It started innocently enough. I was selling vegetables at the local farmers market when I noticed another vendor’s display. On the end of the table, piled high in a basket was bulbs of garlic. I eased over at the end of the day and asked “Hey Stevie, what’s with the garlic?” Stevie, the mild mannered vegetable growing champion of Rutland, excitedly told me about garlic, its medicinal qualities and of course, the sheer pleasure one experiences when consuming fresh garlic.

Now, you have to realize I am not one who gets off on herbs, exotic cuisine or other high-minded food accessories. I eat meat, potatoes and beans. Gimme butter, maple syrup, ketchup, mustard and salt and I’m ready for battle. Stevie was eating all the green leafy crap I avoided and this, I figured, was another marketing ploy designed to lure in customers, and yes, I told him so! Well, he was patient with my assessment of the garlic and offered me a bulb to eat. “Yeah, sure,” I said shoving it in my jeans, then I packed up my stand and headed home.

A couple of nights later with a plate of steaming potatoes in front of me the problem began. Against my better judgment, I pealed a clove of garlic, cut it into chunks, mixed it into the pile of potatoes and butter and ate. The flavor was excellent. My wife said I smelled a little loud, but not too bad.

The next day, I decided to try two cloves on my eggs. That was excellent as well. The garlic seemed to fire up the food and myself, in more ways than one. By the time the next farmer’s market rolled around, I was out of garlic and wanted more, a lot more. Stevie, as always, was generous and gave me several smaller bulbs which I totally criticized as being sub par. He laughed, waved me away and said they would taste fine.

Those bulbs did not last the week and I wanted more, so, I called Stevie on the phone asking for more and asked where I could buy garlic seed and how to grow it. On his recommendations, I bought seed, planted it and grew around 200 bulbs the following year. I figured that would be enough to sell some and eat the rest. Nope, not even close. I was out of garlic by mid-December and heckling Stevie for more.

The following year I harvested 300 bulbs with the same intent. Not one bulb was sold, and my problem was getting worse. At a part-time job, secretaries were complaining about the garlic stench that was oozing out of my pores. This will happen when your addiction goes from eating one or two cooked bulbs a day to eating the same two bulbs raw. Well, what’s a garlic addict to do? I call it spreading the love, others say I created more problems. That’s right, I gave them some fresh garlic. “That’ll get’em off my back,” I smiled and of course, sent them to Stevie for more. The problem got so bad I was eating a tad over 100 pounds of garlic in a seven-month time span. Credit must go to my long-suffering wife, who informed me that I stunk so bad, even after a shower, that she might have to sleep elsewhere if the rate of garlic consumption continues. Yes sir, that got my attention real quick. Today I eat garlic in modest amounts, around 50 pounds a year. Obviously, eating garlic had turned into an obsession which is still with me today.

Today, my wife and I grow and harvest several hundred of pounds of garlic with more being planted every year. We do sell to the seed market and usually there is some left over for the winter. The problem is, when you start giving fresh garlic to friends and family, they too want more. Here are some of the ABC’s of growing garlic.

Garlic requires well drained, fertile soil. Choose your best land for garlic production. Killing weeds, especially grass, a year before is a real time and nutrient saver. To do this one can till and cover crop the land a year before planting, or use herbicide early in the fall before planting. Seed selection is important. If you find a local grower selling seed, inspect it for rot and mold before buying. Molds can carry over the winter and stay in the soil for years so do not plant moldy seed, ever. If you can not find a local supply of seed, ask a local grower, seed supply store or the UVM extension service for suggestions on varieties suited for this area. We grow German extra hardy, also known as German white, which is a stiff-neck garlic. It thrives on our short summers, is very pungent and keeps well. Soft- neck garlic will grow in Vermont, but I find its flavor and pungency lacking compared to a stiff-neck variety. Elephant garlic is not garlic at all and should be shunned by true garlic connoisseurs. Buy the biggest bulbs you can. They will cost more than small bulbs, but large bulbs with large cloves translate to a crop of the same if your soil is properly fertilized.

Stiff-neck garlic is planted in the fall. We usually plant near the end of October. The soil should have a ph around 6 to 6.5 for a good crop. We incorporate a lot of cow manure several weeks before planting. For a small plot say 10 feet by 10 feet, use several wheelbarrows. If you are unsure about the state of your soil, contact your local extension agent or UVM. They will furnish you with a soil sample bag and directions on how to take a soil sample. It is easy, inexpensive and the only way to know what your soil is lacking or if it is fine as-is.

Thoroughly incorporate the manure six to eight inches into the soil. Plant the cloves with the bottom down and the point up. Plant them two inches deep, six or more inches apart for large bulbs. We plant garlic nine inches apart because we sell big bulbs only. The small to medium sized bulbs are for eating and I hate small garlic. After planting, cover the garlic bed with six or more inches of loose hay or straw mulch to prevent heaving, retain moisture during the growing season and weed control. Leave the mulch on during the growing season, or get in touch with weeding often seeing you have loaded the soil with manure which contains a lot of weed seeds, not to mention the seeds from the hay if you use it.

The scapes, or flower head, can be cut off and eaten or left on till harvest. We cut them off. I don’t eat the scapes because they are weak flavored, but others like them. I usually start sampling garlic bulbs around the first week of July. The bulbs will be plump and full of flavor, but a lot of water as well. Between the third and fourth week of July the real harvest starts. When sampling bulbs, look to see if the protective husk surrounding the bulb is starting to crack. If it is, you had better get the garlic out of the ground. Splitting husks indicate the garlic is readying itself to sprout and, the split husks will not store as well as intact husks. Lift the garlic out of the ground by pulling or using a shovel. Do not cut off the stalk. Carefully shake off the dirt clinging to the roots, bundle the plants in groups of four or a few more and store in an airy dark room. Old barns or sheds work perfectly. I have a barn full so we use a large fan to circulate air and quicken the drying time. Remember, I have a problem.

Garlic is cured in two to four weeks. Leave the stems attached till you are ready to eat the garlic.

Well, best of luck to all you garlic growers. It is an excellent crop which tastes great, is good for you and if you eat enough of it, keeps others away, or they want some of your garlic.

Zack Winter is a true “native” Vermonter from Rutland County.