YEAR OF GARLIC
The Year of Garlic – the Journey from Field to Powder
Pre-planting to improve the field
The field is prepared for garlic cultivation with forecrops that work the soil and fix nitrogen from the air. Various legume mixtures and clover grass are used for this in a four-year crop rotation. Plant protection products are not used at any stage. In September, the forecrops are crushed and ploughed into the field. The field is harrowed a few times, limed and fertilized, and beds are made for the garlic with a potato planter.
Planting
Some of the seed material is ordered from an importer and the own seeds are dried to dry for storage after harvest. The garlic cloves are separated from each other. The cloves are planted in the ground just before the snow comes and the ground freezes, usually by mid-October. Sometimes the snow reaches the ground before planting... The cloves grow roots before winter, and a shoot may also appear if the autumn continues to be warm. The cloves spend the winter in the field under a thick layer of snow.
Spring and early summer
When the snow melts from the field, the garlic shoots immediately raise their beautiful light green heads. Garlic is a hardy plant, and the slight cold in spring does not damage it. Fertilization begins in the spring, because at that stage the garlic needs a lot of nutrients. Foliar fertilizers are used for this, which are applied directly to the leaves as a targeted fertilizer. The weeding work begins as soon as the weeds appear. Fortunately, garlic is a strong plant and is not easily smothered by weeds. There is still plenty of weeding to do... Irrigation must also be taken care of during long periods of drought. An irrigation pipeline and a combustion engine pump are used for this purpose.
First harvest
The first crop from the field is fresh garlic. It can be harvested for a couple of weeks starting in late June. At that time, the garlic is juicy and mild, and in principle the whole plant can be eaten raw. The garlic sold fresh has not been given foliar fertilizer.
Removing flower stalks
The so-called hardy varieties grow flower stalks, which form seed buds for the continuation of the family. These stalks are removed from most of them, because growing them reduces the size of the actual bulb. The flower stalks are a sought-after delicacy around the world, which can be eaten, for example, pickled, in pesto or cooked in soups or wok dishes.
Harvesting
Harvesting takes place at slightly different times for different varieties. When the cloves appear on the onion and a large part of the lower leaves begin to die, it is time to lift the bulbs from the ground. Growing them for too long reduces the quality, and the garlic skins begin to decompose. When harvesting, the bulbs are cleaned and hung up to hang loosely. After a couple of weeks of drying, the withered stems are cut off and the bulbs are dried in a dryer until they are dry enough for storage. Drying them too quickly can cause the bulbs to mold and spoil quickly. When harvesting, some of the bulbs are tied into braids, which are dried as is.
Processing and sales
Some of the garlic bulbs from the mushroom and herb feed are sold fresh, some in braids, some as loose bulbs, and some are dried and ground into aromatic garlic powder. To make the powder, the cloves are peeled and grated into a coarse grater. The grater is dried in a dryer and, after drying, ground into a powder. Some of the bulbs are selected as seeds for planting the following season.
