Hi everyone! We stored our garlic in our garage at Clear Sky this winter - which is part of our main building, and around 12-18C, and very dry (its not underground). Most of it has stored really well and is still in great condition, considering it was harvested nearly eight months ago, in late July 2011!
In general the wrappers tend to come loose, to expose the individual cloves, so its not as 'pretty', and the garlic itself isn't as juicy as it was, but its definitely still firm and tasty. Of our 12 heritage varieties, the Leningrad and Susan Delafield varieties have retained their good looks and seem to be the best keeping varieties. (however they are milder in taste)
The great news is that we have about 40 one pound bags of garlic left for the season for you! You can pick them up at Max's Place in Cranbrook BC, or call / email us to get your hands on some organic heritage garlic, mindfully grown at Clear Sky Centre. Its $10/lb.
Thanks!
In general the wrappers tend to come loose, to expose the individual cloves, so its not as 'pretty', and the garlic itself isn't as juicy as it was, but its definitely still firm and tasty. Of our 12 heritage varieties, the Leningrad and Susan Delafield varieties have retained their good looks and seem to be the best keeping varieties. (however they are milder in taste)
The great news is that we have about 40 one pound bags of garlic left for the season for you! You can pick them up at Max's Place in Cranbrook BC, or call / email us to get your hands on some organic heritage garlic, mindfully grown at Clear Sky Centre. Its $10/lb.
Thanks!
permaculture strawberries
What is a permaculture strawberry? Its a strawberry harvested with minimum effort, inputs, fertilisers, pesticides, bird netting or irrigation, thats what!
We'd given up on our strawberry patch this spring, thinking that the white clover seeded in the pathways had moved in and overwhelmed it (see photo above). But, come July, Penny peered into the 'weeds' and discovered vast amounts of berries waiting to ripen. We cut a little of the clover back...and left it, finding ourselves too busy with our heritage garlic crop!
Checking back a couple of weeks later, we found a beautiful & abundant crop! The high clover provided nitrogen fixation, hid the strawberries from birds & insects, and acted as a living mulch. We used irrigation, added no fertiliser or pesticides & needed no bird netting.
We'd given up on our strawberry patch this spring, thinking that the white clover seeded in the pathways had moved in and overwhelmed it (see photo above). But, come July, Penny peered into the 'weeds' and discovered vast amounts of berries waiting to ripen. We cut a little of the clover back...and left it, finding ourselves too busy with our heritage garlic crop!
Checking back a couple of weeks later, we found a beautiful & abundant crop! The high clover provided nitrogen fixation, hid the strawberries from birds & insects, and acted as a living mulch. We used irrigation, added no fertiliser or pesticides & needed no bird netting.
Our all Canadian Heritage Garlic is now all harvested! 12 varieties in a record 7 days by the awesome Clear Sky harvest team ! The bulbs are all curing in the shade of our pole barn right now. Thanks everyone!
Don Gayton
Native Plants & wildlife enthusiasts joined us at Clear Sky on June 10th and 11th to learn how to recognize and identify local grasses. The workshop was taught by grasslands expert Don Gayton. Everyone also enjoyed a rare opportunity for early morning birding with wildlife biologist Peter Davidson.
Jesse completely surpassed our expectations with his dedication, focus & knowledge of permaculture & how it can be practically applied in the world & our lives. Enjoy the photos and if you are interested in attending a PDC with Jesse at Clear Sky in 2012, please make this known to us :)
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Some key ideas, concepts & practice from the workshop:
Permaculture is more than keeping a Sustainable status quo. Its about moving from the Degenerative systems we live with now, to systems of Regeneration !
The industrial food system takes 10 calories of hydrocarbons to produce one calorie of food, and depletes precious global top soil year after year (our #1 environmental problem before deforestation & pollution) Lets grow our own gardens!
If we change our view about what is 'waste', then we have an opportunity for new yields - also called Upcycling! eg. 'waste' water from your roof ...
Want to learn more? Come to the Permaculture Design Course in April 2011 with Jesse Lemieux!
Thanks to Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture & Adrian Buckley of Big Sky Permaculture for teaching in Cranbrook on their whirlwind two week permaculture tour of Eastern BC! We were oh so happy to host them & the event.
Thanks to College of the Rockies Cranbrook for their generous use of the lecture hall!
45 happy people learning permaculture in Cranbrook
Its fall and its garlic planting time! Heres a pictorial summary of the planting process that we hope you find fun/useful.
Garlic, practically speaking, in seven easy steps...
STEP ONE: Breaking Soil
Though we'd prefer to use no-till methods for better soil health, we have a tough old hay field to work with, and unbroken sod. Thus out comes the tractor and rototiller. We are using a 30hp Kubota Tractor and a 5 foot Maschio Tiller to prepare our garlic beds.
Though we'd prefer to use no-till methods for better soil health, we have a tough old hay field to work with, and unbroken sod. Thus out comes the tractor and rototiller. We are using a 30hp Kubota Tractor and a 5 foot Maschio Tiller to prepare our garlic beds.
STEP TWO: Popping Cloves
Next we get to sit around in the fall sunshine and pop garlic cloves. Garlic bulbs need to be broken up into individual cloves for planting. We select our seed from the larger bulbs from this year's garlic harvest. Popping garlic cloves should not be underestimated - it takes nearly as long to pop a bulb as to plant a bulb!
Next we get to sit around in the fall sunshine and pop garlic cloves. Garlic bulbs need to be broken up into individual cloves for planting. We select our seed from the larger bulbs from this year's garlic harvest. Popping garlic cloves should not be underestimated - it takes nearly as long to pop a bulb as to plant a bulb!
STEP THREE: QUACK GRASS
The next step is to remove the big juicy quack grass (couch grass) from the tilled beds. We compete to see who can find "the mother of all couch grasses". Sheniz, one of our farm volunteers is holding the current winner! Ideally you would prepare and weed your garlic beds a lot earlier in the season - but we were short on time this year. Removing the strong perennial weeds at this time of year is a lot easier than fighting with them in the spring, when the tender young garlic shoots are emerging.
The next step is to remove the big juicy quack grass (couch grass) from the tilled beds. We compete to see who can find "the mother of all couch grasses". Sheniz, one of our farm volunteers is holding the current winner! Ideally you would prepare and weed your garlic beds a lot earlier in the season - but we were short on time this year. Removing the strong perennial weeds at this time of year is a lot easier than fighting with them in the spring, when the tender young garlic shoots are emerging.
STEP FOUR: On your mark, stop & drop
Next we use our friend David's makeshift garlic hole marker to space out the grid pattern of where we will drop each clove - the holes are spaced 6 inches apart! Then another person comes along behind the hole marker person and drops garlic cloves in each hole. Our 2.5 foot beds held four cloves across this year - or about 8 cloves per foot of bed space.
Next we use our friend David's makeshift garlic hole marker to space out the grid pattern of where we will drop each clove - the holes are spaced 6 inches apart! Then another person comes along behind the hole marker person and drops garlic cloves in each hole. Our 2.5 foot beds held four cloves across this year - or about 8 cloves per foot of bed space.
STEP FIVE: DIGGIN IT!
Then, we get to dig it. Using a little trowel, we move up the row and plant each clove about 4-5 inches deep. (see the marker and clove dropper in the background) The deeper the better in this climate, as freeze-thaw can cause havoc with your crop, and shallow planted seeds are more susceptible to weather extremes.
NOTE: Fertility & Irrigation: We also fertilised (with organic compost & soft rock phosphate) and lay our drip irrigation lines as we plant, before we mulch.
Then, we get to dig it. Using a little trowel, we move up the row and plant each clove about 4-5 inches deep. (see the marker and clove dropper in the background) The deeper the better in this climate, as freeze-thaw can cause havoc with your crop, and shallow planted seeds are more susceptible to weather extremes.
NOTE: Fertility & Irrigation: We also fertilised (with organic compost & soft rock phosphate) and lay our drip irrigation lines as we plant, before we mulch.
STEP SIX: Putting it to Bed
That means mulch - nice thick layers of it. It'll come in handy in the spring to keep the weeds back and keep the ground moist. It also reduces freeze thaw extremes in the winter. Ideal mulch would be straw, or something without lots of seeds in it. We used our neighbour's organic 'rained on' hay that he can't feed to his animals. When laying mulch, thickness will always depend on what you're using and how dense its packed - so I ask the question : Would a weed still grow easily under this much mulch? If the answer is yes, I put on more.
That means mulch - nice thick layers of it. It'll come in handy in the spring to keep the weeds back and keep the ground moist. It also reduces freeze thaw extremes in the winter. Ideal mulch would be straw, or something without lots of seeds in it. We used our neighbour's organic 'rained on' hay that he can't feed to his animals. When laying mulch, thickness will always depend on what you're using and how dense its packed - so I ask the question : Would a weed still grow easily under this much mulch? If the answer is yes, I put on more.
Lastly, it is very imporant to... CELEBRATE!!!!
Thanks to all our farm volunteers over the entire season! See you next year! (and thanks for the cinnamon buns Cory!)
Thanks to all our farm volunteers over the entire season! See you next year! (and thanks for the cinnamon buns Cory!)
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Last night we held our inaugural taste test festival!!! We only had four judges...and it was held over a dinner of soba noodles, cheese and wine...but what glamorous garlic officials they were - the results are out!
The garlic was ROASTED for 40 mins in foil with some olive oil, salt and pepper.
Included in the test was one store bought non-organic bulb of garlic from China.
This is a no holds barred, non censored survey! The judges didn't agree on everything, and each person had a different favourite!
For customers who have purchased our seven variety Heritage Garlic Packs please share your flavour insights in the COMMENTS section! Please note how you cooked the garlic, because the comparisons will change depending on whether they're roasted, stir fried, raw, etc! Thanks!
The garlic was ROASTED for 40 mins in foil with some olive oil, salt and pepper.
Included in the test was one store bought non-organic bulb of garlic from China.
This is a no holds barred, non censored survey! The judges didn't agree on everything, and each person had a different favourite!
For customers who have purchased our seven variety Heritage Garlic Packs please share your flavour insights in the COMMENTS section! Please note how you cooked the garlic, because the comparisons will change depending on whether they're roasted, stir fried, raw, etc! Thanks!
Garlic Glamorist Sheniz Kassam
1. Puslinch - sweet, tender
2. Spanish Roja-
3.Yugoslavian Porcelain - mild, dull
4. German Red - small bite, pungent smell
5. Persian Star - earthy, creamy
6. Georgian Fire - dull/ brick
7. Leningrad - like banana, mild/ friendly
8. China Store bought garlic - lemony, sweet
1. Puslinch - sweet, tender
2. Spanish Roja-
3.Yugoslavian Porcelain - mild, dull
4. German Red - small bite, pungent smell
5. Persian Star - earthy, creamy
6. Georgian Fire - dull/ brick
7. Leningrad - like banana, mild/ friendly
8. China Store bought garlic - lemony, sweet
Garlic Grower Cara Conroy-Low
1. Puslinch - mild, round
2. Spanish Roja- lively, multi layered and strong
3.Yugoslavian Porcelain - starchier texture like potato, less hot than German Rd
4. German Red - spicy hint on tongue, leaves a hot taste, like durian fruit, red wine
5. Persian Star - white wine, mild, smooth
6. Georgian Fire - slightly 'green' spice taste
7. Leningrad - nice, not spicy
8. China Store bought garlic - sour flavour, pungent, not spicy
1. Puslinch - mild, round
2. Spanish Roja- lively, multi layered and strong
3.Yugoslavian Porcelain - starchier texture like potato, less hot than German Rd
4. German Red - spicy hint on tongue, leaves a hot taste, like durian fruit, red wine
5. Persian Star - white wine, mild, smooth
6. Georgian Fire - slightly 'green' spice taste
7. Leningrad - nice, not spicy
8. China Store bought garlic - sour flavour, pungent, not spicy
Garlic Go Getter Denise Haugh
1. Puslinch - round
2. Spanish Roja- subtle with a hint of flame, delicate
3.Yugoslavian Porcelain - similar to persian star, but a little stronger, round taste.
4. German Red - sting-y, stronger than persian star
5. Persian Star - soft mellow, a little heat at end, round.
6. Georgian Fire - hotter than persian star and puslinch
7. Leningrad -like persian star, no bite at the end.
8. China Store bought garlic - some fire, most round.
1. Puslinch - round
2. Spanish Roja- subtle with a hint of flame, delicate
3.Yugoslavian Porcelain - similar to persian star, but a little stronger, round taste.
4. German Red - sting-y, stronger than persian star
5. Persian Star - soft mellow, a little heat at end, round.
6. Georgian Fire - hotter than persian star and puslinch
7. Leningrad -like persian star, no bite at the end.
8. China Store bought garlic - some fire, most round.
Garlic Go Go Michelle Heinz:
1. Puslinch - fuzzy
2. Spanish Roja- subtle with a hint of flame, delicate
3.Yugoslavian Porcelain - starchy like potato with a touch of heat at the end
4. German Red - hard shell, sweet, long heat on tongue after
5. Persian Star - round sweet full, spicy flavour
6. Georgian Fire - hot, starchy
7. Leningrad - sweet, light, delicate,
8. China Store bought garlic - overkill, hot after, least mild.
]]>1. Puslinch - fuzzy
2. Spanish Roja- subtle with a hint of flame, delicate
3.Yugoslavian Porcelain - starchy like potato with a touch of heat at the end
4. German Red - hard shell, sweet, long heat on tongue after
5. Persian Star - round sweet full, spicy flavour
6. Georgian Fire - hot, starchy
7. Leningrad - sweet, light, delicate,
8. China Store bought garlic - overkill, hot after, least mild.
Garlic Scape Bulbils - Taller than Cara?!
Our Garlic Scapes are currently maturing their Bulbils and are ready for order! This year we left a lot of our heritage garlic bulbs in the ground, intact with their scapes. They have now just about completed their growth into seed bulbils. Bulbils are delicious. One customer at the farmers market told me he loves stir frying them! They are like tiny garlic bulbs and are genetic clones of their parent (so aren't like a true seed born from a flower).
If you are contemplating whether to grow from cloves or from bulbils: Bulbils take longer to grow. It takes several years to grow full sized bulbs and you need to harvest and replant each year of the propagation process. Growing directly from garlic cloves take only one year on the other hand.
However, the benefits of bulbils are that there are tonnes of them on each garlic plant - thus you can increase your garlic stock with less expense. Secondly, the bulbils never touch the ground, so there is less chance of spreading soil-borne disease, which some growers are prone to.
We look forward to harvesting our bulbils later this week - they make for a great seed bank / genetic stock reserve, should anything go wrong with our garlic bulb stock.
]]>If you are contemplating whether to grow from cloves or from bulbils: Bulbils take longer to grow. It takes several years to grow full sized bulbs and you need to harvest and replant each year of the propagation process. Growing directly from garlic cloves take only one year on the other hand.
However, the benefits of bulbils are that there are tonnes of them on each garlic plant - thus you can increase your garlic stock with less expense. Secondly, the bulbils never touch the ground, so there is less chance of spreading soil-borne disease, which some growers are prone to.
We look forward to harvesting our bulbils later this week - they make for a great seed bank / genetic stock reserve, should anything go wrong with our garlic bulb stock.
Garlic Bulbs for Fall Planting
Most growers in Canada plant their garlic seed in October. We generally start anywhere from mid September and stop by mid- October.
If planted too late in the fall, the garlic will not start decent root growth until the following spring, which means they get off to a slower start. (rooting precedes sprouting and leaf growth).
Garlic an also be planted too early - too much top growth before winter can sometimes result in winter damage. However dont' worry too much if you have some sprouting in the fall and then the leaves are killed by frost - Winter kill of garlic tnds to occur when both the clove and roots are suddenly frozen, not the leaves.
What size bulbs to plant: When choosing seed stock, a 'happy medium' is recommended. Judge seed by the size of the bulb, rather than each individual clove. Too hugely large and the chance of double cloves increases. Too small and your garlic will be small next year!
]]>If planted too late in the fall, the garlic will not start decent root growth until the following spring, which means they get off to a slower start. (rooting precedes sprouting and leaf growth).
Garlic an also be planted too early - too much top growth before winter can sometimes result in winter damage. However dont' worry too much if you have some sprouting in the fall and then the leaves are killed by frost - Winter kill of garlic tnds to occur when both the clove and roots are suddenly frozen, not the leaves.
What size bulbs to plant: When choosing seed stock, a 'happy medium' is recommended. Judge seed by the size of the bulb, rather than each individual clove. Too hugely large and the chance of double cloves increases. Too small and your garlic will be small next year!