In just a few weeks as the green leaves begin to darken and turn brown, marks the time to begin pulling all the garlic bulbs up from the ground.  We will hang them in bunches in an open air barn to cure for 2 weeks.  Once cured they can be handed out in shares through out late summer, fall, and even stored for winter.  Sharing bulbs and planting bulbs will be sorted out.  The planting bulbs will be broken down into cloves, each bulb offering the potential for 6-10 new garlic bulbs the following year.  So as you see, it multiplies abundantly.  In fall we will replant all these cloves, multiplying our crop for next year, while still sharing them each week with CSA members.  Then we let them rest through out the fall and winter, with little care outside of well mulched beds and some weeding.  Garlic doesn't attract many pest. 

Spring is here!  The garlic has been coming up nicely, sending new leaves up for months now, each one indicating a new clove on the bulb.  Then the scapes appear.  A garlic scape is the plants attempt to flower.  If left to flower, the energy rises into the flower depleting the bulb.  If the flower is cut, the energy remains in the bulb, leaving a plump bulb for the summer harvest.  And the circle is complete. 

Scapes are edible, delicious, and while not widely popular; I see them at health food stores, and farmers markets, this time of year in their short window of availability.  Enjoy!

Click here for Garlic Scape recipes!