• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

The Botanical Kitchen

Recipes, travel and the occasional rant

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Travels
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • About
  • Contact

Time For Planting And Preserving Garlic

1st October 2014 By Urvashi Roe 35 Comments

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

I was inspired to grow a little garlic after a visiting Mark at South West Garlic Farm last year.  My garlic will never be as good as his and I won’t ever be planting the volume he does but I like the idea of my allotment being busy doing something over the winter.

garlic

Love garlic

A few tips on planting

It’s a really good time to get planting now. I’ve cleared all my courgettes, the bulk of my sorrel and my runner beans and so I have a perfect patch of land, different to last year to plant.  It’s in maximum sunlight over the winter months which is important and most importantly I have enough space to leave about six inches between each clove.  The chaps at the allotment hut told me to break the bulbs up before planting – no longer than 24 hours – and then they go into the soil about 4cm below the surface with the pointy end up.

Garlic

My garlic crop before it went too rusty

Problems along the growing journey

Lots can grow wrong with garlic growing. Mark has spent 13 years figuring all this out.  I have had the learnings of a season so here are a few things to beware of:

  • Birds – Be sure also to make a few scarecrows as the birds will think the tip sticking out is a worm and then try to yank it out.  This happened with a few of mine last year.
  • Rust – these are small orange spots or blisters that appear on the leaves.  It’s basically due to wind and not enough rain.  So water, water and water during the dry patches.
  • Eelworm – I had a few bulbs that had these little wrigglies inside.  You can mitigate this by adding wrapping a little newspaper around the bulb according to one allotment neighbour.  But I think this year I might be OK because they seem to prefer newly cultivated land and the patch I have planted on is not new.
  • Onion Fly – Look for a thick neck on the plant.  This is where the eggs are laid so when they hatch the little maggots bear down into the bulb and the plant collapses.  Just pull it out as soon as possible.

Harvesting 

Garlic will apparently tell you when it’s time to harvest.  I think I went in too early panicking with the rust maybe but I did have a wonderful harvest.

Garlic

My harvested garlic this summer

Small bulbs but so satisfying to pull it out of the ground and smell the proper, full bodied garlic smell.  We tied ours together in a plait and have had it hanging on the kitchen door all summer.

garlic bulbs

An intense full bodied, earthy smell of garlic

 Preserving the surplus

Of course you don’t need to grow garlic to make these preserves.  You could just as easily buy some beautiful garlic from Mark and that would do the job nicely.  But if you do have some spare and want two really easy recipes to try, these would be perfect.

Garlic and Chilli Paste

This really is the simplest recipe ever if you have a food processor or a Froothie. Just a few ingredients and you have a healthy paste to dollop into soups, curries or breads or use as a base for sandwiches or salad dressings alike.  My grandfather had a medicinal teaspoon everyday and lived into his late eighties.  Just click on the picture for the recipe.

Garlic and chilli paste

Garlic and Chilli Paste

Another brilliant store cupboard preserve is confit garlic.  The peeled bulbs are cooked ever so slowly in oil and they become silky soft and the garlic flavour seems to intensify even further.  They are really great on fluffy jacket potatoes or sourdough toast.

confit garlic
Print Recipe

Confit Garlic With Rosemary

Notes

Confit Garlic

Confit Garlic

You'll need

  • Garlic bulbs - however many you want to confit
  • Olive Oil - enough to cover the bulbs completely
  • Few sprigs of rosemary - optional
To make it simply place the bulbs into a heavy bottomed saucepan or a cast iron frying pan and then cover with oil.
Then heat on a low flame for about an hour until the bulbs have completely softened. If the heat isn't low the bulbs will burn. You don't want this. You want them to slowly simmer away. There should barely be any bubbles on the oil.
When they are ready pour them and the oil into a sterilised jar and then add the rosemary to permeate through. Eat within a month.

Are you a fan of garlic? Do you have any growing tips to share? How do you preserve it? 

Related

Filed Under: Preserves & Pickles Tagged With: Allotment, confit garlic, Garlic

Previous Post: « On My Travels: The Doughnut Plant, New York
Next Post: Let’s Not Overlook Beetroot Greens »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. andreamynard says

    1st October 2014 at 9:19 pm

    Great that you had a lovely harvest despite the rust. Me too – it didn’t seem to affect the garlic. There’s something satisfying about harvesting your own garlic isn’t there, even if (like me) there’s not enough to last the year. Love your preserving ideas too.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      1st October 2014 at 9:22 pm

      Thank you. I can’t wait for my next harvest!

      Reply
  2. roughseasinthemed says

    1st October 2014 at 9:30 pm

    Have you tried fresh garlic? I noticed it for sale in one of my local shops, and pulled some of mine, it is delicious, ajo tierno. I don’t think I had any full grown ones left!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      1st October 2014 at 9:31 pm

      Do you mean wet garlic? If so yes! It’s so lovely. I will def pull up some next year

      Reply
      • roughseasinthemed says

        1st October 2014 at 9:34 pm

        Not sure what wet garlic is, but basically it’s before the bulbs have set and dried, so could be the same. A bit like green onions not old ones?

        Wet garlic, don’t you think tender garlic is so much prettier? , 😀

        Reply
        • Urvashi Roe says

          1st October 2014 at 9:35 pm

          Yes exactly that. Delicious!

          Reply
  3. circusgardener says

    2nd October 2014 at 8:20 am

    Lovely photos, and what a great harvest.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd October 2014 at 1:07 pm

      thank you 🙂

      Reply
  4. philipstrange says

    2nd October 2014 at 8:31 am

    When I grew garlic some years ago, also on an allotment, I lost quite a bit through onion white rot. I presume you didn’t have that problem?

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd October 2014 at 8:43 am

      No I didnt. What does that look like?! I hope I don’t get it this year!

      Reply
      • philipstrange says

        2nd October 2014 at 9:56 am

        It was a long time ago but I believe the bulbs were partly rotted when I pulled them up. I seem to recall that soil either has the disease it or it doesn’t. It also affects onions and leeks.

        Reply
        • Urvashi Roe says

          2nd October 2014 at 9:57 am

          Aaaah ok. My leeks have been fine so fingers crossed my soul is ok!

          Reply
  5. Sarah Trivuncic, Maison Cupcake says

    2nd October 2014 at 1:06 pm

    Not being much of a gardener it’s never occurred to me to grow my own – and I had no idea there was so much to it. But maybe I could squeeze a few of these in the garden next year. (If the beetroot this year give me confidence!)

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd October 2014 at 2:35 pm

      The roots don’t go very deep so you could most certainly plant in containers!

      Reply
  6. Helene @Croque-Maman says

    2nd October 2014 at 2:34 pm

    This is so inspiring Urvashi. Your allotment looks like such a great little secret garden 🙂

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd October 2014 at 2:36 pm

      Thank you. The little ones don’t like garlic overtly but they’ve enjoyed pulling it out and plaiting it.

      Reply
  7. FarminCityfolk says

    2nd October 2014 at 3:13 pm

    Beautiful! I got to help out at my sister-in-law’s farm harvesting garlic this summer, and it was wonderful. We smelled like garlic for weeks and people stopped sitting next to us on the bus.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd October 2014 at 3:17 pm

      Ha! Ha! No way! Am glad I didn’t stink of garlic that much. Or maybe I dd and I just got used to the smell! Oh no

      Reply
  8. Agents of Field says

    2nd October 2014 at 5:16 pm

    Those recipes look delicious. Now I’m regretting that we’ve just eaten the last of the home-grown garlic without doing something a little more experimental with it!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      2nd October 2014 at 5:17 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words :-). Now you can plan to grow more for experimenting next season.

      Reply
  9. Sarah says

    2nd October 2014 at 10:02 pm

    Rust turned the leaves of my whole garlic crop orange this year… I’ll have to remember your advice, just in case we get a long spell of dry weather again. I love your preserving ideas – going to have a go at both of them.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      3rd October 2014 at 3:28 pm

      Mark told me rust comes from wind and lack of water. It is hard with an allotment to try and go everyday to water -especially during holiday time too. I’m sure that’s when our rust developed as we were not here and it didn’t rain. Thanks for linking up to me in your gardener’s collective post x

      Reply
  10. Jan @GlugofOil says

    3rd October 2014 at 7:30 am

    Brilliant post – very interesting as always.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      3rd October 2014 at 3:26 pm

      Thank you Jan x

      Reply
  11. kellie anderson says

    3rd October 2014 at 11:04 am

    I remember your garlic farm post very well and I am chuffed for you that you now have your own harvest! How exciting! Great tips and easy recipes. A well-rounded and beautiful to look at post, Urvashi. Thanks for sharing this with us. I wish I had a sunny winter space to grow garlic….

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      3rd October 2014 at 3:26 pm

      Thanks Kellie. Fingers crossed for harvest two!

      Reply
  12. Katie Bryson (@cookingkt) says

    3rd October 2014 at 9:36 pm

    Full of envy for your harvest of garlic… we never had much success with it on our allotment when we had it a few years back. Thanks for sharing your experiences, it’s a lovely bit of escapism on a friday night 🙂

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      4th October 2014 at 11:52 am

      Thanks Katie. We’re going to move it to a different spot this year so fingers crossed for another successful year.

      Reply
  13. Heidi Roberts says

    4th October 2014 at 4:17 pm

    I only got one last year but think I will pop some inbetween the onions already planted.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      4th October 2014 at 4:19 pm

      Hmmm I’m not sure that’s a good idea based on the comment above re onion fly?

      Reply
  14. Sally says

    4th October 2014 at 6:52 pm

    I adore the stuff. My Polish grandma ate a raw clove a day and was very fit and healthy until she died at an old age. Love the pick of your harvested bulbs.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      4th October 2014 at 6:54 pm

      Thanks Sally. I think there is much to learn from Eastern European customs and the links to Indian culture. Our ancestors were from Georgia so I do wonder how much of our customs today are from Europe.

      Reply
  15. Nazima says

    4th October 2014 at 11:29 pm

    I love garlic and we will be planting some too. we did not have much luck with Onions but hoping a better turnout with the garlics in our first year as gardeners!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      5th October 2014 at 4:29 pm

      We’ve just got back from the allotment and planted up some more. It’ll be in a line down one side of the allotment so hopefully will get loads of sun over winter.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Hi I'm Urvashi!

I love food. This blog is a little glimpse into my foodie world which is an escape from two teenage girls, a busy job and my little cafe.

Connect With Me

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Follow Me On Instagram!

Instagram has returned invalid data.

RECEIVE NEW POSTS BY EMAIL!

Copyright © 2022 Urvashi Roe · All Rights Reserved · Log in