OVERVIEW

Hardneck varieties produce a flower stalk called a scape.  The scapes can be harvested and eaten in a number of ways; they are delicious!  The flowers eventually form bulbils that can be planted as seed but they will usually produce small round bulbs the first year that need to be replanted.  Using bulbils as seed stock will usually take two or three years to produce good-sized garlic.  They typically have a hard stalk and are difficult to braid.

Hardneck varieties generally do not store as well as other varieties and may start to dry out or form roots and sprouts within a few months of harvest.  We have found some exceptions to this rule in our experience as some do store quite well for us.

Hardnecks are considered the most flavorful garlics, as well as the easiest to peel. Prized by gourmets and restaurants.

Hardneck varieties include:  Rocambole, Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe, Porcelain, Asiatic, Turban Artichokes, and Creole subvarieties.

Softneck varieties do not produce a seed stalk.  This is the type of garlic that you most often find in the grocery stores (California Early and California Late).

Softneck garlic has much longer shelf life than the hardneck varieties.  We’ve found that our softneck varieties will store almost a year – until we’re harvesting the next year’s crop.

We have found that some of our softneck varieties have occasionally produced flower stalks and behaved as a hardneck variety.  This is thought to happen at times because of our cold climate and it does seem more common following a very cold winter.

Softneck varieties are also great for braiding.

Softneck varieties include:  Silverskin and Artichokes.

Rosedale Garlic Varieties

 

Chesnok Red  (standard purple stripe hardneck variety)  This is another one that has done consistently well for us.  It’s said that this is one of the best cooking garlics.  It is very flavorful, having won “best baking garlic” taste tests conducted by Rodale, Sunset Magazine, Martha Stewart and others.  It holds its shape and retains flavor well when cooked.  It has large easy to peel cloves.  Originally from Shvelisi, Republic of Georgia.  Averages about 8 cloves per bulb.

  • Chesnok Red is a full flavored garlic with a mellow aftertaste that sticks around nicely for a while. Some years it can also be a hot and strong garlic, other years it is much less hot, but it is always full flavored.  When roasted it becomes very sweet.
  • Excellent flavor, sweetens up when roasted.
  • Chesnok Red is an excellent baking garlic. It is medium pungency with a robust flavor.

 

Estonian Red  (unknown hardneck variety) Originally a variety from Denmark, it’s said to be the largest bulb sized variety grown there.  A hardneck purple stripe variety that averages 6 cloves per bulb. Stores well and peels easily. An all around great garlic. Fiery at first and then quickly mellows. Perfect for a wide variety of cooking. Eaten raw it tingles the tongue but mellows quickly…great for shrimp scampi. Grows well in a variety of environments and produces large bulbs.

Georgian Crystal  (porcelain hardneck variety)  This has been a good grower for us from the beginning.  It has large bulbs and cloves and has a mild flavor when eaten raw and a smooth buttery flavor when roasted.  It is a long storing garlic.  It is originally from the Gatersleben Seed Bank (#6819), also known as Cichisdzhvari.  Averages 5 to 6 cloves per bulb.

  • has a clean, fresh flavor, great for pesto and other raw uses, and also holds its own in cooked dishes.A good all-purpose garlic. Stores well.
  • Having a mild, sweet flavor when used raw, it is perfect for pesto and salsa.  When cooked it maintains its mellow rich flavor.  Stores well.

 

German Red  (rocombole hardneck variety)  This variety has large cloves and is easily peeled.  The flavor is hot and spicy.  It is from old time gardeners of German descent in Idaho.  Averages about 6 to 9 cloves per bulb.

Inchelium Red:  (artichoke softneck variety)  It is a large bulbed vigorous strain with several layers of cloves.  In a 1990 taste test at Rodale kitchens this was a top rated softneck.  Discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation, original source unknown.  It has a mild but lingering flavor with a tingle.  It can be used for making garlic braids. It has four or five layers of cloves with 8 to 20 total cloves possible per bulb.

  • robust and rich with a hint of heat, but never overpowering.
  • Delightfully robust but no so strong as to be overpowering.  Inchelium Red has been said to be a benchmark for true medium garlic; often people will compare the tastes of all garlic varieties as being milder or stronger than Inchelium Red.  It has medium rich garlickness and medium pungency, or, hotness when eaten raw. On a scale of 1 to 10 on flavor and taste, it gets a 5 in each category.
  • FROM A CULINARY STANDPOINT, THIS GARLIC IS THE MOST DESIRABLE FOR RECIPES AND PREPARATIONS.
  • best all-around garlic, with a strong following amongst our chefs and market customers. Flavor is mild but rich, not overpowering, can be used raw or cooked. Bulbs can get very large, 3-4″ across, with big easy-peel cloves.
  • Mild flavored; great when roasted or blended into mashed potatoes

 

Italian Heirloom (Rocambole) The purple streaked bulbs typically have eight to twelve large, tan cloves, peels easily and stores up to 4-6 months. Being a Rocambole garlic,

  • its flavor is very strong, hot, and spicy and sticks around for a long time. It has the deep, rich, complex flavor of gourmet garlic.

 

Korean Mountain  (Asiatic)  Really beautiful bulbs with very large cloves. Full flavor with an extra hot initial burst.  Averages 5 cloves per bulb.

  • This garlic is plenty hot, especially when raw!

 

Purple Glazer  (purple stripe hardneck variety)  This has been a great performer for us – that is when we have kept it weeded.  This is one variety that we can say from personal experience does not like competition from weeds.  It is also one of our personal favorites for flavor and is our favorite garlic for making fresh pesto.  It was originally known as Mchadidzhvari #1 from Republic of Georgia.  Averages about 10 cloves per bulb.

Red Toch  (artichoke softneck variety)  This is a popular variety that was first collected in Rep. of Georgia near the town of Tochliavri.  Clove wrappers are streaked with red and pink.  Averages about 7 cloves per bulb.

  • Rich but very mellow,  a 6-7 for garlickiness and a 1-2 for pungency.
  • For those who prefer their garlic raw, ‘Red Toch’ has a multidimensional quality, spicy fragrance and consummate flavor.

 

Silver Rose  (Silverskin) A bulb that looks and tastes very similar to Nootka only bigger.  Silver Rose packs a little heat but not extreme, very clean with little aftertaste.  Averages 20 cloves per bulb.

  • Excellent for braids and keeps well, with a medium-strong flavor.

 

Spanish Roja  (rocombole hardneck variety)  This garlic has taken off and has started producing some good sized bulbs for us.  It’s flavor is good and is best described as being a “true” garlic flavor.  Averages about 8 cloves per bulb.

  • Rich complex flavor of gourmet garlic at its finest, sweet earthy vegetative overtones with a spicy heat that sticks around for sometime on the pallet.  It’s often been described as having a one of the most pleasant spicy flavors of the garlics.
  • Cooked flavor is sweet and spicy, making it a great roaster.
  • its flavor is very strong, hot and spicy and sticks around for a long time. It has the deep, rich, complex flavor of gourmet garlic at its very finest. It has been described as the most piquant garlic in the world.

 

Thermadrone (artichoke variety)  Commercial strain from France. Impressive, large long storing bulbs.  This is by far the largest size bulbs of the newly purchased seed garlic we’re planting this year – we are very anxious how it likes Wisconsin!  Averages 11 cloves per bulb.
Transylvanian  (artichoke softneck variety)  It originated in the heart of the Transylvania Mountains of Romania and has nice plump cloves.  It was discovered in a Romanian Farmers Market in the mid-1990s. It has a hot garlic flavor and stores well due to the tight, coarse tunics around its cloves.  Transylvanian does well in cold climates and belongs to the Artichoke group of softnecks.  Averages about 7 to 9 cloves per bulb.

 

All Rosedale garlic is grown using hand tools and manual labor. No chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used. Soil fertility is maintained by promoting soil life and organic matter.