They tend to keep very well, and they're certainly easy to peel. I suspect certain varieties provide rounds more reliably than others, but you can do it with any of them.

Note that I don't know the specific climate of the mountains of Yunnan, but it's far enough south (south of Szechuan province) that the garlic may grow slowly all winter; I know that my garlic starts to divide in March or April here, and the timing may be similar.

--Alison

Winemaker, I am not familiar with anything like you are describing, but we are not that far from the Alabama line, so I'll check with other growers and see if they may know.

Sounds like some type of Leek more in teh E garlic familly. Interesting, would love to try that myself.

Wartog

Ken, I am not sure about that 40/40 rule either. Sounds good, but as you noted, doesn't take in to consideration the variety or size of the clove.( Maybe there was more to it...someone had attended the PA Roundtable of the Garlic Seed Foundation and posted the highlights...
Patty, and Ron :-)

Q. What are garlic onions?
A. When gardeners plant garlic cloves which the following year produce a single-clove plant, the single clove which resembles an onion but tastes like garlic, is often referred to as a garlic onion. This phenomenon results from planting an immature garlic clove. If the garlic onion is planted the following fall, it will produce a normal multi-cloved garlic.

My plant has very long strap-like leaves, it has not bloomed nor does it have a scape as the other garlic has put on. The stalk from the ground up is 2-3 inches in diameter and about 40 inches tall. It now has a small one growing near its base.

It grew all winter, did not pay any attention to freezes.

In another post, I was told it sounds like Elephant Garlic. But in the photos of elephant garlic online, do not appear to have nearly as large a stalk as my plant.

Sure would like to know what it is and if it is edible before we harvest it.

When do I harvest it and any suggestions on how to prepare the leak like part? I'm in West Texas in zone 7.

Thanks for the help!
Peggy

I'm taking the larkspurs out to harvest the seeds so it will be more visible. Larkspurs were so pretty this year, some 5 feet or taller.

I will leave it and see if it multiplies and I would be happy to share.

Peg, what became of your plant? Did it multiply? was it the one discussed here?

Mark

I want to try other garlic, just have gotten around to it. Been busy covering up lawn with lasagna beds and growing tomatoes this year for the first time...lots of tomato plants and many tomatoes to share with the neighbors. Been making spaghetti sauce with our home grown tomatoes, home grown basil and home grown garlic. Next year I hope to add home grown onions to that list.

Peggy

By the way, why does the west revere largeness of garlic cloves? They are so spongy and so much less tasty than our asian varieties which might be tiny and a nuisance to peel - but boy, the impact o the flavour is like nothing you will ever find in the UK supermarkets. My annual supply from Burma stay tasty all year even if they are a bit less juicy after 12 months in my cupboard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_ampeloprasum

Looks like it's a leek AND it's garlic!

From Floridata:

"The species, Allium ampeloprasum, is divided into three horticultural groups: The Porrum Group includes the leeks, grown for their stems; the Ampeloprasum Group includes elephant garlic and levant garlic, grown for their large, mild garlic-like bulbs; and the Kurrat Group includes kurrat, a small plant grown for its leaves and rarely seen outside Egypt and the Middle East."

Michael said he has/imports this garlic all year round!! (and that We are unfortunately unable to grow this strain in Australia for apparent legal reasons??)

Good luck everyone & have a wonderfilled Christmas.
Jayme
Australia

Lifeng Gao

China

If you let your garlics to grow scapes(most may not do), they will eventually grow bulbits.
Now if you plant those bulbits you will get the so-called onion garlics.
It is also my understanding that elephant garlic does that more than regular.
But then, elephant garlic does not have garlic flavor and will not give you garlic breath even if you eat them raw.

MY EXPERIENCE SO FAR.
My hardnecks (store bought and planted) grew bulbits on their stem, about 4" from the bulbs. No other soft necks with white wrapper did that.
So here is my plan to experiment: Plant those bulbits this fall and see if I will get onion garlics next year.

P.S. I have read all the info, as I stated, right here On GW, in another thread not too long ago.

cyrus

So, the single-clove garlic is a commonly-grown veg. at least in the Playa del Carmen area of Mexico. Presumably, it could easily be made available in the US through a distributor.

If interested, it looks like the Pepin-Bayless show will be re-broadcast (see link, and scroll down to July 10, 2010).

Hope this is helpful....

I bought my home 4 years ago, and the previous owner was one amazing gardener. I have one bed that has some of these odd things that I think may be what you're talking about. They have stems like leeks. I dug these small onion-like things in the bed a couple of years ago, cut into one, and oops, it smelled like garlic and had no rings. Not knowing what it was, I didn't want to try eating it.

Right now, something like this is growing in the same bed. Looks like a leek, has an allium-like flower head in bud, but the leaves do not smell like anything. Could it be that this is actually an allium?

I have never grown garlic or onions or anything else before, sticking mostly to tomatoes, lettuce and basil. If anyone can offer advice on how to approach this plant, let me know. I don't want to dig today, because it's been raining hard, but if you counsel me to dig it up, and what to look for, let me know.