We'll be at the Longmont Market 8-1 tomorrow.

Come visit Longmont for the last of the garlic that we have to sell this year! There are several kinds including Chesnok Red, Lithuanian Purple and some larger heads of Persian Star. Also bargain bags of separated cloves left over from planting, a few variety bags and some planting garlic. (It's not too late!)

The garlic that we planted during the last 2 weeks is snug in the ground now, under a nice layer of snow. I planted the two main fields, but have one small area to plant this week. I often plant some on Thanksgiving morning- a tradition at WeeBee Farms.

Not at Boulder Market anymore

Although we will miss being at the market- we are busy planting next years' crop. There is a little garlic left to sell, and we may be at the final Longmont market on the 19th.
Have a great Winter- I will miss all of you!
Karen

Garlic Sprouting in November! What to do.

Garlic coming up in November?

If you planted garlic in mid-October, you may have some garlic sprouts or leaves starting to show now. This happens when we have a warm Fall. "Turban" type garlics like Tzan or Shantung Purple are especially likely to come up early.
Although it is not ideal to have it coming up now, it won't affect the garlic you harvest next summer very much.  I think the extra root growth that the garlic is developing helps compensate for the green leaves that will freeze and die back when the weather turns colder.
There isn't too much you can do about it. Just make sure your garlic doesn't dry out during this time. If you didn't do a big watering right after planting, do it now! When the ground is very dry as it is now, watering a LOT will help to soak it down deep to keep it from drying out in the winter when it is often dry and windy.
Mulching? Be aware that if you mulch, there are many, many cases of long-lasting herbicide residue in mulch, especially straw mulch. We do not mulch anymore at WeeBee Farms since our terrible experience with herbicide residue a few years ago. http://weebeefarms.blogspot.com/2013/10/warning-about-straw-mulch-manure.html
Frost Heave? Something else you may notice in the late winter is some garlic cloves showing on top of the soil, especially if you haven't mulched. This happens because of frost heaves. This, too is not something to worry about as the roots actually pull the garlic back into the ground!

What garlic will we have Nov. 5th?

You may be surprised to see some BIG garlic on Saturday.

We have more big garlic than we have room to plant so some of it will be for sale for you to eat or plant. Also there are variety bags (5 kinds of garlic, color-coded to identify), some longer-storing garlic and many unusual and exotic types by the bulb and in bargain bags.
There is still time to plant garlic, and of course to stock up for Fall and Winter cooking.
If we sell out, this will be our last Boulder Market. Otherwise Nov. 12th will be the last.

Cold weather WILL come... Cooking garlic and medicinal garlic available Saturday.

With the warm weather hanging on who is in the mood for cooking soups, stews and sauces?
We haven't had our usual rush of people buying garlic for cooking, so we still have plenty to sell. We all know the cold weather is around the corner and THEN we'll be wanting to make pumpkin soup, roasted veggies, stews &  breads.
Use our garlic for Cold and flu prevention- Shatili
We have Shatili- the most highly medicinal garlic this weekend! Press a clove, mix with honey for a VERY potent remedy.  (see the post on Medicinal garlic in the upper right "pages" section)
Shatili is also fabulous for making green chile, soups and stews.
We will be at market tomorrow (10/29) and next week (11/5).

We're still going strong! Planting garlic and long-storing garlic are still available

We will be at market on October 22nd and October 29th and still have many kinds of garlic including the long-storing types and some larger bulbs for planting. (Ask for our information sheet on how to plant, including the recommended hot-water soak)
Link to planting instructions: http://weebeefarms.blogspot.com/p/how-to-plant-garlic.html

Medicinal use of garlic- stock up for the cold and flu season!

Getting the Maximum Health Benefits of Garlic

The medicinally active compound in garlic (allicin) develops after you cut or press the garlic. Pressing it or crushing it activates the most allicin. After you press it, let it sit for 10 minutes before cooking. This gives you far more allicin. Eating garlic raw retains all of the allicin. Microwaving it for 30 seconds destroys 90% of the allicin.

I highly recommend the book "Eating on the Wild Side" by Jo Robinson. She describes how to get the most nutrients from your fruits and vegetables by selecting the best ones, the best storage techniques and the best preparation. Here are a few facts about garlic from her book:

• 3 cloves of garlic contain the same antibacterial activity as a standard dose of penicillin. (although eating isn't equivalent to injecting penicillin)
• quercetin found in onions and garlic was more effective than "Tamiflu" in test-tube studies for flu prevention
• garlic was 100% effective in blocking the growth of cancer tumors of the stomach, breast, prostate, kidneys and brain in a test-tube study
• Allicin is a powerful anti-cancer medicine and antibiotic and is a strong anti-oxidant

The "hot" taste of garlic is generated by "sulfer-based nutrients called thiosulfinates, which play a number of beneficial roles in our bodies, including fighting cancer and reducing the risk of artery-blocking blood clots. As is true in many other plant families, the more bite, the more benefits."1
Benefits increase with storage:
The longer you store your garlic, the hotter it gets and the more benefits it has, the allicin content can increase tenfold.
 Also see Garlic as a Prebiotic, and Much more info on our "page" in the top right corner of this blog. http://weebeefarms.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html

What garlic stores the longest? Inchelium Red!

Inchelium Red Garlic was discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State. Where it came from before that is unknown. It is one of the best-tasting softneck garlics and has won taste tests for its mild but lingering flavor. It is a good garlic for roasting, general cooking and mixed with salad dressing.

Softneck garlics are known for their long storage and this is no exception, usually storing until January. Part of what helps it store long is that the cloves are tightly wrapped in their garlic skins- which helps keep it from drying out. This also makes it harder to peel unfortunately.

Inchelium Red garlic with our favorite garlic peeling device

Tip on peeling garlic: We have had good luck using a rubber roller (the very inexpensive little item you can buy at a cooking supply store). If you slice off each end of the clove before putting in the roller it works like a charm!

Storage Tips: If you want to prolong the storage you can try keeping it in the refrigerator in a paper bag. Otherwise just keep it away from heat and direct sun or even try the garage. We have found that it stores in a shady outbuilding pretty well until it gets below zero.

Selling at the Longmont Farmer's Market Sept. 17th and 24th- come see us!

For the next two Saturdays we will be selling our garlic in Longmont as well as Boulder. The Longmont Market is at the corner of Hover Rd and Nelson Rd and is open from 8am to 1pm. (We'll also be in Boulder from 8am-2pm)

WeeBee Farms helper Georgia will be staffing the booth at WeeBee Farms Longmont location and can get you the right garlic for cooking, storing, preserving or medicinal uses.

We will be at the Boulder Market until we sell out- Probably until October 15th or so.

Garlic Descriptions- for sale at Boulder Market Saturday, August 27th

Gourmet Garlic From WeeBee Farms

(Color codes- bulbs are marked on top with colors)

To taste, slice thinly (raw) & serve on a cracker or chip

It's been so nice to see all our favorite garlic customers over the last 4 weeks! And some new ones, too. In the beginning of the garlic selling season we concentrate on selling the garlics that don't store as long, and have the best flavor when they're freshest. Tzan, Uzbek Turban, and German Extra Hardy all are at their best right now, and taste extra good with Pesto, Bruschetta, Guacamole, Hummous, Gazpacho, Fresh tomato sauce and Fresh Salsa. And of course our favorite preparation- sliced very thin on crackers or tomatoes.

• Chesnok Red- Excellent-tasting hard neck garlic originally from the Republic of Georgia. Earthy with a unique zesty bite. For roasting, sauteing, casseroles & soups.

Highly medicinal. Stores to December.    PINK

 •   Inchelium Red-  Softneck that is excellent for roasting.  Discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State. One of the best-tasting softneck garlics with a mild but lingering flavor. Stores til Dec. or Jan.     RED  

• German Extra Hardy- Great sliced raw, an addictive garlic taste, with full flavor. Big, easy to peel cloves. Excellent in red sauce: put in at end of heating. Loses flavor if cooked too long. Will keep to November.  BLUE
• Persian Star- Spicy, exotic, and very flavorful. Try on salads, in dips or in pesto. Great with green beans and veggies or raw on crackers! Stores through December.    GREEN

• Tzan - (Also called “Mexican Red”). Superb Taste & EASY to Peel! Tangy & flavorful with pasta and for oriental cooking. A delicious raw garlic. Will stay firm through November, but sprouts early.  Harvests 3 weeks earlier than others        NO COLOR

• Uzbek Turban-  Delightful flavor  -smooth and mellow.  Excellent choice for gazpacho, bruschetta, fresh tomato sauce.  A hardneck Turban from former USSR. Harvests very early. Stores to November.    YELLOW

 • Shantung Purple- Extra-flavorful Asian softneck has 6-8 beautiful rosy/tan cloves. Cook for a strong earthy flavor, or eat raw for a fiery heat you won’t forget! Stores to January. PURPLE