do you love garlic?
We love garlic! Garlic is satisfying to grow, enjoyable to harvest, and we grow it locally in Douglas and Gustavus. We sustain and nurture the soil using organic methods, no herbicides or pesticides are ever used. And of course, we love to eat garlic! Eating garlic provides many health and therapeutic benefits. Read through our other pages for more information and links to garlic websites. Root Seller Farm Garlic: Local, Organic, and Healthy.
Keep in touch! We love hearing about your garlic eating and growing experiences.
Keep in touch! We love hearing about your garlic eating and growing experiences.
2020 garlic stem cuts
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Georgian Crystal ......
Music ...................... Killarney Red ........... Purple Glazer ........... |
1/2" diagonal
1" flat 3" flat flush |
flavor guide
*Please note that the only varieties available this year are listed above.*
Porcelain Cultivars
Georgian Crystal - A vigorous garlic that consistently produces large white bulbs. Collected in 1985 at Cichisdzhvari in the intermountain region of the central Republic of Georgia. Hot raw, full-bodied when cooked. 4-7 cloves per bulb.
Music - An outstanding plant producing very large bulbs with few, large cloves. Strong, robust
plants that are consistent producers in the garden. Sweet pungent flavor, very tight, durable heads, substantial garlic when baked. Hot when consumed raw. Italian variety brought back to
Canada by Al Music in the 1980s. 4-7 cloves per bulb.
Russian Giant - Pleasantly mild flavor, very large cloves that are easy to peel, good roasted.
Consistently one of the largest garlics, both the plants and bulbs. Purple color with white tips and
better than average keeping ability. Hardneck, 4 to 7 cloves per bulb.
Rocambole Cultivars
Killarney Red - Outstanding Rocambole from Idaho. Original source is unknown. Great producing Rocambole year after year. Better adapted to wet conditions than most others. Strong nutty flavor. Averages 9 cloves per bulb.
Purple Stripe Cultivars
Purple Glazer - glazed purple striped skin, cloves with almost satiny wrappers. Originally Mcadidzhvari #1 from Republic of Georgia, southern Russia, high yields in cold climates. Fantastic flavor, great for baking. Averages 11 cloves per bulb.
Chesnok Red (a.k.a. Shvelisi) - Good performing Purple Stripe garlic year after year. Chesnok Red holds shape and retains flavor well when cooked. Great choice for baking or roasting with a creamy texture. Can produce very large bulbs that average 9 to 10 easy to peel cloves. Originates from the village of Shvelisi, Republic of Georgia. 8 to 10 cloves per bulb.
Marbled Purple Stripe Cultivars
Siberian - An outstanding strain originally secured by an Alaskan fishermen trading green leafy vegetables with poor peasants living in eastern Russia who grew only root crops. Very large bulbs. 5 to 7 fat, dark brown cloves.
Metechi - Bulbs nicely colored and very firm. Long storing. Easy to peel makes this a favorite
in the kitchen, favorite roasted garlic. All Marbled Purple Stripes do well in cold climates.
5 to 8 large and fat cloves.
Porcelain Cultivars
Georgian Crystal - A vigorous garlic that consistently produces large white bulbs. Collected in 1985 at Cichisdzhvari in the intermountain region of the central Republic of Georgia. Hot raw, full-bodied when cooked. 4-7 cloves per bulb.
Music - An outstanding plant producing very large bulbs with few, large cloves. Strong, robust
plants that are consistent producers in the garden. Sweet pungent flavor, very tight, durable heads, substantial garlic when baked. Hot when consumed raw. Italian variety brought back to
Canada by Al Music in the 1980s. 4-7 cloves per bulb.
Russian Giant - Pleasantly mild flavor, very large cloves that are easy to peel, good roasted.
Consistently one of the largest garlics, both the plants and bulbs. Purple color with white tips and
better than average keeping ability. Hardneck, 4 to 7 cloves per bulb.
Rocambole Cultivars
Killarney Red - Outstanding Rocambole from Idaho. Original source is unknown. Great producing Rocambole year after year. Better adapted to wet conditions than most others. Strong nutty flavor. Averages 9 cloves per bulb.
Purple Stripe Cultivars
Purple Glazer - glazed purple striped skin, cloves with almost satiny wrappers. Originally Mcadidzhvari #1 from Republic of Georgia, southern Russia, high yields in cold climates. Fantastic flavor, great for baking. Averages 11 cloves per bulb.
Chesnok Red (a.k.a. Shvelisi) - Good performing Purple Stripe garlic year after year. Chesnok Red holds shape and retains flavor well when cooked. Great choice for baking or roasting with a creamy texture. Can produce very large bulbs that average 9 to 10 easy to peel cloves. Originates from the village of Shvelisi, Republic of Georgia. 8 to 10 cloves per bulb.
Marbled Purple Stripe Cultivars
Siberian - An outstanding strain originally secured by an Alaskan fishermen trading green leafy vegetables with poor peasants living in eastern Russia who grew only root crops. Very large bulbs. 5 to 7 fat, dark brown cloves.
Metechi - Bulbs nicely colored and very firm. Long storing. Easy to peel makes this a favorite
in the kitchen, favorite roasted garlic. All Marbled Purple Stripes do well in cold climates.
5 to 8 large and fat cloves.
2012-2013 garlic experiment
In 2012-2013, Root Seller Farm, Orsi Organic Produce, Ed's Edible Landscaping and garlic grower Andy Piston participated in a garlic grow-out experiment and marketing trial sponsored through a Specialty Crop grant awarded by the Alaska Division of Agriculture. A very big THANKS! and recognition go out to Master Gardener Joe Orsi for his pioneering garlic culture methods in Southeast Alaska using IRT and foliar sprays, and for his useful suggestions for experimental design. Thanks to Joe, Ed and Andy for the gracious use of their garden space, their time, and their gardening experience, without which this project would not have been possible. We successfully produced mature, marketable bulbs of 4 different hardneck varieties in Ketchikan, Juneau, Douglas, Haines and Gustavus. Survival to harvest, yields, and market acceptance were all excellent. Click here to see the final report.
the big garlic adventure
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The garlic harvest season is upon us. This year we have grown some truly
impressive garlic. As happens almost every year, local Master Gardener and friend at Orsi Organic Produce, Joe Orsi, usually grows the biggest garlic. But this year, thanks to the amazing seed that he provided, Root Seller Farm has grown some really enormous garlic! You could say they were unbelievably large. Large enough to fit in the bed of a small truck? You be the judge! Our tiny workforce will gladly roll up their sleeves and load them up for you to take away and enjoy. |
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Thanks to knowledge gained through growing garlic since 2004, and the support of other growers such as Ed Buyarski, of Ed’s Edible Landscaping, Juneau Alaska, who is featured weekly on KTOO’s Garden Talk, we’ve grown some truly impressive Rocambole cultivars such as Killarney Red this year.
The small-talk among the small time farmers really made big news. Alaska Grown garlic from Root Seller Farm - it appears to be larger than life. |
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Finally, through a generous gift of a few bulbs of Georgian Crystal from Bo Varsano, of Farragut Farm near Petersburg, we grew some amazingly large Porcelain-type garlic.
These are so big they have become a tourist attraction, a veritable Alaskan-sized garlic! |
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Root Seller Farm Garlic -where bigger is better and tall tales grow faster than weeds. Come get some Root Seller Farm garlic and tell us your own gardening tall-tales annually at the Juneau Food Festival. or find us at the Salt and Soil Marketplace.
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garlic resources
Garlic has played multiple roles throughout its long association (possibly 6000 years) with humankind. It is a food, a flavoring, disease preventative and health aid. Historically garlic has flavored foods from Europe to China, Egypt to India (Engeland 1991), more recent use is worldwide. The ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks referenced garlic as a therapeutic agent 3000 years ago. Roman soldiers believed that eating garlic would inspire them and give them courage. In 1858, Louis Pasteur described the antibacterial properties of garlic. German physician Albert Schweitzer used garlic in the 1900's to treat amoebic dysentery (Meredith 2000).
The health and therapeutic benefits of garlic have been reported in thousands of research publications. Garlic contains over 100 known compounds, many of which may work synergistically. Yet, the specific pharmacology of compounds contained in garlic is still not well understood. The most useful appear to be allyl sulfides, bioflavenoids and sulfur compounds.
Garlic is known to be an effective antibiotic and anti-protozoal, inhibits the formation of free radicals, appears to enhance the immune system (especially white blood cells known as Natural Killer cells), and is beneficial to the cardiovascular system. It may exhibit anticancer effects and may aid in lowering blood glucose levels. Compounds in garlic may also facilitate absorption of Thiamine (vitamin B1) which is critical for neurological health. Certainly that virtue alone speaks volumes for consumption of garlic.
The following references and websites are provided for further reading:
The Complete Book of Garlic, a Guide for Gardeners, Growers and Serious Cooks. By Ted Jordan Meredith. 2008. Timber Press. ISBN 13:978-0-88192-883-9
Growing Great Garlic, the Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers. By Ron L. Engeland 1991 Filaree Publications. ISBN 0-9630850-1-8
Additional Links about health & garlic:
The health and therapeutic benefits of garlic have been reported in thousands of research publications. Garlic contains over 100 known compounds, many of which may work synergistically. Yet, the specific pharmacology of compounds contained in garlic is still not well understood. The most useful appear to be allyl sulfides, bioflavenoids and sulfur compounds.
Garlic is known to be an effective antibiotic and anti-protozoal, inhibits the formation of free radicals, appears to enhance the immune system (especially white blood cells known as Natural Killer cells), and is beneficial to the cardiovascular system. It may exhibit anticancer effects and may aid in lowering blood glucose levels. Compounds in garlic may also facilitate absorption of Thiamine (vitamin B1) which is critical for neurological health. Certainly that virtue alone speaks volumes for consumption of garlic.
The following references and websites are provided for further reading:
The Complete Book of Garlic, a Guide for Gardeners, Growers and Serious Cooks. By Ted Jordan Meredith. 2008. Timber Press. ISBN 13:978-0-88192-883-9
Growing Great Garlic, the Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers. By Ron L. Engeland 1991 Filaree Publications. ISBN 0-9630850-1-8
Additional Links about health & garlic:
- WebMD Garlic
- New York Times Benefits of Garlic
- Huffington Post Health Benefits of Garlic