NOTES

HARDNECK GARLIC

Hardnecks (Allium sativum ssp. ophioscorodon) have complex flavors and are closer in taste to wild garlic. With their wonderfully distinctive, vibrant flavors, hardneck varieties are deserving of their special spot in every true gourmand's heart.

Hardneck garlic is easier to peel than the softneck varieties, as their skins slip off easily, but they do not keep as long (6-10 months).  And though they have fewer cloves per head than softneck types, the single row of cloves on all hardneck varieties are larger.

This variety tends to be more winter hardy, and does well in cooler climes.  Underground, hardneck garlic varieties develop a long flowering stem (a scape), which develops tiny bulbils at the top end of this central flowering stem.  Deep in the soil, a single row of cloves is wrapped together in a papery sheath, which forms the head or bulb of garlic.  Scapes need to be cut from hardneck garlic plants in early summer, as their production robs energy from the plant, resulting in smaller heads.

There are hundreds of named hardneck varieties in the world, each grouped under one of six families:  Porcelain (long-lasting, big flavorful cloves with satiny white wrappers), Rocambole (well known with complex flavors), Asiatic (hot and spicy), Marble Purple Stripe (symmetrical, easy to peel cloves), Glazed Purple Stripe (beautifully colored plump cloves).

SOFTNECK GARLIC

This is the garlic you’ll find in most grocery stores. The softneck (Allium sativum ssp. sativum) garlic bulb has a mild flavor, with no intense bite, and its true prize lies in its ability to store well for long periods of time (9-12 months).  The necks of these varieties are quite literally soft, and they do not develop the flowering scapes, making softnecks bulbs easy to braid for hanging. 

Softneck garlic varieties thrive when planted in warmer climates, as they are not hardy in the cold.   They produce many cloves in each head, unlike hardneck's single row of cloves. 

There are only a few dozen, named varieties of softneck varieties in the world, each one assigned a family:  Artichoke (large and prolific), Silverskin (high yield in many climates), Creole (originating in Spain, warm flavors, reddish coloring), and Turban (early maturing and designated softneck in milder climes).