After digging/pulling the garlic at WeeBee Farms
At the time I pull garlic I shake the extra soil off of each bulb by "whapping" the bulb on my palm. With big clods of soil I give the clod a little twist and then shake it or whap it. I don't use water to wash the dirt off the garlic as it could affect the curing process and storage life. Some people do wash their garlic, however, especially if they plan to sell or eat it right away.
After pulling and doing the rough cleaning I lay my garlic on racks to dry, giving them plenty of space at first, then condensing them into piles after a week or so. I give the garlic 3 weeks to fully dry, with the roots and stems on. They plump up while curing as the stems dry. It's fun to see the garlic get bigger!
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| Some of the 2021 Harvest drying in the barn |
Here is a link to a video of me cleaning garlic after 3 weeks of curing. WeeBee Farms garlic cleaning
The bulbs weren't too dirty and were very dry in this video so it was pretty easy. Some garlic comes out much dirtier and can take more time to clean, but usually the outside layer of skin can be rubbed off with a little effort. Try not to take of more than one layer of skin.
Here's a link to a youtube video put out by a guy named Ned Cooke about his method of garlic cleaning: "How to Clean Harvested Garlic After Drying" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rHaYI8RDgs
