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John Swenson of Glenview , Illinois , cultivated a love of gardening at an early eld while tending a small garden secret plan of radishes , noodle , and carrots ( but nary a garlic bulb ! ) alongside his father , Merwin , in the family ’s backyard garden . “ What hooked me on gardening ? ” he ruminate . “ I guess I was intrigued by the idea of growing something I could both use up and share . ”
Since the mid-1970s , John has been hooked on all thingsAllium sativum — its health benefits ( allicin , the fragrant chemical compound in garlic , has proven medicinal qualities ) , the path it reproduces ( “ I had never see garlic grow before … the scapes that produced bulbils — I was just fascinated by that physical process , ” he say ) , and , of course of study , its taste perception . ( “ I have seven or eight cookbooks on onion and ail , so I just pick a recipe I think I would care and mechanically quadruple the amount of garlic , ” he once told aChicago Tribunereporter . )
John Swenson enjoys a laugh during the 2019 Conference and Campout at Seed Savers Exchange’s Heritage Farm.
Ever the scholar , John continued to dig deeper into the topic of garlic , guttle any and all book he could line up about the species and embed every variety he could get his hands on , which was n’t many at the time . ( Just 18 garlic varieties circulated in the domestic come trade in 1987 . )
By 1989 he had cultivated such a breadth and depth of knowledge about garlic that the U.S. Department of Agriculture tempt him to join a pocket-sized international team of scientist charged with collecting aboriginal alliums in Russia and Central Asia . Their pursuance covered 8,000 mile — territory that encompass both remote terrain and bustling marketplaces — and yield hundreds of miscellany of garlic , onion , and shallot , include 120 kind of garlic alone . Those varieties , many of which John afterwards acquired from the USDA and carefully stewarded in his Illinois garden , are the fundament of Seed Savers Exchange ’s panoptic garlic collecting . Since the 1990s , John has donated 150 assortment to the organization ’s seed cant , including his beloved ‘ Samarkand , ’ a “ moderately spicy ” hardneck he came across in Uzbekistan .
His generous sharing of his respect garlic collection established him as one of the organization ’s 41 Legacy Donors , several of whom ( including John ) were profiled in anonline exhibitsupported by the 1772 Foundation .
John Swenson enjoys a laugh during the 2019 Conference and Campout at Seed Savers Exchange’s Heritage Farm.
At 92 old age young , he keep on to plant , tend , and harvest about 30 variety show of garlic each yr . “ My curiosity has not wane with age , ” says John . “ I still wonder what it is that I do n’t know . ”
What inspired you to originate grow garlic?In the mid-1970s , I was flush semen catalogs for shallots , a veggie I require to tally to my garden plot , when I spotted an ad for rocambole ( a hardneck garlic ) that piqued my curiosity . The ad actually say , ‘ We do n’t know what this is . ’ How could I defy that ?
What is your favourite garlic salmagundi to grow , and why is it your favorite?I do n’t have a favourite . No one should be capable to say “ favorite ” when talking about Allium sativum because there ’s so much beneficial poppycock out there !
Rows of garlic stand ready for harvest at Seed Savers Exchange’s Heritage Farm.
Can you portion out one fun fact about garlic?I have find that the most complex look in garlic are associated with miscellany that have purple wrappers .
Can you provide five tips for develop glad , respectable garlic ?
supervise the soil temperature . When the soil temperature drops to 60 degrees Fahrenheit , startle embed your garlic . Science has shown that to be the optimal temperature for the termination of roots from the radical of the ail clove . For most of North America , that ’s former October .
habituate labeling materials that last , peculiarly in areas with harsh winters . label made of zinc with stakes of stainless wire will not be surge up in the freeze - thawing wheel . Using Sharpie oil - base paint markers will ensure the motley names persist legible through postulate winter weather .
If you remove the scape of the plant at the proper time , the garlic bulb will produce larger ( how much larger bet on the variety ) . If you murder the flower stalk too soon , they will be tender enough to employ in stir fry or make a pesto . The scapes are at their best from when they first emerge until they start to bend .
When harvesting garlic , dig up the bulbs ; do not pull them up . Then pose them by their marking and let them lie exposed for two - three Day to embark on the cure process ( which transforms the flavor profile of the bulb ) . When salt away , be sure to keep bulb in a browned paper bag in a coolheaded , dry place .
Using the bulbils ( flyspeck , undivided incandescent lamp produced in the scape of hardneck garlic ) of a favorite garlic will allow you to increase your stock more rapidly than by replanting the cloves of bulbs . The whole physical process take two growing season . If you plant bulbil to create round for next time of year ’s crop , be trusted to mark both ends of the row in which you plant them . Otherwise , when the leaves wither , they quickly go away , and you will be unable to find your unexampled planting descent .
Originally published July 30 , 2021 , by
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