Garlicana is a very small farm located in the southern end of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. Here a diverse array of garlic and shallots are grown without the use of toxic chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or fungicides and careful attention is paid to sustainable soil practices. The farm specializes in less common varieties and developing new varieties through traditional seed breeding methods.
March
Last March the farm was inundated by the biggest flood since ’96. While there has been moderate rainfall this last month, we are still woefully behind here. Atmospheric rivers , droughts, heat domes, ICE storms, pests, diseases; farmers have always dealt with varying forms of catastrophe from plagues of locusts to marauding armies. In these precarious times, it is challenging to have a long view on things. The consequences of ecological devastation are quite evident here. Being in touch with people in distant locales or reading over the news purveys a sense of doom that is in odd juxtaposition to day to day life on the farm. Having engaged in watershed restoration to improve habitat for other species with whom i share the creek, the results are evident, measurable. At the upper ends of the watershed, where vast tracts of forest are owned by corporations, private investors, the deforestation continues. In drought, life flourishes at oases. One can strive to confront the underlying reasons for drought while concurrently expanding the oasis.
Anyway, while a wetter winter may have resulted in a more prolific year for wild mushrooms, the temperatures have been mild and there’s still mushrooms to be found in the woods including my favorite: the black chanterelle. Foraging excursions aside, the farming season is beginning anew: seeds started from brassicas to chenopods to solanums to alliums. The latter includes last year’s TGS comprising a few thousand seeds from 22 accessions. In the past, i’ve stratified the seeds in damp paper towels in the fridge for 6+ weeks before gingerly potting them. This year i seeded an 1/16th tsp. TGS per 4″ pots and am chilling the whole lot in a walk-in for 2 months. It may be 5-6 years before any new garlic variety from these thousands of seeds is selected for introduction in the catalog.
We are nearing the end of the window for spring planting. I still have some Creole and Silverskin types available so if you are looking for stock to plant, contact me soon. My final ship date will be the 16th.
February
It’s been a very dry winter here in Southern Oregon. It’s not unusual for January to be dry and cold but thus far, this has been exceptionally dry. Given what’s going on in the world, there are more pressing things to foist one’s anxieties upon but drought is a concern. The mountains are barren of snow. Seldom i have i seen such clear turquoise water flowing in creek and rarely as low in winter. It was nice to get a break last year from catastrophic wildfires that now seem like an annual inevitability, but it is certain that without significant precipitation, a smoky summer is the least one can expect. If not for the mulch layer on the garlic, the soil would be dry enough that i’d have considered irrigation. The mulch also moderates the frequent occurrence of massive fluctuation between day and night temperatures.
While the pace here is slower in these months, i have been going to market with root crops, hardy brassicas (hurray for savoy cabbages which look great after temps in the teens) and storage crops. Most of the culinary garlic is holding up quite well. One winter activity is to make garlic powder. Thus far, over 115 lbs. has been dried down to around 40 lbs. I actually have spreadsheets documenting the wet/dry weights by horticultural group going back to ’09. The powders are available by the jar or in bulk. Currently i’m running batches of smoked garlic for powder. I am ruminating on what garlic varieties merit introducing this year, coming up with names, descriptions and occasionally absurd stories to go with some. The site will be updated to include new offerings. I am still sending out seed orders. Most varieties need vernalization but Silverskins, Creoles and Artichoke do not require long cold periods to do well. Check for varietal availability if you are ordering.
January
Last year the first flood was in late December and i hadn’t finished planting. While there’s been abundant precipitation in the northern part of the state, it’s been light here and it hasn’t frosted hard enough to kill off the chickweed growing in the cover crops in the field. The mild weather was conducive for planting, a process that usually takes a month from the start of clove popping to the last straw mulch. This was the smoothest planting season in recent memory thanks to both the weather and friends and neighbors who showed up for planting days.
I have seen only a single coho appear in the creek thus far and a hopeful bald eagle perching on a snag overhead. I do not take for granted having had a season without nearby wildfire, dense protracted smoke and i wouldn’t mind a winter off from multiple flood events but i am not one to predict winter weather. It’d be nice to see the return of coho and steelhead though. It’s such an amazing sight and it brings out people in this rural community, convening at spots along the creek where the fish really have to jump.
While much of the country is covered in snow, where the weather is mild, it’s not too late to plant. Particularly Silverskin, Creole and Artichoke types, as well as shallots. I still have stock of many varieties and culinary stock is available too along with varietal garlic powders. Indeed, the process of peeling, slicing and drying another hundred plus pounds of garlic has begun. Inquire if anything interests you.
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There have been numerous inquiries about the artwork on this site, most of which is by Fiona. This is but a glimpse into her outstanding repertoire. Primarily a print maker, her work can be seen here.
If you have queries, contact me. Try calling if you don’t get a quick response to email. It’s a landline so i won’t get your texts if you try to do that. If the contact form doesn’t work, just email directly to garlic@garlicana.com (i actually prefer that to the contact form) and let me know.
Please read the Contact/Order page before asking for prices, shipping information or the address.
When you send in your check, if there is neither a form nor piece of paper that includes who you are, your email and shipping address, i will neither send your order nor cash your check. Preferably there’s an order form with the varieties and quantities listed as it takes me time to search through emails to find your order on the computer.
At this point, while there is no True Garlic Seeds available, there is True Seed Progeny. Until consistent farm help can be found, there’s simply not the time to sort them out. That said, i intend to make available some small volumes of promising varieties derived from TGS that i have not necessarily named. I generally trial new accessions for several years. There are so many that it’s kind of a process of deselecting them. There are varieties that have useful traits but aren’t charismatic enough to come up with names and continually offer and yet, they are fertile and worth growing to make crosses. These accessions will be derivatives of varieties that have been pledged to OSSI, thus all offspring will necessarily remain in the public domain. If interested, inquire after harvest this summer. There is no list of these a quantities are limited to 1/4 each.
A few years ago Garlicana did an online presentation for the Culinary Breeding Network’s Winter Vegetable Sagra. There was a whole week of presentations on garlic available here.
