The garlic harvested by Harvesting History comes from Upstate New York and the Okanogan Valley in Washington State. Both farms are organic and nematode free. Our Washington State supplier has been organic for 24 years. Our Upstate New York supplier has been organic for 14 years.
The best conditions to grow garlic have been seen in decades. This spring, a rare combination of meteorological factors occurred. The spring was extremely wet, followed by an early to mid-summer that was cooler and drier. This was an excellent year for garlic. I’ve never seen so many large cloves.
You garlic experts know that you should plant the biggest cloves and eat the small ones. Newbies should always produce the largest cloves because, over time, this will result in larger and bigger garlic bulbs and cloves.
Porcelain Garlic is the garlic that produces the largest cloves. Hardneck garlic is Porcelain. Porcelain garlic has white bulbs, hence its name. However, the clove skins beneath are sometimes flecked with rose or burgundy. One bulb can produce 4 to 6 large cloves.
These plants can reach heights up to seven feet. The plants in my garden reach at most 3 feet. Porcelains are more sensitive to spring conditions than other garlic and require moisture. A spring drought can produce disappointing results. In the four weeks before harvest, when the soil around other garlic is allowed to dry out, the ground around porcelain plants should remain slightly moist.
Porcelain is highly cold-resistant. Porcelains are famous among Canadian garlic growers because they tolerate heat well. Although I don’t recommend them for hardiness zones 8-10, I recommend them for Hardiness Zones 1-6.
The Porcelain Group is the most interesting because it produces the highest levels of allicin. This sulfur compound gives garlic many therapeutic benefits, such as lowering blood sugar and blood pressure.
1985 Porcelain Garlic (Georgian Crystal) was harvested in Cichisdzhvari, a mountainous region in the central Republic of Georgia. It has a milder flavor than other Porcelains and consistently produces large cloves. This is an excellent choice if you’ve never grown Porcelains.
Romanian Red
Romanian Red is thought to have been introduced in North America as early as the 1960s. This cultivar is the quintessential Porcelain. It consistently produces large bulbs with 4-5 massive cloves. The taste is one of the best amongst the Porcelain Group.
Romanian Red can produce cloves that are a distinctive shade of rose or burgundy when grown in poor soil or under stress. The garlic is known as ‘Red Elephant Garlic’ because of this trait.
Polish Hardneck
Polish Hardneck is a Canadian garlic variety that was grown by John Jovanov. Rick Bangert from Idaho brought the garlic to the US and shared it with Ron Engelund of Filaree Farm in Washington State. Some people consider this garlic to have the best taste of the Porcelain Group.
Red Toch
Red Toch and Chesnok Red are two other varieties of garlic that produce large cloves.
Red Toch, or Tochliavri, is a softneck Artichoke garlic variety. Tochliavri is another name for it, named after Tochliavri village in Georgia, where Chester Aaron’s father was born. It is an Artichoke Garlic, so only the outer cloves are big. The interior cloves have a moderate size.
It is described as having a flavor that is “not too mild nor too hot,” with a “mellow, spicy tang” and a “fragrant aroma.” I grow this every year and never am disappointed.
Chesnok Red
Chesnok Red is a Standard Purple Striped Hardneck Garlic that produces large cloves. The garlic was found in 1985, in Shvelisi, in the southern part of Georgia. Shvelisi is another name for garlic. The taste is sweet and rich.
In formal field tests, Chesnok Red was able to produce true seeds.
I am an indolent cook. I’d instead peel one large clove of garlic than three tiny ones. It means I always look for varieties of garlic that produce large cloves. These five varieties are my favorites.
Harvesting History garlic comes in 4 oz. bags. Bags. Bags are available to purchase and ship from the end of September until January as long as they last.
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