About Organic Sicilian Artichoke Garlic
Softneck – Artichoke
Sicilian Artichoke Garlic is a Softneck varietal that produces exceptionally well and efficiently stores for long periods. It has a fiery flavor that smokes the store-bought lookalikes typically loaded with pesticides and bleached with chlorine, so it looks pretty!
Sicilian Artichoke is a softneck garlic that has a spicy to mild flavor. Sicilian is usually pearly white in color and can have purple streaks. This variety is prevalent in many groceries stores. Our organic Garlic is twice the size found in stores and is much healthier for you.
Sicilian Artichoke most likely originated in Europe, where it was cultivated from Silk Road traded seed. History and folklore surrounding Garlic in this area of the world span from the dawn of literature to the present day time. One of the earliest mentionings of Garlic is found in the Bible in 1213 BC. The Egyptians enslaved the Jews and fed them Garlic and other allium vegetables to give them strength and increase their productivity, and Egyptian citizens also enjoyed it.
There was even once a tradition in Sicily to place Garlic in a birthing bed for a successful delivery! If you still have some Sicilian left after harvesting and planting, why not try the delicious Amogghio recipe, a classic Sicilian salsa topping for summer BBQs!
Sicilian Artichoke Garlic FAQ
How To Plant Sicilian Artichoke Garlic Seed
Crack the heads of garlic open, separating the inner cloves and leaving their thin papery covering intact.
Plant only the largest, undamaged cloves, some cloves might get a nick or two in them from the head cracking process. Save the smaller and damaged cloves for a delicious batch of Toum, its like garlic mayonnaise, yum!
When planting cloves in the soil, place the pointy end up, 3-4 inches deep and 6 inches apart.
How To Harvest Sicilian Artichoke Garlic Seeds
When at least 50-75% of your crop has ½ green and brown leaves, stop watering and let the soil dry out.
Spot checks can be done to ensure the doneness of your garlic: lightly and carefully dig around a random bulb, or bulbs, and check its size without digging it up.
Using a hay fork, you can go and loosen the soil 8 to 12 inches away from bulbs, carefully as to not damage the bulbs, and loosen the soil to make it easier to get the garlic up.
Do not remove the excess dirt with water, dirt can be removed later when it’s dried with a soft brush. Be careful to not remove the layers of paper on the outside of the garlic.
How To Store Sicilian Artichoke Garlic Seed
Hang bulbs in a well-ventilated, dry area out of direct sunlight and room temperature, making sure the temperature does not drop below 45 degrees.
If you want to braid the garlic, make sure the stems have dried, but are still flexible. Garlic hanging time is variable depending on the weather in your area, you’ll know it’s done when the roots and leaves are completely dry and easily breakable.
When Is the Best Time To Plant Sicilian Artichoke Garlic Seed?
- October – November: Plant
- February – April: Tend
- Late May – Early June: Harvest Scapes
- June – July: Harvest Bulbs
- July – August: Cure
Music Garlic loves sandy loam soils, and if you have this type of soil, you can spread mulch, compost, or a mix of both over your crop to help insulate the ground and feed your crop. After planting, we used a blend of alfalfa and straw as a covering to help suppress weeds which lasted until early spring. Weed watch begins as soon as they appear. You can apply more mulch, weed out the small ones first, or follow your farm’s cultural practices. During growth, after the Garlic is 6 inches tall, we use Neptunes Harvest as foilaire feed because it’s OMRI approved and 100% organic. It contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and sulfur. We use it every 2 to 3 weeks and stop applying it 45 days before the expected harvest.
Harvest your Garlic as it matures, different types will grow at other times, and harvest should be based on the ratio of dead to alive leaves. Typically there are eight to11 sets of leaves on Sicilian. It’s getting close when the dead leaves reach halfway up the plant. You can dig around the top of the bulb without disturbing the roots and check the bulb size. Bulbs increase in size in the last 6 to 8 weeks of growth.
You can observe bulb size by carefully removing the soil on top of the blub without disturbing the roots. Each week of growth makes a difference in size. Bulbs increase in size in the last 6 to 8 weeks of growth. Be sure to stop watering two weeks before harvest.
Harvest time, be sure to find a well-ventilated, cool, dark storage area to cure the Music Garlic for 3 to 5 weeks. Use a spade to loosen the soil about 6 to 8 inches from the bulb use care not to nick the Garlic. If you notice a nick on the Garlic, set it aside and use it in your kitchen.
There are two methods for curing.
Method 1: After 3 to 6 weeks of curing, remove all the stems and cut the roots off, and make it pretty as you see in supermarkets. Sort out any damaged or small bulbs, and save these for use in your kitchen. Select the best to replant for the following season. Store in a cool dark place for best results. For more extended storage, put the cured Garlic into boxes or doubled paper bags. This method saves space for other items you may want to store.
Method 2: Keep all the leaves and roots intact until you are ready to consume.
Caleb Schallert (verified owner) –
Excellent Flavor profile. I highly recommend Basaltic Farms Sicilian Artichoke.