The weather is getting hotter and hotter here in California. Meanwhile, summer is coming to an end. At this time, many produces began to autumn harvest season, and one of them is the giant in garlic—Elephant garlic.
Although Elephant garlic has the word "garlic" on its name, it is belonging to the onion genus.
Elephant garlic does not belong to the garlic genus, but it is pretty similar to garlic as an enlarged version of garlic. Compared with regular garlic, elephant garlic has a milder and sweeter taste and not as spicy as garlic. When in cooking, elephant garlic gives a sweeter and mellow taste like an onion, but also keep the garlicky flavor, which is recommended for roasted. Same as regular garlic, Elephant garlic can be eaten raw, very tasty and refreshing, also not too pungent.
Elephant Garlic is biennial, which takes two years to grow from seed to fruition and die. In the first year, all you get is a single bulb, and all the plant resources will build up the bulb and send up flower stalks. When you re-plant the elephant garlic bulb, it will only develop small cloves the first time, then start the growing cycle as the cloves grow larger enough. Sun exposure is an important factor to decide the size of the elephant garlic bulb. Usually, you will get a larger bulb when planting in full sun. As the elephant garlic becomes mature, the whole plant can reach about three feet. Harvest the bulb when the leaves become yellow to brown, and remember to dry the bulbs for a few days in shadow. If you want to cure the elephant garlic or store it for longer, leave the bulb in a cool and dark place with good air circulation for three to eight weeks, and we recommended use it in 4 months.
How to Plant Elephant Garlic?
The method of growing elephant garlic is similar to general garlic we see in the supermarket。 Elephant garlic is usually planted in the fall and harvests about eight months later, which allows the garlic to have enough time to split into cloves. After planting in Fall, elephant garlic sprouts in winter or early spring the following year, and it grows slowly during this period. When the temperature rises in spring, elephant garlic grows quickly. By the end of May and early June, the elephant garlic began to send up flower stalks (scapes), which are edible and can cook with meat or make pesto. If you plant the elephant garlic in the spring, it takes about 3 months to harvest, but you will mostly have a large bulb instead of cloves only.
To plant your own elephant garlic, here is the planting procedure:
Divide the garlic bulb into cloves and plant them pointy side up, blunt side down
Plant each clove ~3 inches deep and space the cloves about 8-12 inches apart to allow air circulation.
Elephant garlic doesn't require much water. If your area gives enough rain, you don't need to water it. If you live in a dry climate, water it 1-2 inch water per week.
Remember to cut the scapes before it begins to curl. (increase the bulb size)
In April you can give it some nitrogen fertilizer so its top can grows well.
In July, stop water the plant before harvesting.
As the leaves turn yellow to brown, it's time to harvest!
Elephant garlic is an amazing gift that nature provides to us, and it's rare to find in the market. If you plan to grow elephant garlic this year, welcoming to take a look at the elephant garlic we have in our store. We are excited to see you share the elephant garlic you grow!
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