garlic '09

Got all the garlic in finally. It's pretty awesome! In total, harvested about 175 bulbs - 125 organic music (planted 5 pounds) and 50 organic german red (planted 2 pounds), with seed ordered from August's Harvest. Weird, the math is solid with 1 pound = 25 bulbs. Huh.

The bulbs are all different sizes so we'll keep the big ones for replanting and the rest we'll store/eat/share with fam & friends. After it cures, we'll be hummus'ing, guacamole'ing, and garlic bread'ing all over this place. Was nice and easy to grow... wondering about ordering a different kind to plant this fall - suggestions?

Apparently chicken manure gives the bulbs a good boost in size. Another reason, besides eggs, to get some hens happening here. Starting to enjoy all the little connections that inevitably happen on a farm.

Might try planting the bulbils. Not really sure how that works, but google will tell me when the time comes (so handy to be an internet-generation gardener). I think they take several years to become full-size, but then you have fresh stock.

In other news, got my love a cheese-making kit for his birthday. My family were like 'really?' but he dug it. Tomorrow I'll meet him in the city for his actual birthday... a day of museums, watching his band play (@ sneaky dee's for wavelength), and a shmancy stay at a hotel. When we get home he'll try making basic chevre I think. It's sort of the research stop on the fork between dairy goats and some other type of husbandry. I've been enjoying reading Twwly as she's rocking the goat/cheese world. We'll see what happens.