Fall 2003                                                                                                        Volume 2   Number 3
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF CLOVE
You are receiving our quarterly complimentary email newsletters because you have either explicitly signed up for it or have purchased products from www.TheGarlicStore.com. If for any reason you do not wish to continue receiving our newsletter, simply click here, and follow the instructions to unsubscribe. Remember: We value your privacy. We do not supply any information about you, including email addresses, outside of our company. As we end our seventh year on the Internet, we hope you will enjoy this issue of our “ezine” being sent to our friends in the garlic gardening and gourmet cooking community.
FALL GARLIC PLANTING TIPS
   Most garlic in the U.S. is planted during October. Columbus Day is often the garlic planting day of choice. But the key is to get your bulbs in the prepared ground several weeks before really cold weather sets in. That will allow for healthy initial root growth. Remember, garlic grows slowly during the winter, so don't let the soil dry out. Mulch will greatly aid in moisture retention (plus suppressing next spring's weeds).
   If the green tips emerge during the fall - don't worry. Garlic can easily survive temperatures way below zero with no more than a little tip burn. If you want to add a little phosphorous to you soil, such as bone meal, incorporate it into the soil when planting. And remember, when planting, the biggest cloves make for the biggest bulbs. But don't waste the smaller ones. Just eat 'em (yum), or plant them in a separate patch and harvest them as greens next spring when they are 12-14 inches tall (yum, again!)

   The further south you live, or if you enjoy the milder winters along the Pacific Coast, then planting later in the Fall works just fine. Spring planting is also an option, though the resulting bulbs may be a bit smaller. (The real trick with spring planting is being able to find any bulbs left that you can plant!)

WHAT'S HOT IN THE GARLIC STORE
    This year's harvest was exceptional in many regards. Almost all varieties did well. We are now starting to sell out of some varieties, but we were very fortunate to obtain larger amounts of some really first class bulbs. If you are looking for some Best Buys, The Chief Clove recommends:

Elephants - the cloves this year are big and firm and should produce some pretty pachyderms come
next summer!

Softnecks - the following are highly recommended this year
Achatami - pretty white bulbs with a rich complex taste
Kettle River Giant - a popular and very pretty bulb from the Pacific Northwest that grows almost anywhere
Susanville - this pretty bulb is steadily becoming a gardener favorite
Shantung Purple - the wrapper has intense purple stripes, almost too pretty to eat (but you will) (picture above)

Plus the old time favorites Inchelium Red, Silverwhite and Silverskin

Hardnecks - we have some new and exotic varieties which are first rate
Maitake - intense purple stripes and thin clove skins, this turban variety does well with warmer winters
Persian Star - big, firm bulb with a spicy taste (featured in Organic Gardening's fall 2003 article)
Shatili - a purple stripe that is finally getting recognized as a beautiful and delicious garlic

Don't forget the old standbys: Chesnok Red, Siberian, Spanish Roja

GARLIC IS LIFE IN TULSA
   Now that the garlic fun in Saugerties, NY is over for this year, the next red letter dates on a garliphile's calendar are for the Garlic Is Life Symposium and Festival, Tulsa, OK, held Thursday through Saturday, October 30, 31 and November 1, 2003. Check out their web site for the updated details and registration information (www.GarlicIsLife.com). Aside from a fun Saturday garlic market, there are serious garlic talks from serious garlic people, as well as a day-long garlic growers symposium. Thursday's talks will include presentations by:

Dr. Rich Hannan, Western Region Plant Introduction Station, USDA, Pullman, WA
Dr. Joachim Keller, Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Research, Gatersleben, Germany
Prof. Phil Simon, Dept. of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI
Dr. Gayle Volk, National Seed Storage Laboratory, USDA, Fort Collins, CO
Dr. Walt Lyons (aka The Chief Clove), TheGarlicStore.com/Yucca Ridge Field Station, CO

Friday will feature a day-long garlic growers workshop, directed by our good garlic growing friends Richard Smith (GarlicSmiths) and Bob Anderson (Gourmet Garlic Gardens). The Chief Clove will also participate.

Saturday - Public Garlic Festival (9 AM - 4 PM )
Guest of Honor: Chester Aaron, who will lead a garlic taste test
Lisa Becklund, Chef, La Medusa Restaurant, Seattle - cooking class
Garlic and food booths galore (yes, The Garlic Store will be there.)

All functions will be held on the campus of Oklahoma State University/Tulsa. The official hotel is the Ramada Inn/Downtown Plaza (1-800-585-5101, ask for special Garlic Is Life room rates.)
www.GarlicIsLife.com

The Garlic Grower’s Video/ DVD Makes a Great Gift:
We call it “A Garlic Gardener’s Guide.” This 30 minute production shows you the tricks of the trade for growing your own top flight garlic, and also provides some historical facts about the history of garlic, along with fun scenes from the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Available now as either VHS tape ($19.95 plus S&H) or DVD ($19.95 plus S&H)

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
You can always email TheGarlicStore.com with your garlic questions (TheChiefClove@TheGarlicStore.com.) But if you would like your question answered in an upcoming issue of The Garlic Store Gazette, just let us know. We can publish your favorite garlic pictures too (just send them as an email attachment).

Published by: www.TheGarlicStore.com at Yucca Ridge Farm, 46050 Weld County Road 13, Fort Collins, CO 80524. A member of the Better Business Bureau Online. Email us at: TheChiefClove@TheGarlicStore.com.
© The Garlic Store/FMA, Inc., 2003

Order online at www.TheGarlicStore.com

GARLIC IS FOR REMEBRANCE
   We receive a lot of email correspondence from garlic growers, mostly about the joys of big bulbs and delicious recipes, but sometimes they are far more touching, and give us real pause to stop and think. Garlic lover Lisa Miller of Pennsylvania asked us to share her thoughts with you.

   Just want to send a thank-you to your company and share a little story. My father was diagnosed with lung cancer a year and a half ago. His illness had progressed pretty far by that point, and he spent much of last year in and out of the hospital and nursing home, trying to fight the cancer, and recovering from the treatment. Last summer he was hit with a garlic craze. I don't know what else to call it! He had to have garlic in his garden by fall, so I volunteered to check some seed catalogs on the internet. I didn't have much luck finding garlic for fall planting last summer, and had already placed an order for spring shipment for 2004 because I didn't
know what else to do. Then I found the Garlic Store! Dad and I were able to get his garlic (in many varieties) in the time frame we wanted and for a
great price. The garlic went in Dad's garden last fall (close to sixty cloves were planted), and the "runt" cloves went in my garden. When my dad was almost too weak to walk to the back yard, he was there anyway this spring, supervising while I weeded and fertilized the plants. Dad passed away July 8, just a few weeks before we harvested the garlic.
Although it makes us all feel pretty sad that he didn't get to enjoy the fruits of his "obsession", we are glad to have all this great tasting garlic, and will think of Dad whenever we use it. And Dad's garlic craze gave me something to do and think about and help with during a time when I would have otherwise been overwhelmed with sadness, depression, and feelings of helplessness while watching a loved one die. I hope you will share this story, and thanks for great customer service and a quality product. I'm looking forward to planting more garlic this fall,
and will be thinking about Dad when I do it.

THE LATEST NEWS FROM NoFGGA
    NoFGGA? First of all, it is pronounced nof-ga-ga. And it is the Nottingham Forest/(Pittsburgh) Garlic Growers Association, which is eagerly preparing for its second annual garlic growing contest.
George Straka has reported to us, with some glee, that the NoFGGA "founding father" and last place finisher from the First Annual Contest complained about his huge elephant garlic bulbs (seed stock provided by TheGarlicStore.com, of course), even though he approved its entry last year. George's big bulbs beat everyone elses. Now each year's winner (George, for this content) gets to set the rules for the coming contest.

   To placate the poor loser/founding father, George decided that they will all plant the same garlic variety (seed stock provided by TheGarlicStore.com, of course) and thereby test their gardening skills on a more level playing field. George reports that they are really having fun with their "contest" as it provides a good reason to meet, talk, brag - and have a few brews. (Editor: I wonder if they also watch Pittsburgh Steeler's games as part of this horticultural exercise?)

GARLIC - NORTH TO ALASKA?
    Through the magic of the Internet, TheGarlicStore.com receives orders from all over North America. And though we are physically located on the Colorado High Plains outside of Fort Collins, CO, our garlic also comes from growers all across the USA (as well as our own harvest). You might be interested in which state's gardeners order the most garlic. The winner is…Pennsylvania! Yup, the Keystone State is the "heart of the garlic belt." But a very close second is New York. Third is California, the 8th largest economy in the world, and challenger to Circ du Soleil for presenting weird goings on. Orders from there have been requesting some varities we have not heard of before: California Gray, Austrian Strong, Colman Gigante, and Bustamante Tempest. Hmmm. Also big garlic loving states: Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, Illinois and Massachusetts. But the big surprise…Alaska! Gardeners from the great north have ordered more garlic than those in Arizona this year. Go figure. Well, garlic did originate near Siberia, so perhaps it is not so surprising after all.

NEW IN THE GARLIC STORE
   We have a great new book available, entitled "Making Great Garlic Powder" by Herrick C. Kimball, for $6.95 . Don't be deceived by the title, though. While indeed you learn the "secrets" of preparing your own top flight homemade garlic powder, this 39 page manual provides a very concise, readable and helpful discourse on the fundamentals of growing, harvesting and storing garlic.

NEW SEARCH FEATURE ADDED
    So how do you find these new items on our big web site? Search for it….with our new site Search feature. Just type in what you are looking for, and a list of links to pages on our web site will appear. Hopefully what you want will be among the first few choices. Google it ain't, but it seems to work pretty well and addresses a long standing request from a number of visitors. Search away. Your comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

RECIPES
Don't forget, www.TheGarlicStore.com publishes a new garlic recipe each month. We have built up quite a collection.

Francena's Garlic Dip
This recipe comes from the cookbook "Recipes My Nonna Taught Me" by Francena Hall, featuring recipes by her Sicilian grandmother.
(The book is $12 and can be purchased from Francena at fslyd@aol.com.)

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup chopped parsley, chives or basil
2 cloves minced garlic

Mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Chill and serve. The sauce can be used as a dipping sauce for tortellini, a spread for crackers, a dip for vegetables, and as a topping for baked potatoes. Francena serves a sliced baguette with this dip.