeks may be needed. Do NOT freeze the bulbs! Vernalization is only necessary if you do not have 6-8 weeks of temperatures below 40-45 degrees F. Our Garlic Growers Guide gives detailed information on vernallization, as well as tips for growing garlic in tropical climates. 3) For all growers, use deep mulches. Mulches of chopped straw, wood chips, compost or even newspaper will help moderate the soil temperature and pro-long its growing season. In hot climates, light colored mulches such as straw are helpful to reducing soil temperatures. Darker mulches will heat the soil. 4) For desert growers, or growers anywhere with very hot temperatures possible before harvest time, planting where the garlic can receive some afternoon shade may be very helpful. Garlic does not need full sun to develop well, and some protection from the heat of mid-day can help moderate its climate. 5) Plant deeply and water deeply. Soil temperatures are more stable down deeper, and planting deeply (6" or so) can provide a more moderate haven for the developing cloves. Do not over-water, as this can lead to rot or mold problems. Deep, infrequent irrigation (if needed), is best for garlic. Stop all irrigation 10 days before harvest to let the bulbs begin to dry out for curing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - 5 Tips for Southern, Coastal, and Desert Growers - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/buttermilk-garlic-ranch-dressing-recipe monthly 0.5 2024-04-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/0b4a325c-43fd-4b20-93f8-c423f6b6d15d/ButtermilkRanch1.JPG Life on the Farm - Best Buttermilk Ranch Recipe - Get some raw garlic in your life with this great recipe your whole family will love! Garlic is nutrient-rich no matter how it is prepared! Roasted, steamed, chopped up in everyday dishes.... its vitamins and minerals shine through beautifully. However, most experts agree that the benefits of garlic are multiplied when it is consumed raw. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/924d117b-915b-416c-a636-da1a767300f6/ButtermilkRanch3.JPG Life on the Farm - Best Buttermilk Ranch Recipe - Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Recipe Ingredients: 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 TBSP fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried 1 small ring or chunk of fresh onion 1 garlic clove, peeled 1/4 tsp sea salt Dash of black pepper Place all ingredients in food processor or blender, and blend on high speed until pureed. Transfer to a covered container and store in the refrigerator until ready for use. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/0ac35206-3fc0-497b-8836-2c5fddd82afb/ButtermilkRanch2.JPG Life on the Farm - Best Buttermilk Ranch Recipe That's it! The flavor gets richer with an hour or two of refrigeration, but I am usually snacking on it already as soon as a batch is made! Let me know how you like it, and thanks for reading! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Best Buttermilk Ranch Recipe - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/has-my-seed-garlic-gone-bad monthly 0.5 2024-04-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1f75350b-30cb-4587-9311-b6d4aede4375/Seed%2BGarlic%2B1-1920w.png Life on the Farm - Has My Seed Garlic Gone Bad? - How to tell if seed garlic is still viable: Here at Southern Seed Garlic we inspect our seed garlic at every stage of its journey to insure the best garlic possible, and sincerely hope this is not your experience with our seed! But I have seen this question in online discussions and feel it is a valid one that needs to be addressed. Here are a few things to note when deciding if your garlic seed has gone bad: ★ Sprouting Cloves ★ Diseased Bulbs ★ Mold https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/fa0815b5-fe79-4985-8b0a-e2b95b02b487/Seed%2BGarlic%2B7-1920w.png Life on the Farm - Has My Seed Garlic Gone Bad? - Sprouting Cloves First of all, it helps to know a sprouting clove vs. a diseased clove. A sprouting clove is dried out, soft, often brown, because it is trying to grow! Inside that mysterious living clove something is telling it that autumn has come, and though far-removed from light or temperature differences, it is putting all its energy into trying to reproduce itself. This is not to advocate, of course, letting your seed get to this point! However, for us southern gardeners who have to wait longer for cool weather to come, we may be faced with this situation occasionally (or regularly with certain varieties). Bulbs in this condition need to be planted immediately if possible. The dehydrating bulb can only support the sprout so long. Without water and light, it will eventually die and decompose. If you open a clove wrapper and find it empty, this is likely what happened. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/f0dc333a-31cd-445b-b614-5b5f4c64f20e/Seed%2BGarlic%2B3-1920w.png Life on the Farm - Has My Seed Garlic Gone Bad? - Diseased Bulbs What does a diseased bulb look like? Most garlic diseases affect the plant while it is still growing and the well-inspected bulb will never make it to the storage stage if it is diseased. But one disease that can occur in stored bulb is penicillin mold. Never plant bulbs that show any kind of mold on them, as this can infect the plants in the field and lead to crop loss. Immediately discard any moldy bulbs and wash your hands. The cloves pictured here may just be in the last stages of decay rather than hosting penicillin mold, but are an example of what NOT to plant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/aec8119e-3181-4110-8524-ff0a5bc7ea1d/Seed%2BGarlic%2B4-1920w.png Life on the Farm - Has My Seed Garlic Gone Bad? - Speckled mold A bulb that resembles the picture here CAN be planted. The spotting is an indication of humid curing conditions, but is not a mold that worsens beyond what is shown here or that affects the cloves themselves. The reason grocery store garlic is so flawlessly white is that it is often dipped in fungicide. It's pretty, but not natural! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Has My Seed Garlic Gone Bad? - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/farmlife/about monthly 0.5 2025-12-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/6e602850-31e6-4448-914d-9ed154b9e446/Family_Farm_Story.png Life on the Farm - Let’s Meet! - Meet the Singers Matt and Sarah Singer live on a self-sustaining farm in beautiful central Arkansas. ★ Location: Central Arkansas ★ Certified Naturally Grown Farm ★ 4th Generation Farming Family https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/5c61b534-c949-4d75-9a56-2819f5989b29/mapimage.jpg Life on the Farm - Let’s Meet! - We’ve shipped garlic all over America We’d love to add you to our garlic growers map! https://southernseedgarlic.com/plantingguide daily 0.75 2025-02-25 https://southernseedgarlic.com/return-policy daily 0.75 2025-03-12 https://southernseedgarlic.com/the-learning-farm daily 0.75 2026-01-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/e79e2f13-f6e1-4cf5-8898-8ef6d9fc53c2/Garlic_Book_Cover.png The Learning Farm https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/e13a95ea-af3c-43ac-896c-5df7a41208d6/The+Learning+Farm%2810%29.png The Learning Farm https://southernseedgarlic.com/shipping-dates daily 0.75 2025-07-04 https://southernseedgarlic.com/garlic daily 0.75 2024-09-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/1655558476275-LDH7ZIR55I1GYTSMXFCI/ssg-garlic4.jpg Shop Seed Garlic https://southernseedgarlic.com/garlic/bulk-garlic-for-sale monthly 0.5 2026-02-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/beb9dd73-8d0d-4449-b54d-a468aa91bada/Bulk_Seed_Garlic_for_Sale.png Shop Seed Garlic - 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NEW: German Porcelain - Fall Shipping For guaranteed seed viability, select fall shipping. We will store the seed here at our facilities and ship it to you in time for your zone’s shipping date this fall. Fall shipping begins September 1st, beginning with northern zones. Note: Ordering from the Deep South but don’t have enough time left this season to vernalize your seed? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/627e6422f86faf19593d215a/65489439-4ee7-4348-ab10-0ab505ee5635/Screen+Shot+2022-05-20+at+3.01.17+PM.jpg Shop Seed Garlic - NEW: German Porcelain - Early Shipping We offer early shipping! Are you a Deep South grower who needs time to vernalize your garlic Or just want to have your garlic on hand early? Early Shipping starts in July and continues until fall planting dates. 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