Broadleaf Czech: Monticello, KY harvest 2024
I’d rather not mention the failure of this crop this year. But it is part of my learning process, so I might as well share with you what I’m discovering.
Due to wet conditions, something has infected Broadleaf Czech that is destroying the cloves. I open each bulb to salvage the huge, sound cloves before they are breached by whatever this infection is. I distribute them as quickly as possible because once removed from the stem (that flat plate that all the cloves are attached to), the cloves will not last long because they dry out more quickly.
I salvaged 6 partial bulbs by removing the infected leaves. These are very large cloves in each bulb with some cloves removed. Broadleaf Czech Partial bulb $3. Sold out.
Loose bulbs with only thin paper remaining on them (red colander below) are also available. These must be used quickly since they’ll dry out soon. Broadleaf Czech 20 loose cloves with skins $4. Sold out.
One day’s cloves from 14 bulbs in the red colander. The rest are cloves that released all their skins as I cleaned them. So for the first time, I froze some of these naked cloves in organic olive oil—a preserving method I found and saved on my Pinterest account on the Preserving garlic page. “6 Different Methods for Storing Garlic” by Epic Gardening. You’ll find many other methods of freezing and preserving garlic there on my Pinterest page. Let me know your favorite method for naked cloves.
I haven’t figured out how best to use the ‘frozen in oil’ product. I had to defrost the jar just to use a few cloves and some of the oil. Then I refroze it, though I’m not convinced that’s a good idea. So many products say “Do not refreeze.” So I’ll try another preserving method with the next batch of naked (peeled) cloves.
If you’d like to try the naked cloves frozen in organic olive oil $2 (cost of 8 oz jar and organic olive oil) and $20 for about 20 fresh cloves. You may pick up, or I can deliver frozen jars in Monticello, KY and Louisville, KY. Text 502-494-4052 to request naked (peeled) cloves frozen in organic olive oil—$22.
Broadleaf Czech peeled cloves (10+) frozen in organic olive oil. 8 oz jar $22
So the Broadleaf Czech Monticello harvest are all cleaned. I saved a 5 bulb seed braid, but, unfortunately, I doubt they will last until mid-September planting time. Unless the Louisville harvest is significantly better and uninfected from too much water, I don’t plan to plant Broadleaf Czech again. I do not plant cloves which are discolored—a sign that they are damaged by some organism or another.
Perhaps this susceptibility to damage from too much water is the reason I’ve had difficulty finding any Broadleaf Czech seed available in recent years. I purchased the original seed from Seed Savers about 5 years ago and the first few harvests yielded very large bulbs, flavorful cloves and beautiful, large braids.
This crop I planted 10/10/23 and harvested 6/15/24—8 months and 5 days in the ground—that’s 32.7 weeks. If this 2024 seed is sound until planting time, maybe I will try it once again, but I will plant later—mid to late October. I’ll cover the bed with a plastic hightower tunnel 3 weeks before harvest date so it has time to enlarge its bulbs with NO watering. And I’ll harvest earlier—maybe 3 weeks earlier. I’d rather have smaller, sound bulbs than huge bulbs that have split their outer skins and the inner skins are ruined and the cloves compromised. So I’ll aim for 29.7 weeks in the ground. Plant around 10/15/24, cover with plastic tunnel around April 20, 2025 and harvest around May 11, 2025. That’s earlier than I’ve ever harvested, so I’ll check the bulbs and be sure they are bulbing and ready to be lifted from the ground.
That’s my plan any way!! ;)