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normal vs small garlic

13K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  mike9 
#1 · (Edited)
Farmers markets over here have smaller garlic bulbs that sell for a lot more than normal sized garlic.

I've seen it anywhere from $8 to $20/lb!  What world do they live in...

Anyway do these small bulbs taste stronger?  Or is it just a gimmick for cute little garlic?
 
#2 ·
   Hi there!

   I suppose the first question should be is what you thought of the flavors?  Don't always be scared away from items that carry a heft per pound price tag...one small bulb of garlic can easily weigh just a few ounces.

   If you've never grown garlic...do it!  This is the time to start looking and prepare the soil where you plan to plant them.  Do some reading to find how to treat the soil for the garlic you're going to plant this fall.  Treating the soil won't be difficult, or extensive...but you'll want to do it.  Next is finding a good source to buy some QUALITY garlic that will grow well in your area.  You can do so much better than trying to plant supermarket varieties.

   Freshness of the garlic is key for flavor.  From the point you pick it...it's losing flavor as time goes by.  Grow your own...but by all means by a single bulb of one of the boutique bulbs...the final price shouldn't be too bad.

  Dan
 
#4 ·
Those look like a hard neck variety which is often considered superior to the common grocery soft neck variety. In my experience growing hardnecks, I think they do have more pungency but also more included nuances. They tend to keep better too than the soft  neck. My soil is pretty heavy for growing garlic so I don't do it much anymore. My friend grows garlic much more successfully than me. 

Garlic is usually cured and aged a bit before use. It's fine to use fresh, but I don't see the decline Dan seems to. 
 
#10 ·
I just cleaned my garlic over the weekend and harvested a mix of large and small bulbs.  You never know what they'll produce once in the ground.  I planted 100 hard neck and got 88, tied in bundle of 5 and hung in the garage for three weeks.  Very tasty - I'm using my B-stocks up first.  I can't really taste any difference between a large clove and a small one.                        
 
#15 ·
It has to dry after coming out of the ground.  I tie mine in bundles of 5 and hang them in the garage for three weeks then clean and store in the coolest place I have (this time of year my shop).  I'll cull through for another 100 - 150 good looking cloves and replant around Halloween.  I like a mix of large and small bulbs because frankly I don't always need a big honkin' clove of garlic and it doesn't keep well after being cut.
 
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