Allium, Garlic Bulb, Head of Garlic,
Garlic Clove, Elephant Garlic
What is an allium any way? Where can I get your product?
Why eat garlic, how to store garlic?
and many other questions about this wonderful aromatic root.

Where can I go to buy your produce?

We will be at Muskegon Farmers Market (link will open in a new window) on Thur and Sat from 7:00am to 2:00 pm

Season Ended, See you next year:  We will be at the Newaygo Farmers Market (link will open in a new window) on Fridays from 1:00pm to 7:00pm. This is not there website but it will get you there.

Season Ended, See you next year:  We will be at Fremont Farmers Market (link will open in a new window) on Saturdays from 8:00am to 1:00pm

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__ What is the garlic I see in the grocery store?
Most grocery store garlic is a softneck variety of garlic because they have good marketing properties; they tend to grow large, store relatively long, and have lots of cloves.  Historically these have been the basic California Early or California Late, but since eighty percent of the worlds garlic now comes from China I am not sure of the variety in the grocery stores.
Please check out the following: 

When facing a basket full of garlic bulbs, how do I know which ones to choose?
The easiest ways to choose a good head of garlic is by picking it up and gently wrap your entire hand around the bulb then give it a little squeeze.  It should be firm all around the head.  Look to see if any of the cloves in the head are dented or mushy.  The coloring of the skins may vary depending on the variety and sometimes the skins will be stained from the soil, but the head is still good as long as it is firm.

click to enlarge, Seed Left VS Food Right

_What is seed garlic vs food garlic?
Food garlic is the smaller garlic bulbs that do not make our seed planting stock standards.  These small garlic bulbs are the exact same naturally grown garlic varieties of our seed garlic.  These are the garlic bulbs that we eat and they are available to you!  Our naturally grown food garlic is the perfect ingredient to add to your favorite recipes. See garlic recipe page for garlic recipe ideas.

What is garlic?
Garlic is a bulbous plant of the genus Allium, which includes leeks, shallots and onions. The most commonly used garlic is Allium Sativum.

What is an Allium?
    Scientifically speaking, it is a member of the Allium genus of pungent, bulbous herbs, informally known as the onion family.  They used to be classified as part of the Lilliaceae (Lily) family but today they are most often classified as Alliaceae.  The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic
    A typical attribute of alliums is their bulbous nature.  This is evident in some of the most well-known edible alliums:  Garlic, Onions, Leeks, Shallot.  Some onion-like herbs such as chives are also alliums.

Since Elephant Garlic is larger then most garlic, does it have a larger more intense flavor too?
     Imposter!  Elephant garlic is not true garlic; it is a leek.  All garlic species are botanically classified as Allium Sativum and elephant garlic is Allium Ampeloprasum, formerly Allium Gigantum.
     It may look like an enormous head of garlic but in fact it’s a leek.  For those that like a milder garlic, it has a very mild garlic flavor and a texture that's more like a potato.

What's the difference between a head of garlic, a garlic bulb and a clove of garlic?
The entire bulbous root vegetable is a garlic bulb or head of garlic.  Within each bulb of garlic there are individual cloves.  Depending on the variety of garlic, there may be anywhere between 4 and 20 cloves of garlic in a head of garlic.

How should I store garlic? 
Should I store garlic in the refrigerator?
Never refrigerate garlic.  Garlic is a hardy bulb, similar to a daffodil, which utilizes the winter cold to start the growth cycle.  Refrigeration will encourage the garlic bulb to sprout.  Store garlic unpeeled and uncovered in a cool, dark place.  Garlic can be stored in a garlic keeper or a wire mesh basket.  You can also use a paper bag, egg carton, or mesh bag – just make sure your garlic has plenty of air circulation and is not exposed to direct sunlight.

When are Garlic Scapes available?
The season for garlic scapes is very short; they emerge from hardnecked varieties of garlic in late May and can be harvested through the middle of June.

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