Garlic is just garlic right? When you go to the store or read a recipe there is hardly ever mention of the type of garlic to use or what kind of garlic is on the shelf. Once in a while the term elephant garlic is thrown around, which isn’t garlic at all but a member of the leek family. Actually, I can’t recall a recipe that I’ve ever read that specified what type of garlic to use. As a chef, we used whole peeled garlic that came in 5-pound plastic containers that most likely originated in China.

The garlic that we sourced in the restaurant is the same garlic on your grocery store shelf. It’s a soft neck variety, usually a silver skin or artichoke strain. The soft necks have dominated the commercial garlic market in the United States. Farmers here like to grow soft necks for a few reasons: one – they don’t produce scapes, the tender flower stalk that grow bulbils, tiny garlic seeds. Scapes take energy from the bulb and need to be removed which requires labor and specialized equipment. This labor and specialized equipment cost money, a scarce resource for a farmer (if you want to learn more about scapes, read our previous blog here); two – Soft neck varieties are harvested earlier than other varieties, so they spend less time in the field. Less time in the field equals less money; three – soft necks have many more wrappers which protects the bulb from damage and increases shelf life. The longer shelf life gives farmers more of a chance to sell the bulbs over the year.

Softneck garlic and lavender braid hanging to dry at Squared Roots Farm.

At this point you’re probably thinking soft necks have a lot going for them. What’s the problem? Soft necks are great but there is a whole world of garlic out there that the vast majority of cooks never get their hands on. Let’s compare garlic to another well known favorite - the tomato. Soft neck garlic is kind of like the Roma tomato of the tomato world. They are great and they have their place. The Roma tomato flesh is thick which gives them a long shelf life. They are an indeterminate variety and they vine out to produce tomatoes for a longer period of time and their low water/high flesh content make them a superior canning tomato. But let’s be honest, is a Roma tomato going to win a taste test? Probably not. You’re going to want that juicy heirloom tomato like a Black Krim or Purple Cherokee. That is where the flavor is. Or if you are making a salad, you may prefer a cherry tomato. Or for a BLT, a nice juicy red beefsteak tomato may be in order.

I think you may be starting to get my point. This whole time we have been eating the Roma tomato of the garlic world, thinking that is all there is. When in reality there are hundreds of different strains of garlic from all over the world, all with their own unique characteristics, flavor, and arguably, preferred method of preparation. Just like corn, peas, beans, and peppers, garlic can range vastly in its characteristics. Here at Squared Roots Farm we grow both softneck and hardneck varieties. By the way, don’t get me wrong, we love our softneck strains, for all the reasons I mentioned earlier, but also because they are great for braiding and do have great flavors. But, we really love our hardneck varieties. They are the Black Krims and Purple Cherokees of the garlic world with an array of flavors from mild to hot and sweet to savory that tantalize the tongue. These are the garlics out there winning taste test. There are currently believed to be ten garlic families comprising both hardnecks and softnecks. Squared Roots Farm raises five different hardneck garlic families including strains from the Porcelain, Rocambole, Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe, and Turban families. For softnecks we stick to the Artichoke family. As you may suspect by now, each of these garlic families have their own unique qualities and we are finding ways to accentuate those in the kitchen.

Purple Stripe (hardneck) – Chesnok

It is hard to pick out a favorite garlic strain, but this one is up there. Purple Stripes are absolutely stunning to look at and tend to have bright purple bulb wrapping with easy to peel cloves. Purple Stripes are the perfect garlic to roast. Once baked, these beauties are sweet and nutty and go great with a warm loaf of sourdough. Damn I’m getting hungry. Check out our roasted garlic recipe here.

Rocambole (hardneck) – Spanish Roja, Killarny Red, Carpathian, Island Rocambole

Rocamboles are considered to be the best tasting garlic by many garlic aficionados. Ironically, it is also the most challenging garlic to grow and to keep. They have a loose wrapper which demands care during harvest and curing and which also shortens their shelf life. The season is short and in high demand when ripe. If we just grew garlic for the size and shape of the bulb, rocamboles would be out but flavor is paramount and where these stinky bulbs lack in beauty, they make up in flavor. They are famous for their deeper more interesting “true” garlic flavor and tend to pick up soil characteristics much like a fine wine. Their flavor is sweet, rich, and complex. We prefer to enjoy rocamboles raw so we can taste all the complexities of the clove. Our favorite preparation is too smear a clove on a textured garlic plate, soak in extra virgin olive oil and lap up with bread. They are also excellent in vinaigrettes and will add a richness leaving your dinner guest wondering what exactly was in that salad dressing.

Rocambole garlic and olive oil on a textured ceramic garlic plate

Marbled Purple Stripe (hardneck) – Russian Red, Metechi

We love our Marbled Purple Stripe for a few reasons, they typically have 6-8 large cloves per bulb which makes peeling and chopping a breeze, they are our go to for a dish demanding a hotter garlic, and their beauty is striking. I have to give a shout out to the Canadians here because the large commercial garlic farms north of the border only grow a Marbled Purple Stripe called Russian Red, a fabulous choice. These bulbs are always a pleasure to work with and when you want to add a kick to your Asian stir fry or some pizzazz to your Italian tomato sauce, Marbled Purple Stripe is a go-to. Their hot flavor holds up well when cooked and large cloves make them a breeze in the kitchen.

Porcelain (hardneck) – German White, Majestic, Music, Romain Red, Montana Zemo

The porcelain variety, in my humble opinion, is the classic chef’s garlic. They tend to be gigantic bulbs, sometimes mistaken for elephant garlic, with 6-8 uniform easy to peel cloves. Porcelain varieties are a pleasure to grow as well. They are super hearty in the field and grow tall upright leaves that make you look like Martha Stewart in the garden. Porcelains have a strong garlic taste that holds up well when cooked. When you are working on that one special dish that call for 2 cloves of garlic but you decided to put in 20 instead, porcelains can get the job done with out too much fuss. We love cooking with 1/3-pound bulbs, just because!

Porcelains in the field at Squared Roots Farm

Turban (hardneck) – Blossom

We brought Turbans onto the farm last year and we are still getting to know these delicate alliums. They are the first to mature each year and offer a fresh taste of garlic after a couple of months of picking through what’s left of last year’s harvest. Turbans hail from southeast Asia, are hot raw but simmer down when cooked. I’ve been eating this one fresh out of the field with soil still clinging to it. We are hoping to offer a Turban variety in our Garlic Club next year as an early option.

So next time you read a recipe that calls for garlic, you may have a little better idea of which type garlic to reach for. Keep us posted on some of your favorite garlic recipes. If you are ready to try some different garlic strains, you can join our Garlic of the Month Club. Members receive one pound from a different garlic family each month while in season.

Garlic from the 2020 harvest curing in the barn at Squared Roots Farm

Cooking with Garlic - Taking it to the Next Level