allium sativum (garlic)

OUR GARLIC IS ORGANICALLY GROWN BUT IS NOT CERTIFIED TO BE SO

Kaskaskia Red

This may be the first introduction to commerce of this fine southern Illinois variety, obtained from a local farmer and named by breeders Merlyn and Mary Ann Niedens after the nearby Kaskaskia River. White bulbs with red-purple streaks, 5 to 8 cloves per bulb. Might prove to be a good garlic for Zone 7 or so, as it has also done well in Virginia. Flavor described as "hot and zesty."

Of planting (and growing) garlic: If you order from us now, you will receive whole unbroken bulbs of garlic in the mail in August or September of 2004. When you are ready to plant (we plant in late October here in Central Illinois), you should break up your bulbs into cloves and plant them individually in 18" rows about 6" apart (this will give them plenty of room-more than is really necessary, some would say). Each clove will contrive to transform itself into an entire bulb by the following summer. You should mulch your garlic for the winter by covering it with a thick (6") layer of loose straw (here, we do this in late November). If your garlic plants send up flower stalks (called scapes), cut them off before they bloom (to keep them from draining energy away from your bulbs) and use them in the kitchen as you would garlic. Harvest your garlic in late June or early July when the plants start to die. Now back to Kaskaskia Red (and remember, shipping is expensive): $9.00/quarter-pound; $3.50/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Inchelium Red

Softneck-Artichoke type. Large bulbs with 10-15 cloves per bulb. Winner of taste tests, prized for its mellow flavor. Originally from a garden in the town of Inchelium on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington state, but does very well in Illinois. $30.00/pound; $9.00/quarter-pound ; $3.50/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Russian Red

Hardneck-Rocambole type. Very large, colorful bulbs with 8 to 12 reddish-brown cloves per bulb. This variety comes to us from Russian Dukhobor immigrants to British Columbia. The Dukhobors ("Spirit-warriors") are (or were) an extremely anti-authoritarian religious sect that in large part emigrated from the North Caucasus, fleeing tsarist persecution, in the early 20th century, thanks in part to the efforts of the author Leo Tolstoy. Grow these and chomp down on a bit of history... $9.00/quarter-pound ; $3.50/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Chesnok Red

Hardneck-Purple Stripe type. 8 to 10 cloves per bulb, covered in reddish-purple skins. Also known as Shvelisi. Hails from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, home to many fine garlic varieties and a distinctive vegetable-based cuisine. Chesnok Red came to the United States from near Shvelisi in Georgia by way of the massive Gatersleben seed bank in (the former) East Germany. Easy to peel, fine-flavored, and well-respected in the garlic world. (Chesnok is the Russian word for garlic.) $9.00/quarter-pound; $3.50/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Marino

Hardneck-Rocambole type. White bulbs (sometimes with a bit of purple) with 5 to 8 fat, strong-flavored and tasty cloves per bulb. Blue-green leaves and stalks. Originally from a Mr. Marino of New York state. $9.00/quarter-pound; $3.50/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Music

Hardneck-Porcelain type. 4 to 7 large, pink-skinned cloves per bulb. Known for its vigorous and handsome stalks and rich flavor. Apparently originated on a farm in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, where it was developed by a breeder who shares its name. $9.00/quarter-pound ; $3.50/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

German Porcelain

Hardneck-Porcelain type (obviously). Large outer cloves and smaller inner ones, white with tiny purple stripes. Large plants. Porcelain types have a higher allicin (the compound that gives garlic its medicinal qualities) content than any other kind of garlic. Highly recommended for flavor. $30.00/pound; $9.00/quarter-pound ; $3.50/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Maxatawny

Hardneck-10 to 15 fairly easy-to-peel cloves per bulb, with a blush of lavender at the base of each, fading to a rich cream color. Mild but pleasant and lingering flavor. Large, vigorous plants. One of William Woys Weaver's discoveries in the Mennonite communities of eastern Pennsylvania, used there for flavoring pickles. Originally came to this country from Silesia (now part of southern Poland) in the 1740s. $5.00/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Udabmo

Softneck-Artichoke type. 18 to 20 tightly-wrapped cream-colored cloves per bulb. Collected in the mountains of the Republic of Georgia in 1988, coming to the U.S. via the Gatersleben seed bank. NOT AVAILABLE THIS YEAR--BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

Pyongyang

Hardneck-Artichoke type. 8 to 10 beautiful elongated gracefully-tapering cloves per bulb, the next-to-last layer of skin an iridescent purple, the inmost layer shiny, with a yellow spot at the base streaking into a mauve blush, with deep red-purple parallel lines towards the tip. It was a real pleasure to break up these consistently full and beautiful bulbs for planting this year (even though I did it one-handed in a paper sack while I was driving down to the garlic patch on planting day). Unique buttery sharp flavor when raw, low-key and robust when cooked. Another accession from Gatersleben, originally from near Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. (Several sources list this variety as "Pyongvang," but this seems to be clearly a misspelling.) As we enjoy this fine variety let us not forget the sufferings and starvation of its originators, the people of North Korea, and hope for a peaceful and equitable reunification of the Korean peninsula. $4.00/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES

Carpathian

Hardneck-Rocambole type. 8 to 12 plump and very easy-to-peel cloves per bulb, of a gorgeous color I can only describe as "pinkish-yellow." A very old variety with narrow leaves that can be traced back to mediæval times in the Carpathian Mountains of present-day southern Poland. Nice sharp pungent flavor when raw, quickly mellowing to garlicky bliss that will warm you up all over. Pleasant and earthy when cooked, but still retains its bite. You can see why this one has been around for a while. $5.00/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Mchadijvari #1

Hardneck-Purple Stripe type. Recently renamed Purple Glazer. A gorgeous garlic with 7 to 9 fat cloves per purple-striped bulb. The inner layer of skin fairly shines purple, with beating garlic-clove hearts within….These cloves blush pinkish-purple at both ends, with darker red-purple stripes, while the middle section glows a rich yellow. Another garlic with strong, long-lasting flavor from the Republic of Georgia. (Many sources use the spelling "Mchadidzhvari," which is the Russian transliteration of the name-Russian has no letter "j.") $5.00/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED

Pskem

Hardneck-Purple Stripe type. White bulbs with purple stripes and a faint purple wash, with 4 to 5 very large cloves per bulb, the cloves creamy yellow with a mauve blush at the the base, and mauve stripes further up. (The next-to-last layer of skin has striking widely-spaced purple pinstripes.) Discovered in the wild in the remote and scenic Pskem River gorge of Uzbekistan by garlic hunter John Swenson in 1989, on an expedition to the historic region of origin of this most important vegetable. Pskem is described in glowing terms in William Woys Weaver's 100 Vegetables and Where They Come From, where Weaver refers to its "unmistakable aroma of toasted hazelnuts." SORRY--UNAVAILABLE THIS YEAR--MUST BUILD UP SEED STOCK

Maiskij

Hardneck-Artichoke type. 6 to 8 cloves per bulb, mostly a deep yellow like old parchment, with purple streaks. The bulbs have a fantastic pattern on their outer layers, a rich, almost wine-like purple spattered with large white spots as if drizzled with bleach, especially around the fattest part, coalescing into distinct purple stripes toward the top. Collected in a bazaar in Ashghabat (a.k.a. Ashkhabad), the capital of Turkmenistan, by John Swenson. There are two towns in the former Soviet Union called Maiskij, both of them far, far from Ashghabat, so it is unclear where the name came from. Maiskij is also a surname, however. (This variety can also be spelled Maiskii, and probably should be. It rhymes with "I ski.") SORRY--UNAVAILABLE THIS YEAR--MUST BUILD UP SEED STOCK

Lapanantkari

Hardneck-Porcelain type. Beautiful white bulbs with very fine faint brownish-purple stripes. 4 to 6 very fat cloves per bulb, brown and cream-colored (and tinged with purple), with thin black stripes. From the Republic of Georgia through the good offices of John Swenson. $6.00/bulb, SHIPPING INCLUDED LIMITED QUANTITIES