Glorious Garlic Grows in Casey County!

Garlic at the Hopkinton State Fair,
September 2007, Hopkinton, NH

I have yet to make a visit to Bobbett's Naturally Grown Garlic farm in Liberty but did want to mention here that they are having a special offer for the month of September only:

• If you place an order for $25 or more, not including shipping, she will include $5 in free garlic. Place an order for $50 or more, and she will include $12 in free garlic.

Click on the above link that will take you to Bobbett Jascor's Facebook page for additional information. You can also email her at bobbett@windstream.net or call at 606-787-0926. If you live locally you might be able to avoid shipping by arranging to stop at her farm [located at 106 Country Way in Liberty, KY]. Currently she offers three varieties––Elephant, Cherokee and Inchelium––but is excited to report that she will have 15-18 total varieties next year.

Bobbett says that for long-term use the 'Elephant' garlic stores the longest (and it is is the biggest). Ranked second is the soft neck 'Inchelium' variety, followed by 'Cherokee.' A $25 order, with the September special, would give you, for example, 4-5 bulbs of 'Elephant' and about 10 each of the other two varieties (or any combo of 20 bulbs).

Preserving and Planting Tips from Bobbett:

'For LONG term use (throughout the entire winter) we usually preserve our garlic in one of two ways: you can peel, pickle and can the individual cloves and then rinse them before use if you don't want them so vinegary. Otherwise, if you like to cook with garlic, we peel and mince all of the cloves and then mix them with oil. We pack them into ice cube trays and put the solidified cubes into a Ziplock freezer bag. We use one or two whenever we want to cook, sauté or fry with oil and garlic.

For long term FRESH storage, you need to provide temps around 50 degrees and high humidity. Most fridges are too cold, and root cellars tend to be too warm (in KY). But if you can find some place with those conditions, most garlic will last 7-10 months. Our 'Elephant' garlic lasts through the winter just being left alone in an unheated room.'

For PLANTING: Plant in Kentucky in October for a summer harvest the next year. Here is more detailed information on-line about planting garlic. If you want to plant them in containers like I do (such as using the galvanized cattle tanks made by Tarter Gate in Liberty, KY), Bobbett adds: 'Give them at least 6" spacing and good drainage. They'll require at least 1" of water a week during the growing season.'

We've also learned that Bobbett's Naturally Grown also sells sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichoke tubers) in October either for planting or eating and in the summer many different kinds of berries: black, red, purple, and yellow raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, and currants, as well as small quantities of fresh seasonal vegetables. [I've been looking for a currant grower, as well as more gooseberries, so this is great news.]

More information is available on our 'Places to Buy Local' page, above, or click here. This is an area of the blog that could always use your input and updating, too, so if you know of a Casey County farmer who sells produce or other agricultural or animal-related products to the public, please let us know! We'll be happy to include them, and/or in the 'Bulletin Board' section, free of charge.