Harvesting the garlic

[Bugbear]

Oh I love Garlic. Wanna trade for some raspberries? I happen to know they can't be grown down there

Have you tried roasting a garlic clove in the oven with a little olive oil? It spreads like butter on bread--so delicious.

Yes, Ali, the garlic becomes a little less pungent and a little sweeter when it is roasted. We can grow black berries, huckle berries, boisin berries, and a whole bunch of other things down here though.

Out in the orchard, or grove, I have a bunch of air layering to do. This is all for potential bonsai that have been training as branches on trees. Basically, the bark of the branch that will become a new tree is removed in an inch or so wide strip, along with the cambion layer. The leaves continue to move food down the cambian layer to the point at the strip but it can't move past that; the tree continues to move water up to the branch and it's leaves. The area of the branch at the removed bark is covered with moist growing medium and a shell of aluminum foil. Because the food has nowhere else to go, the branch starts making roots into the moist growing medium to stor the food. A couple of months later, the branch is removed from the tree and it has roots to support itself.

That does not work on all trees. Some trees, like pines, can't have the bark removed, so a wire is used to gurtle the branch and it might start rooting after many years; other trees can't be layered at all. I'm working on citrus which does quite well with air layering.

[ali8780]

Yes, Ali, the garlic becomes a little less pungent and a little sweeter when it is roasted. We can grow black berries, huckle berries, boisin berries, and a whole bunch of other things down here though.

Out in the orchard, or grove, I have a bunch of air layering to do. This is all for potential bonsai that have been training as branches on trees. Basically, the bark of the branch that will become a new tree is removed in an inch or so wide strip, along with the cambion layer. The leaves continue to move food down the cambian layer to the point at the strip but it can't move past that; the tree continues to move water up to the branch and it's leaves. The area of the branch at the removed bark is covered with moist growing medium and a shell of aluminum foil. Because the food has nowhere else to go, the branch starts making roots into the moist growing medium to stor the food. A couple of months later, the branch is removed from the tree and it has roots to support itself.

That does not work on all trees. Some trees, like pines, can't have the bark removed, so a wire is used to gurtle the branch and it might start rooting after many years; other trees can't be layered at all. I'm working on citrus which does quite well with air layering.

Wow Ted, I'm impressed. Actually, to grow anything down there you have to be pretty amazing--or at least you have to be not me and my husband

[Bugbear]

I've been working with the small scale desert agriculture for about ten years now. You just have to pick the right plants and make lots and lots of compost.

This afternoon, I put a chicken in a crock pot to cook. It is partly for the cats, but if I had been cooking it for myself, I could have thrown a bunch of garlic in.

I've been picking the bones out of the meat this evening. I hate chicken bones, like the little sharp ones, so I usually leave it in the crock for hours and hours, until the meat falls off the bones. Then I pick out some of the larger pieces, like the breast and the thighs, then save the other meat and skin for the cats.

[ChubRock]

Time to turn the crock pot off and tell how the garlic tastes.

[Bugbear]

Well, sense it came up again... I do have another chicken that I will be throwing in the crock before too long.

Somewhere I reported that I was having to move my gardens to a different side of my property because the Chi of the garden had been disrupted on that side of the yard.

So, I have been turning the soil, with a shovel, on the other side of the cottage.

I should have it ready for the garlic in September or October. I need to add a lot of compost. The garlic is in the fridge until then.

[Iolaus]

Good sir, I can handle it. I spent four years in Sierra Vista Arizona and grew up in Southern California.

I've wondered about the southwest ever since my wife and I went traveling there. The restaurants all knew we were from California when we asked if they had any salsa that actually had some heat to it to replace the tomato sauce they first gave us.

[Iolaus]

Have you tried roasting a garlic clove in the oven with a little olive oil? It spreads like butter on bread--so delicious.

Yes, Ali, the garlic becomes a little less pungent and a little sweeter when it is roasted.

Squeeze it straight from the head to the bread.

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archive...ted_garlic.php

[Bugbear]

You can roast an onion like that, too.

[Bugbear]

Well, earlier I went ahead and plopped the chicken in the crock pot, and it's just about to where the meat will fall off the bones.

As far as the garlic, I have been working on the new planting bed. It required two trenches next to each other, and I'm almost finished with the second one. I'll fill that area with compost, then let it sit there for a couple of months until it is planting time for the garlic.

Basically, I've having to move anything gardening related that requires frequent checking over to this side of the property. I will plant some nice thorny inedible ornimental citrus over in the old planting beds. I'm also going to have to run a new 3/4" pvc water line over to this side, so I don't have to go on that side of the property to turn on the water.