During my agrology studies, I became interested in growing winter garlic. Winter garlic is well suited here in northern Finland because it is planted in October before frost and spends the winter under the snow, receiving a natural cold treatment. The Syöte region is often the snowiest area in Finland and the thick snow protects the garlic cloves well. As soon as the snow melts, the shoots start to rise towards the light. May is always an exciting time!

During my studies, I wrote a thesis on the cultivation of winter garlic in Northern Finland. One of the goals was to find suitable varieties for the conditions in Northern Finland. It also contains instructions for cultivation and experiences of northern farmers. My thesis can be found here: https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/148824

The garlic fields are located in my brother's field, next to the smokehouse on the old family farm. Food has been grown there since the 18th century. The long, bright days here make the garlic grow especially aromatic!

The summer of 2024 was reasonably good and the harvest was good in quantity, but the onions had various growth disorders due to the weather. As a result, there were only a few lettuce onions and not many loose onions. On the other hand, there was a good supply of small and crunchy onions suitable for powder, but their further processing still requires a lot of manual work...

Watch garlic's journey from field to powder here!