A World of garlic
PENNYWOODWARD has had a long love affair with garlic. Here she explains the many different cultivars and how to grow them, andmeets an organic garlic farmer for some inside tips.
Like many,my introduction to garlic came in my teens in the form of garlic bread. It wasn’t love at first bite, but over time this fantastically versatile bulb came to occupy an important place in my life, inspiring me to write my first book, Garlic and Friends, 18 years ago, and Garlic last year. I have been growing and using garlic for all my adult life but in the last decade or so there has been a big increase in the number of cultivars available to home gardeners and cooks. Many people assume garlic is just, well, garlic, but my message is that garlic does not belong in one box! In Australia we have more than 100 different cultivars of Allium sativum and worldwide there are probably more than 1000.
Garlic comes in a diverse range of flavours from hot and almost peppery to spicy and pungent, sweet and nutty, mild and aromatic – and combinations of all of these. Colours also vary from white, cream and pink to red and purple. Garlic can be striped, blotched, glazed or marbled, and some produce scapes (long, leafless flower stalks), umbels (flower head) and bulbils, while others never do.
Historically, Australia’s garlics originated either from cultivars imported by commercial growers or bulbs brought in illegally by migrants.More recently they have also been grown out from garlics imported for consumption from countries such as Argentina,Mexico and Spain. As a result, it is not surprising that there is much confusion about cultivar names – and more so given that some cultivars have been renamed many times by different growers. However, if you know what group a garlic belongs to, you will have a good idea of the best conditions for where and how to grow it, and what the flavour is likely to be.
Garlic is very responsive to the conditions it is grown in, being affected by soil type, temperature, moisture, humidity, latitude (which determines day-length), altitude and cultural practices. It means that some cultivars may do well in one region, but struggle in another. After many years of research and then genetic testing, garlic has been divided into 11 groups (see box, right). These are not yet botanically recognised but are a very useful way of classifying this indispensable herb.
Penny’s favourites
Below I have outlined my favourite groups, some of their characteristics and cultivars from each. I suggest when you next decide to plant garlic, look for something with a difference and ask the supplier to check its ideal climate.
Artichoke Group
Appearance: These garlics are generally white-skinned, sometimes with purple blotching. Cloves are in two to three layers with outer cloves being bigger and flatter, while inner ones are tall and slender. Clove skins are white, cream or tan and can be difficult to peel.
Flavour: Generally mild but some can be medium-hot and almost sweet. Storage: 6–9 months. Cultivars: ‘Tochliavri’ (‘Red Toch’) has a complex, spicy but not too hot taste. ‘Italian Pink’, ‘Southern Glen’ and ‘Glen Large’ are moderately hot and sweet when raw, with a good garlicky aroma when fried.
Creole Group
Creole garlics thrive in regions with hot, dry summers but not in regions with high humidity. They have satiny white skins and beautifully coloured cloves ranging from deep burgundy to almost white with pink tips. Cloves are tall and slender and are usually in one or two layers. They grow scapes that form an upside down ‘U’ and have long slender umbels. Remove scapes before they develop or bulbs will be smaller. Storage: Up to 12 months.
Flavour: Rich, hot and spicy – raw or cooked.
Cultivars: ‘Rojo del Pais Baza’ has a complex, rich and hot flavour. ‘Dynamite Purple’ has lovely cloves that are deep purple with cream, and a classic hot spicy Creole taste.
Turban Group
Garlics in this group have large, flattened globe-like bulbs with strongly purple-striped and blotched skins. The skins are quite thin and break easily. Cloves are large and plump with blunt tips, with seven to 11 in one or two layers. Scapes form an upside-down ‘U’ with a turbanshaped umbel that contains more than 50 bulbils that are also edible. Umbels don’t need to be removed as they won’t affect bulb size. Flavour: Hot and pungent when raw but milder and more nutty when cooked.
Storage: 5–7 months.
Cultivars: ‘Flinders Island Purple’ has cerise and purple-striped cloves and a strong hot garlicky flavour.‘Monaro Purple’ has glossy pink cloves that are complex and warm to hot in flavour.
Rocambole Group
These garlics generally have off-white skins with some purple-red striping or blotching, but not as distinct as Turbans. They have slightly flattened bulbs with six to 14 dull bronzepurple cloves with thick skins that are very easy to peel. These garlics only grow well in Tasmania and cold temperate regions. However, they can be grown in warmer regions for one year if chilled before planting. Scapes are strong and distinctive, doing 360° to 1080° curls before straightening. Remove scapes when young to ensure good bulb size.
Storage: 3–5 months.
Flavour: Deep, rich and sweet with moderate heat, these are even delicious eaten raw.
Cultivar: ‘Deerfield Purple’ has tan cloves with purple bases and the flavour starts quite hot but becomes more complex and spicy.
Standard Purple Stripe Group
These garlics are believed to be the ancestors of all other garlics and form umbels with 100-200 bulbils interspersed with numerous flowers, some produce seed. They are tall-growing plants that form globe-shaped bulbs that are white with purple stripes and mottling. Cloves are usually crescent shaped, purple-bronze in colour with purple striping, with eight to 12 pointed tips. Scapes are tall and strong and usually curl to 270° before straightening. Remove scapes when young. These garlics do best in cold regions.
Flavour: Fiery and hot to begin with, these garlics mellow with a sweet aftertaste. They are nutty but still strongly flavoured when roasted.
Cultivar: ‘Dunganski’ has tall cloves that are glossy brown to burgundy and have a very good moderate to hot flavour when raw, and are sweet and nutty when cooked.
RESOURCES
For more details of garlic cultivars, go to australiangarlic.net.au
For garlic cultivars to buy, see:
• garlicaustralia.asn.au/membergrower-and-seller
• diggers.com.au
• greenharvest.com.au
• thelostseed.com.au
