Garlic Harvest

Today Nance harvested our garlic, that fundamental element of so many meals. Its beautiful stuff and will last us through to next years harvest, including enough seed to plant in October. We've planted successions of garlic year to year from our own seed for about 6 years now, so it feels like our garlic is really becoming of this place, a terroir fixed to our land, unlike the other items we grow that are from seed that could be from anywhere. I find that aspect of the garlic particularly satisfying.

If you've never experienced fresh garlic, try to. Its nothing like the stuff in the store. Its damp, soft, robust and oh so pungent.

We used to dry our garlic on racks, but since I built the "sugar structure"* a couple of years ago, we hang it on nails off the rafter ties. I must say I am in love with the beauty of the garlic hanging in this delightful little building.

*The sugar structure is what we've sort of awkwardly named the little post-and-beam open building I built initially as a covered platform for our little maple sugaring operation in the spring. Since then its become much more: an excellent place for meals, a laundry clothes line hanging location (the line is strung through the rafter ties), a bee equipment storage area, and just a nice place to sit, have a cup of coffee or hang out.