Gardening
Grow Garlic this Fall for Flavorful Meals and Health Benefits
Plant garlic cloves in fall about six weeks before the ground freezes in cold climates and early winter in warmer regions.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Melinda Myers, LLC
Add a bit of flavor and health benefits to your main course with some homegrown garlic. This vegetable has been used for thousands of years as both food and medicine. Today it is credited with fighting heart disease, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and boosting the immune system while fighting cancer.
Grow garlic in a well-drained soil and full sun. Plant cloves in fall about six weeks before the ground freezes in cold climates and early winter in warmer regions. Garlic needs 6 to 8 weeks of cool temperatures below 40 degrees for the shoot and bulb to develop. The leaves will form during cool, short days then slows as bulb growth begins when the days are warmer and longer.
Plant individual cloves with the pointed side up and the base of the clove 2 to 3 inches below the soil surface. Space cloves 6 inches apart in rows 12 to 14 inches apart or more depending on the variety.
Mulch the soil with weed-free straw after the ground freezes in regions with cold winters. This provides added insulation and helps prevent frost heaving that occurs when temperatures fluctuate, causing soil to alternately freeze, thaw and shift throughout the winter.
Water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil evenly moist during active growth. Inconsistent moisture during the growing season results in misshapen bulbs. Mulch the soil with shredded leaves, evergreen needles, or other organic matter to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and improve the soil as it decomposes.
Double your garlic harvest by using the curly Q stems, called scapes, in cooking and flower arrangements. Watch for these curled stems about a month after the spring leaves appear.
Remove the scape soon after the swollen part appears at the tip of the stem. Cut or break the scape off just below the swollen area. All parts are edible and can be used fresh or cooked just like garlic. You will not only enjoy the mild flavor but removing the scapes helps increase the size of the garlic bulbs.
Harvest garlic when about one third, but less than one half of the leaves turn brown. Start by digging one plant and checking the garlic for maturity. Cloves should be plump and fill the skin. Immature garlic does not store well while over-mature bulbs are subject to disease.
Cure garlic for 3 to 4 weeks in a warm, well-ventilated location. Once dried, remove the tops and store in a cool, moderately humid location with good air circulation and out of direct sunlight. Properly harvested and cured garlic will last for up to 8 months.
So, plant some garlic this fall and add flavor and health benefits to your meals.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Selling Estate Contents During the Pandemic
The pandemic has affected all of us in some way, and non-profits are no exception. The Worcester Historical Museum recently reopened with social distancing guidelines in place. The Worcester Art Museum is scheduled to reopen this week. Cancelled events due to COVID-19 decreased revenue at these larger non-profits. Smaller non-profits typically have fewer grants and have likely suffered larger setbacks due to COVID-19. With the inability conduct in-person meetings, members of smaller non-profits have not been able to share the camaraderie with those who hold similar interests.
One local non-profit group is learning how to adapt during these unprecedented times. The Townsend Historical Society recently approached me about appraising items virtually. I had appraised items at a live appraisal event for them in Townsend in 2017. I enjoy the interaction with the public at these events and look forward to having that interaction soon, even if it’s through a screen.
The event will take place via Zoom during the Townsend Historical Society’s “Virtually Vintage: A Live, Online Antique Appraisal Event” on October 10th from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. You can buy tickets to get your items appraised on their website: townsendhistoricalsociety.org. Appraisals are $10 each or 3 items for $25. After you purchase your ticket(s), you can either send photos of your items and any history that you have or bring them in person to Townsend on the day of the event. Ticket holders will be able to watch the entire event or just sign in when it is time to have their items appraised.
I have been working closely with Taber Morrell, the Site Administrator for the Townsend Historical Society, to prepare for the event. In an email interview, he said that the Site Administrator is responsible for the “Reed Homestead where [they] do most of [their] tours and programs, and where [their] records and artifact collections are stored.” Morrell also said: “the position extends to other historic buildings we care for as well, a 19th century grist mill, cooperage, church, and some monuments throughout town.”
Mr. Morrell provided me with some additional information on the organization and event. The group has close to 300 members who are “really active with the Historical Society and its programs.” He informed me that the “appraisal held in 2017 along with our Arts and Crafts Fair are absolutely the most talked about events.” Unfortunately, the fair had to be canceled this year, but the organization has been working hard to make many other events accessible virtually. Mr. Morrell said that the Townsend Historical Society has run a “virtual open house, an online presentation about the history of tourism in New England, and [they are] even working on a web-based cemetery tour for October.” He informed me that “members have been craving another edition of the antique appraisal [held with me] in 2017” and they hoped to “create a virtual version we could make a lot of people really happy.” I look forward to utilizing modern technology to help online attendees learn more about their historical artifacts. I hope to see some regular readers of this column through my screen.
In addition to the virtual appraisal with the Townsend Historical Society, we also have other exciting events coming up this month. We will be holding an estate sale in Stoneham, MA on October 17th, following COVID-19 safety guidelines. Bidding will end on October 28th for our online coin auction. We are still accepting quality consignments for our multi-estate online antiques and collectibles auction ending on November 11th.
Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique Auctions, Estate Sales and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com