Our Gourmet Garlic
We specialize in hardneck garlic varieties, most of which originated in the Caucusus region of Russia. Because the region of origin is similar to ours, around the 45th parallel with an average altitude of about 3,000 feet, these varieties do very well here in Cove.
Each year, we hold side-by-side garlic tasting events during Grassroots Festival, the Cove Cherry Fair, and several other gatherings around the valley. Watch for Farm News and Facebook for tasting dates and events.
Garlic varieties growing on Folly Farm are from four classifications:
Porcelain
Satiny white wrappers hold only 4 to 6 big cloves per bulb, and offer outstanding flavor.
Purple Stripe
With 8 to 12 cloves per bulb, tallish cloves are slightly smaller than other types, and plant height and shape vary noticeably from strain to strain.
Rocambole
Deeper, more full-bodied flavor in bulbs with 6 to 11 large cloves in a single circle around the stem, making them easy to peel.
Turban
Small plants produce good size bulbs in early season with 8 to 12 crescent shaped cloves, and are excellent for baking.
Varieties for 2016
Bogatyr
Purple stripe. Great bulbs of fire! Big beautiful bulbs are full of flavor with a warm lingering aftertaste. Flavor holds well in cooking.
German Red
Rocambole. Full-bodied, strong and spicy when raw, this is a good middle-of-the-road garlic that maintains flavor when cooked.
Music
Porcelain. Beautiful, huge showy cloves become starchy sweet when baked and are hot when consumed raw.
Purple Glazer
Purple stripe. Fat cloves with satiny wrappers, this variety from Mchadidzhvari in the Republic of Georgia has a strong lasting flavor, but not hot and no after taste.
Purple Italian
Rocambole. A delicate, sweet spiciness with mild grassy flavor slowly warms up with a burst of heat that fades quickly. Good for salsas and Mediterranean dishes.
Red Grain
Purple stripe. From Chichidszhavari in the Republic of Georgia, this variety has a nice garlic taste with spicy mild zing.
San Juan Island
Rocambole. Deeper full-bodied musky, classic garlicky flavor, and it’s moderate to very hot when eaten raw. This is a good option to give salsas and bruschetta that need a little kick.
Thai Fire
Turban. A complex full flavor with a rising heat level makes this one of our favorites for cooking, roasting, and salsas.
Thai Purple
Turban. Produces a delicate tingle on tongue when tasted raw. Great for roasting.
Uzbek
Turban. Somewhat hot in flavor in medium size head and medium size cloves, this variety originated in the Uzbekistan Republic and was brought to North America in 1989.