Hardneck vs. Softneck Garlic

Garlic generally falls into two categories: hardneck and softneck. Softneck garlic is named for its soft stem, which produces between 6 to 18 cloves in several layers. They have a long shelf life and include “silverskin” (the common kind you’d find in food stores).

Hardneck garlic (Allium sativum ssp. ophioscorodon) produces heads with 5 to 10 large cloves that grow in a single circle around a central woody stem. Their flavors range from mild to strong and spicy. They are very cold tolerant but they have a short shelf life once you harvest them.

Hardneck garlic also produces a stiff flowering stalk, called a scape, topped with bulbils (tiny bulbs) instead of seeds. The scapes are often sold at farmers’ markets in early summer. Chopped and thrown into a stir-fry dish, they are not as pungent as garlic cloves but add a hint of the flavor and aroma. We also puree the scapes for pesto and use them on pasta. I cut off the scapes when the stalks are about a foot tall in late spring.

Some growers separate hardneck garlic into additional types called rocambole, porcelain and purple stripe, Creole, Asiatic and turban, names based on the color of their papery wrappers and their flavor. Although you only get a few cloves per head with the hardnecks, the cloves tend to be a lot larger than those of softnecks.

Harvesting

After I plant the cloves this fall, they’ll send up a few leaves while they send down the first roots. The first hard freeze usually kills the young leaves but they’ll reappear about March or April. By summer, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall over, a sign the garlic is dry and ready for harvest. In the Chicago area, harvest time is usually in July.

I use a spading fork to loosen the soil around the outer edge of the rows. If you try pulling the bulbs out of the ground instead of digging them out, the leaves will break off. (I’ve done that and it’s not fun.) I shake off the soil and dry the heads on newspaper before storing them. I also save some of the largest cloves for replanting again in the fall.

Storing

When garlic is first harvested, the cloves are moist and have a mild flavor. But with time, the cloves become dry, their flavor intensifies to a spicy-peppery zing, and they send up a green shoot that can be very bitter, especially when raw. When that happens, cut the cloves in half and remove the green shoot. Don’t refrigerate garlic, but do store it in a cool area where there is some air circulation. A kitchen countertop is likely a better choice than inside a cabinet or pantry.