The Garlic is Sleeping

homegrown garlic, 2012

Several years ago, locally grown garlic disappeared from our grocery stores. Since I use garlic in practically everything I cook, this was a problem. I wanted the local stuff. Produce bins overflowed with garlic from China, but I could no longer find Ontario or even California garlic. Why?

Cheap imports had flooded the market; local producers couldn't compete. In response to a complaint brought by the Garlic Growers Association of Ontario, the Canadian Government eventually found that Chinese, and later, Vietnamese, garlic was being "dumped" here--that is, unfairly sold at prices below those prevailing in the producers' country. Antidumping duties were imposed, and still there is no local garlic in our stores. In Europe, a similar scenario unfolded, only the EU's high protective tariffs have inspired a massive trade in contraband Chinese garlic, The Globe and Mail reported earlier this month.

As a consumer and mother, I spent too long fuming about this situation--buying the Chinese garlic and worrying about safety. Although I didn't know anything specifically negative about the growing conditions, certainly this garlic had traveled long distances in shipping containers and was far from fresh. Fertilized with who-knows-what, doused with mystery pesticides, and probably irradiated. Whether it had been properly inspected upon importation is anyone's guess. And it just seemed absurd to import a low-value item that could be produced so easily here, with much less burning of fossil fuels. Local beats imported when it comes to the environment, as this 2-pager from the National Resources Defense Council shows. (Yes, free marketeers, I have heard of the gains from trade. Thank you for your input and please stop shouting.) 

I kept wondering if we could grow our own garlic, but I didn't know what was involved. A colleague filled me in, and here's the good news: it's dead easy.

Plant individual garlic cloves exactly as you would onion sets, but plant in the fall, and let them overwinter . . . let them undersnow. Come spring, lush shoots miraculously appear. Garlic requires almost no work--a little weeding (or not), a splash of water during prolonged dry spells, and in July, when the plants die back, dig the bulbs out, pulling gently so as not to nick the outer cloves. Air-dry for a week or so with the tops still on--it's always a good idea to drape garlands around the entrance of your home so vampires take note--and then store in a cool, dry place.

The first season, we planted about fifteen cloves, which produced just enough garlic for an entire year. The second year we planted more and this past fall added another row in order to have plenty to give away. If you decide to grow garlic, buy your first "seed" bulb at the farmers' market, not the store (in case it's been irradiated). You'll be assured of getting a variety that is hardy for your region, and the vendor will be happy to advise you. Farmers' markets still offer local garlic, thank goodness. We are lucky to have the Lakefield Farmers' Market and  Peterborough Farmers' Market nearby.

The snow is back today, after last week's unseasonably warm spell. I look out my kitchen window and think about the garlic hidden in frozen ground: sleeping, gathering energy for spring.