Harvesting the Garlic!

   The almost daily storms that have been rolling through the bayou area have put a great damper on the gardening chores.  When we have a somewhat clear day, I race around trying to harvest, rip out the old and plant the new.  It makes the chores a wee bit less enjoyable but, if I want fresh vegetables, doing them is a must.  The rain is good, though, and things are "growing like bad weeds" to quote my grandmother.  I was never quite sure which were bad weeds and which were good but knew better than to question her knowledge.  She was always spieling some adage and most made sense.   

  Today was supposed to be stormy but the weather decided that it should hold off and come in at night.  Personally, I prefer daytime storms as it is easier to make any repairs if any are suddenly needed.  The bit of "no rain" did give me the opportunity to get into the garden and do some chores that were way overdue.  One was harvesting the garlic.  I had planted the garlic almost two years ago and, with a myriad of circumstances occurring, did not get to harvest it last year.  I planted twelve cloves, at that time, thinking that should be plenty to tide me over for the year knowing how they multiply.  Well, the garlic did multiply...a lot!  Over eighty nice sized knobs were harvested! Once the knobs were pulled from the ground, brushed of loose dirt and tied in bundles, they were hung in the garden for a few hours.  Then, they found their new home for the next few weeks.  The only "dry" place to hang them was in Mark's shed.  A rack was constructed and the garlic bundles were spaced to allow air flow between them.  Mark may be in for a huge surprise when he opens the door.  With that much garlic, the place sure has a stench about it now!

  If all goes well this next week, I shall be pickling about half of the harvested knobs.  By pickling it, storage will be easier and I will not have to fret about the humidity.  The other half will be shared with friends and family.   I did save enough out to replant for fall harvesting if I can find the ground space.