Welcome to the first week of summer! I know this summer is going to be different than the past years with all the uncertainty ahead of us but we must find joy in small things.
Two weeks ago, we finally harvested most of the garlic that we planted in Fall 2019. Garlic is one of the simplest and easiest plants to grow. Last fall right before the first frost, we planted the bulbs one by one in our garden bed 4 inches deep and 4 inches apart. The more sun, the bigger the bulbs will be.
Garlic can be harvested when the lower leaves turn dry and yellow/brown. The upper part of the plant will still appear green. We have left a few in the ground as July to August is the right time to dig them up usually. You may first want to check on a few plants to make sure the outer wrapper feels papery, while the clove inside remains solid. Be gentle while pulling them out of the ground. Make sure that your pods do not get bruised by the pitchfork.
If you wish to consume all of it within a month clean it thoroughly in water and store it in the fridge. If you have a lot of garlic, then you may want to cure the garlic. To cure garlic plants, leave them intact and tie the plants in bundles and keep them in a well ventilated, warm dry place before removing it after 3 weeks. This way you can protect the juiciness of the garlic. After, you can store it in a cold, dry and dark place and use it over 4-6 months as needed.
Now that I have a lot of extra garlic, my mother and I have created our own recipes that use a lot of garlic. I make this pasta sauce on my own. Try it if you wish to!
Sautee a lot onions and garlic in olive oil along with plenty of home grown basil, tomatoes, fresh chillies and red chilly flakes. Add kosher salt and a blend of Italian seasoning like oregano, thyme and paprika. Once they look like they are nicely roasted, blend it in the grinder. Add a cube of cheese and blend it one more time. That is now your fresh pasta sauce!!!
Toss some angel hair pasta in olive oil, add some broccolini, scallops, shrimps or chicken and add the pasta sauce. Garnish with extra garlic and basil.
Hope you enjoyed reading. Stay tuned this summer for more updates.
