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Marbled Purple Striped Garlic, Pskem – 4 oz

Of all the types of garlic available today, the Purple Stripes are genetically closest to the original species, and they are the ancestors of all of the garlic cultivars grown today.  Purple Stripes and Glazed Purple Stripes need a vigorous winter to produce well. They will not thrive in the warmer climates.  Marbled Purple Stripes do well in areas with mild winters and early warm springs.

Pskem was discovered in 1989 by John Swenson in the mountains surrounding the Pskem River Valley of Uzbekistan.  Pskem has relatively few very large cloves for a Purple Stripe. There are only 2-4 cloves per richly colored bulb. Pskem is quite hot when raw, but has good depth of character to go with the heat. Its large cloves and rich flavor make it a worthy addition to the garlic garden.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Marbled Purple Stripe 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 1-6 240-270 Days
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Purple Striped Garlic, Persian Star – 4 oz

Persian Star which is often known as Samarkand was collected in 1989 at a bazaar in Samarkand, Uzbekistan by John Swenson.

For nearly 50 years, John Swenson has been growing, collecting and studying heirloom garlic. In 1989, Swenson joined a USDA team of biologists on a collections mission through Russia and Central Asia. While there, the team searched remote hillsides and bustling marketplaces, for every garlic, onion, shallot and carrot they could find. Ultimately, the team returned to the US with 120 varieties of garlic alone. Swenson was able to procure many of the Russian garlic accessions and grew them in his backyard. He later shared his collection with The Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa.

Through John’s exceptional efforts to share the garlic cultivars he collected and cultivated, some USSR garlic varieties became wildly popular and many others became known and loved by garlic aficionados. His actions completely transformed the diversity of garlic varieties available in the US and helped to spark what has been recognized as a “Garlic Revolution,” where the garlic varieties available in the US went from 18 in 1987 to 274 by 2004

Persian Star is a medium-sized, hardneck garlic. Like most Purple Stripes, its cloves are arranged in a single layer around the dried scape stem. The cloves are tall and crescent shaped and cloaked in some of the most beautiful clove wrappers in the garlic world. However, the cloves, fresh from the garden, can be difficult to peel. Once the bulbs have been stored for 4-8 weeks, the cloves become much easier to peel.

The Persian Star flavor is rich, garlicky and without the sulphurous overtones that sometimes plague the Purple Stripes. In general, the taste does not have a lot of heat.

Most Purple Stripes are not good storers. Persian Star, in my experience, lasts for 3-4 months. Even though it does not last, the exceptional flavor makes it well worth the effort to grow in your garden.

Like all hardneck garlics, Persian Star must experience a prolonged (8-10 weeks) exposure to cold. This garlic cultivar, as you would expect from an ancient ancestor that has survived until the present, can flourish in poor soil and harsh environmental conditions. However, it does love rich garden soil and will produce much larger bulbs when grown in this environment.

Many will tell you that if you intend to grow garlic, Persian Star is one of the cultivars that you should have in your garden.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Purple Stripe 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 1-6 240-270 Days
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Silverskin Garlic, Rose du Var – 4 oz

Silverskins which are softnecks, because of their superb storage capabilities, are the most familiar garlic varieties.  They have the highest yields and do well in a variety of climates.  There are usually 12-20 cloves per bulb and one pound of garlic averages 90 plants.

Rose Du Var was imported from France for commercial testing in California. It can be quite hot in taste.

The bulbs are small to medium-sized, but the cloves, especially the inner cloves, are larger than expected. Most bulbs and cloves have attractive reddish purple streaking.

Even in warmer growing climates, the taste is strong and hot.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Silverskins 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 5-8 180-240 Days

 

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Purple Striped Garlic, Chesnok Red – 4 oz

The Striped Garlics, hardnecks, are so named because of the striking purple stripes and blotches on the clove skins and bulb wrappers. These are the most beautiful of all the garlic varieties and they also have outstanding flavor.

Chesnok Red is from Shvelisi in the Republic of Georgia, this outstanding garlic is perhaps the most consistent of any of the Purple Striped varieties offered. The large bulbs average 9-10 cloves. Flavor is excellent.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Purple Stripe 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 1-6 240-270 Days
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Porcelain Garlic, Romanian Red – 4 oz

Porcelain Garlics are hardnecks. Most varieties have pure white skins and cloves so large that they are often mistaken for elephant garlic. The individual cloves are usually crystal white, hence the name Porcelain. One pound of bulbs averages 40 plants. Porcelain Garlics produce the tallest plants of all garlic cultivars. Some Porcelain plants can reach a height of 7 feet.
Romanian Red was introduced into British Columbia from Romania. It may have been the first or at least one of the first Porcelains brought to America. Anyone who has grown it for years, including me, will tell you Romanian Red is the prototypic Porcelain garlic. It is a vigorous grower. The huge cloves, 4-5 per bulb, have some heat when eaten raw and a healthy long lasting bite. The plants are among the most disease resistant of all garlic cultivars.

In a study of more than 20 garlic cultivars, discussed in Ted Meredith’s marvelous book, The Complete Book of Garlic, Romanian Red yielded the greatest amount of allicin.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Porcelain 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 1-6 240-270 Days

 

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Creole Garlic, Ajo Rojo

Creoles, a Silverskin subvariety, have purple cloves and beautiful bulbs.  Sometimes called “Mexican Purple” garlic, unlike other garlics, these varieties prefer a mild winter climate.  Sweet tasting and long-lasting.  One pound averages 80 plants.

The Creole garlic cultivar that defines Creole garlics is Ajo Rojo. Collected in Spain by G. Lutovsky and cultivated in Nevada, this is a beautiful garlic which when baked is mild and creamy.  Raw, the heat starts mild, but builds to intense.  It is very much like Creole Red.

Ajo Rojo was brought to the United States in the early 1990s through a Nevada-based, virus-free garlic program. It is a long-storing, sweetly flavored garlic that produces very well in mild winter climates, but has also done well in cooler environments. The flavor has been described the flavor by which all garlic can be judged.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Creoles 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 5-9 180-240 Days
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Creole Garlic, Burgundy – 4 oz

Creoles, a Silverskin subvariety, have purple cloves and beautiful bulbs.  Sometimes called “Mexican Purple” garlic, unlike other garlics, these varieties prefer a mild winter climate.  Sweet tasting and long-lasting.  One pound averages 80 plants.

The original source for this variety is unknown.  It was part of the UC Davis collection and grown by Horace Shaw in Oregon.  The cloves are a remarkable deep burgundy. The bulbs produce 8-12 cloves per bulb. Burgundy has an excellent, sweet, rich flavor and is a good, reliable producer.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Creoles 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 5-9 180-240 Days
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Marbled Purple Striped Garlic, Metechi – 4 oz

Of all the types of garlic available today, the Purple Stripes are genetically closest to the original species, and they are the ancestors of all of the garlic cultivars grown today.  Purple Stripes and Glazed Purple Stripes need a vigorous winter to produce well. They will not thrive in the warmer climates.  Marbled Purple Stripes do well in areas with mild winters and early warm springs.

We have found Metechi to be, consistently, one of the hottest garlics that we grow, but Ted Jordan Meredith in his landmark book, The Complete Book of Garlic has a very different opinion. He states:

“Views on the culinary merit of ‘Metechi’ vary widely. In my experience it is not particularly notable when raw, and I find its cooked texture mealy and its flavor lacking. Others, however, regard ‘Metechi’ very highly (that would be me among others) extolling the virtues of its hot, strong flavor…”

Later Meredith makes this very interesting statement in which he references The Fort Collins Study. The Fort Collins Study is a rigorous scientific study, completed and published in 2004 at The National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado, which looked at the genetic differences between garlic clones being cultivated in North America. Meredith is referring to the vastly different taste and flavor qualities experienced in supposedly the same cultivar :

“The Fort Collins Study (Volk et al.2004 )included ‘Metechi’ from two different commercial sources. ‘Metechi’ from one of the sources clustered with Purple Stripes, not the Marbled Purple Stripes. This could suggest that more than one cultivar carries the name.”

Metechi is a late-maturing cultivar that is highly productive in a wide range of climates and growing conditions. In southern and northern growing environments, Metechi produces large bulbs, but each bulb consists of, at most, 4-5 very large cloves, as you can see in the photo below.

Metechi is a good storer, and it is among the better hardnecks for regions with warm winters and early springs.

Garlic is best when planted in the fall, but can be planted in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked. If planting in the fall, plant 30 days before the ground freezes and mulch with straw or alfalfa hay if possible. Garlic must have some exposure to cold for several weeks or it will not bulb. Amend the soil with potash and phosphate before planting. Plant the cloves 1-2 in. deep and 4-6 in. apart in rows separated by 12-18 in.

Harvest in mid-summer when 2/3 of the stalk has turned brown or yellow. Dig the bulbs from the soil with stalks attached. Cure in a dry, shaded area with lots of air circulation for 4-6 weeks. Stalks can then be removed from the bulbs.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Marbled Purple Stripe 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 1-6 240-270 Days
Marbled Purple Striped Garlic, Metechi – 4 oz Read More
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Artichoke Garlic, Thermadrone – 4 oz

Artichoke Garlic, a softneck variety, is so named because the overlapping clove configuration around the bulb resembles an artichoke.  The plants are vigorous and the bulbs are large.  These garlics usually do not produce a seedhead, but may produce bulbils which will protrude from the lower part of the stem.  Generally, Artichoke Garlics have 12-20 mildly flavored cloves.  The mild flavor makes them a favorite of individuals who enjoy eating raw garlic. With some strains, the flavor may be intensified by cold winter growing.  One pound of bulbs averages 80 plants.

Thermadrone is a very unusual garlic.  It was developed by the French for commercial cultivation, but its intense flavor which many describe as (don’t laugh) Dijon mustardy has limited its widespread public appeal. However, in our typically contrarian, American way, we like that unusual Dijon flavor and so Thermadrone has been growing in popularity in the US.

The outer cloves are fairly large, but not as large as Red Toch.  The bulbs can be large, usually 12-18 cloves, but not as large as Inchie’s bulbs. If you are into garlic bread, one clove is enough for one large slice of garlic bread. The bulb wrappers are creamy white and the clove wrappers are tan, sometimes with a blush of pink.

Most artichoke varieties produce an outside layer of good-sized cloves, but the interior layer is usually a series of much smaller, thin cloves – hard to skin and too tiny to make the effort. Thermadrone produces one large, elongated clove, usually the largest clove in the bulb. This clove is easy to skin and large enough.

If you like to eat garlic raw, Thermadrone is an excellent choice. It has strong flavor and a little heat.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Artichokes 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 4-9 180-240 Days
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Asiatic Garlic, Pyongyang – 4 oz

The Asiatics, a hardneck subvariety of the Artichoke Garlics, are not well known in the US.  The plants are vigorous.  The bulbs are smaller than other artichokes, but the flavor is intense.  The bulbs are streaked and tend to mature very rapidly.  They should be harvested as soon as their leaves begin to turn brown.  One pound of bulbs averages 60 plants.

Some consider Pyongyang to be one of the best Asiatics grown. I would take this statement one step farther. I think it is among the top five garlics grown. Pyongyang originated in a region near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. This area experiences short cold winters and wet summers – not ideal for most garlic, but evidently ideal for Pyongyang.

Visually, Pyongyang is one of the most beautiful garlics grown today. The bulb skins are often striped with colorful purple stripes, but it is the clove skins that are truly stunning. They range in color from deep red to vivid purple and sometimes with hints of gold. These striking skins protect creamy to glistening white cloves.

From a culinary perspective, there are few garlic cultivars that can compete with Pyongyang. Eaten raw, Pyongyang has considerable, but not uncomfortable heat. The garlic flavor gathers strength as it is cooked becoming nutty and intensely garlicky. In addition to having exceptional flavor, Pyongyang is an outstanding storer. We have had Pyongyang last 12 months. Its storage capability is truly remarkable.

Type Spacing Planting Depth HZ Maturation
Asiatics 6-8 in. 3-4 in. 5-9 180-240 Days
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