“Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; Wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; Lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; Garlic makes it good.” ~Alice May Brock Photo: Porcelain Garlic (left to right: Georgian Fire, Leningrad, Melody, Music), David MacTavish, Hutchinson Farm, Burlington, ON, September 24, 2012

Grown at Hutchinson Farm since 2012.

Allium sativum

After too many years of finding "Product of China" garlic in the grocery store, we decided to do something about it -grow our own! We did our research, and at the end of September 2012, we planted our first patch of garlic -all heirloom varieties. Then we waited and waited. After 10 long months our garlic was ready! Our customers tried it, and thought it was amazing, many said it was the best garlic they'd ever had! Since then we've grown more and more every year.

• In season
  Scapes: Mid June
  Bulbs (uncured): Mid-July, August
  Bulbs (cured): September - October (or when we sell out)
  
  
• Storing at home
  If you are using it within a few weeks, your kitchen counter is fine.
  For longer storage: dark, cool, and dry is best.
  Even temperature is best, as changing temps from cool to warm tells the garlic it's time to sprout!
  Garlic varieties have different shelf lives, so use the Rocamboles first.
  You may also notice that flavour changes as the garlic ages.
  Do you have a wine cellar? This is the perfect place to store your garlic: 13°-14°C; humidity 45-55%
  
  
• Cultivars
  
  

  Porcelains: Bulbs are typically all white (hence 'porcelain'), and they are one of the largest bulbs grown, with 4-6 large huge brownish skinned cloves. Very cold tolerant, making them popular for Canada. Expensive to grow as 20-25% of the bulbs must be used to replant the crop.
  	Music	Brought to Ontario in the 1980's by farmer Al Music, after visiting his native Hungary. Joe Ueynaka of OMAFRA conducted extensive garlic trials in the late 1980's and considers Music to be the best garlic to grow in Ontario. Its flavor is very rich and musky, strong and robust, and sticks around for a while. A milder Porcelain.

  
  
  
  
  

  Marbled Purple Stripes: Named for the colouration of the bulb wrapper. Taste can be quite hot. Flavour is between Porcelains and Purple Stripes in character
  	Kostyn's Red Russian	Introduced by Gary Swann of Port Alberni, B.C. His Uncle Kostyn, had been growing this superb garlic for many decades.

  
  
  

  Rocamboles: Possibly the most popular and most widely grown hardneck garlics, to many, the finest tasting garlic of all. Rich and sweet, moderate in heat, makes Rocamboles a great choice when raw garlic is called for. Not for long term storage, so use these varieties in the fall. Cloves are easy to peel.
  	French Rocambole: Sublime flavour and medium heat that lingers. Puslinch:

  
  
  
• Storage
  As noted above, garlic keeps for a long time in a cool, dry, dark, locations.
  If you notice your garlic is sprouting, roast it, and freeze.
  
  
• Basic Preparation
  Too many uses! We like Jamie Oliver's method: smash the clove and put it in the pan skin and all -the skin will magically disappear!
  
  
• Favourite Recipes
  Coming soon, what's yours?