by Paula D.
on July 31, 2020 12:13 pm in Gardening

If you’ve been reading along, you know that I harvested my first batch of garlic two weeks ago but was a little unsure if it was the right time. This is the case with many root crops and it’s a trial and error learning process.
I decided I’d harvest a few at a time for the next several weeks. This would allow me to gauge and record sizing and ripeness based on timing. Over the 4th of July weekend, I collected two more bulbs, carefully from under the soil. They were bigger than the first batch!! So I think I may have been a little early in starting. Removing the scapes was significant. The energy to grow the scape and flower drain from the bulb. Removing them encourages more growth.
Speaking of scapes, I’ve used them in a few meals last week and it worked wonderfully. The flavor is similar to garlic. Just remember if you want pungency, use more scapes. I was talking with a friend on the porch and she mentioned garlic scape pesto. The stem of the scape can be a bit tough. Using a food processor to break them down for making pesto or other spreads works well.
For long-term storage and use, garlic needs to be cured. I didn’t cure correctly for the first 3 I pulled last week. I can tell because a few dark spots, probably mold, appeared on the garlic “wapper”. I”ve removed those parts so I can still cook with those this week. With this second batch, I need to be more careful. The problem is I don’t have a cool place in the house. We only have AC in the bedroom so the conditions have been a challenge.
According to theslpruc.com this is the best way to cure garlic:
Start by brushing off any soil remnants clinging to the bulbs. Do not wash them off or get the bulbs wet. Leave the stalks and roots on the bulbs while they cure. Tie bundles of stems together with twine, and hang bulb-side down in a cool, dark space, like a basement.
Allow the bulbs to cure for three to four weeks. Keep out of sunlight, as it can change the flavor of fresh garlic. Also note: Light and moisture are garlic’s worst enemies, as they both cause mold to grow. Once the tops and roots have dried, cut them off and clean the garlic by removing the outer papery skin. Be careful not to expose any of the cloves.
And to store:
Keep your garlic in a dark, cool place (32 to 40 degrees) where it will still get some air circulation. Braiding and hanging garlic is a good way to store it. You can also store garlic in a mesh bag. Check periodically to make sure the garlic is not going soft or sprouting.
In total I only have about 10 bulbs. The only interest in curing I have is to keep two bulbs for next year’s planting. I have a few more tries to get this process right and I’ll keep you posted on it!
If you missed the first article on garlic harvesting, find it here.
Follow me for the day-to-day on IG @theglorifiedtomato
Previously published in The Wave.

Besides humans, what else takes nine months to grow?
The answer – garlic.
In late October I planted garlic for the first time with guidance from my neighbor Diane. We’re both members of the Beach 91st Street Community Garden and that’s where I planted my first crop. In April, I saw sprouts and I’ve been anticipating and monitoring ever since.
I planted the hardneck variety. Unlike most vegetables, garlic’s season is the opposite – plant in the fall, harvest in the summer. Garlic needs a long period of cold winter temperatures to encourage the seed to divide and grow into separate cloves which then forms a head of garlic. I learned this process is called vernalization. Garlic is triggered to bulb when the day length increases. How does it know the days are getting longer? So fascinating.
Two weeks ago, close to my “due date”, I started to binge-watch garlic harvesting videos on Youtube. I learned a lot but I’m still a little confused on best practices.
This is what I’ve concluded so far:
- Once scapes form, the plant needs 3-4 more weeks, then harvest. Cut off the scapes so the energy goes to growing the bulb and not the flower.
- Pre-check – carefully dig around the bulb with your fingers. If the bulb looks very small, cover it back up with soil. If it looks substantial and has some “paper wrapping” it’s ready. To harvest, carefully dig around the bulb with your fingers or a trowel, slowly and carefully loosen the roots and pull up.
- Harvest when ⅓ of the leaves are brown. These leaves are actually the natural “paper” covering your familiar seeing, that wrap garlic.

Many factors determine the time in which garlic is ready for harvest – the temperature that season, rainfall, soil, and garden zone. I thought I was ready to harvest last weekend but upon closer inspection, I wasn’t sure. It’s all about the leaves. Two or three on each plant died back completely but others had brown tips. Does that count? To further confuse things, I’ve had scapes for about two weeks.

My friend Kristi happened to be in the garden and we were discussing, “to harvest or not to harvest”. She suggested conducting an experiment – harvest some now, some in another week, and the rest of the crop in 3 weeks. Kristi reminded me to take photos, so I can compare and contrast the growth from each micro-harvest. And then I’ll have that documentation for next year. Great advice and that’s what I ended up doing!
The two I harvested looked on the small side but then again it’s homegrown. We’re used to seeding bulbs from the supermarket, most times imported from China, not organic and pumped up with fertilizers – like garlic on steroids. So who knows, only my experiment will shed more light on this matter. Next week I’ll pull out two more and document the size. It’s all a learning process and I’m willing to put in the effort.
There’s a whole curing process that I’ll need to figure out next, to be continued…
For more of the back story, find my column on planting garlic from last October here. And for the day to day follow Paula on IG @theglorifiedtomato
by Paula D.
on June 23, 2020 8:36 am in Food

I’m obsessed with Queer Eye. I’ve binged-watched the new season already and I’m bummed I have to wait so long for more. My husband tolerated it, but would remark here and there when he saw me watching the show in bed, tearing up with a glass of wine in hand. “… but Matt, The Fab 5 are changing people’s lives!!”
If you’re unfamiliar with the re-make Netflix show:
“The style experts on Queer Eye forge relationships with men and women who often have different beliefs from them, leading to moments of social commentary interspersed with style advice. Advising people in need of lifestyle makeovers are food and wine specialist Antoni Porowski, interior designer Bobby Berk, grooming consultant Jonathan Van Ness, fashion designer Tan France and culture expert Karamo Brown”.*
In Episode 5, the guys head to the Jersey Shore to makeover Ryan Dyer, AKA, DJ High Def. His internal struggle to continue with his Jersey DJ career or to conform to the norm is why his family nominated him for the show.

In the cooking segment of the episode, Antoni teaches Ryan how to make a simple, well-rounded Italian meal that he can share with his family or to impress a date. “Cooking is sexy”. Antoni explains. “The amount of effort Ryans put into GTL-ing**, means there’s no reason he can’t put that same energy and care into cooking.” Umm… yes Antoni!

What caught my attention about Antoni’s Pesto Chicken Salad, was the pickled grape ingredient. I’ve never heard of it and I wanted to give it a try. While grapes and pasta are both Italian staples, I’d never think to combine the two.
I amended the recipe, omitting the chicken to make it a vegetarian dish. I also used my own pesto recipe which can be found here.
Herbaceous Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
For the pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
½ lemon squeezed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Meal:
1 pound fresh pasta
3 handfuls of baby arugula
1 cup red grapes
½ cup red wine vinegar
Pecorino Romano to taste
Directions:
Step 1: Mix all the pesto ingredients in a food processor except the olive oil, salt and pepper. Once roughly chopped, slowly add the olive oil, then salt and pepper to taste.
Step 2: Add halved red grapes into red wine vinegar for a quick pickle effect.
Step 3 (if you’re including chicken): season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper then fry whole in a pan with some olive oil for about 8 to 12 minutes on medium. Flip the chicken occasionally. Cool and slice into chunks.
Step 4: Cook the fresh pasta according to instructions. Usually only needs 5 minutes in the water. Strain and add to a mixing bowl with the pesto, pickled grapes and baby arugula. Top with some grated cheese.
The verdict… easy, unique and delicious! In total it took about an hour from start to finish. If you make pesto in advance, as I do with my August basil harvest, the recipe would only take about 25 minutes to prepare. The overall aesthetic is so pro. The pickled grapes adds a zing and sweetness that works very well with the nutty flavor of the pesto. And the arugula gives just the right amount of bitterness and lightens up the meal. Fresh greens, herbs and grapes makes this a perfect summertime meal.
Antoni you are my hero!
For the day-to-day on instagram @theglorifiedtomato
*Source: google sidebar
** Gym, Tanning, Laundry.
I was in the front garden and noticed the marigolds I planted in my cement pots had severe damage. At a closer glance, I saw pill bugs everywhere. You may know them as roly-poly bugs or potato bugs from when you were a kid.
I found it strange because marigolds are considered an insect repellent and planted in vegetable gardens to detract pests. The pill bug is not a picky eater apparently and the pungent flavor of this beautiful annual doesn’t detract this garden pest. Upon some research, I learned if nourishment is scarce, pill bugs will eat their own excrement. So, a marigold must be like a plate of eggplant parmesan to me.

Damaged marigold
As I’m loudly complaining about the decimation of my flowers, my neighbor Eric walks by. He says “Do you know those bugs are related to horseshoe crabs?” “Wow, so interesting” I thought. These are the kinds of things about gardening that really fascinated me. I had to look this up.
Eric was right, Pill bugs are in the arthropod phylum (which includes spiders, insects, and crabs). They are crustaceans, descended from trilobites, and directly related to horseshoe crabs. Like their ocean counterparts, pill bugs have blue blood and they molt. These arthropods need to live in a moist environment. And most interesting of all– they breathe through gill-like lungs on the outside of their body. If they’re outside of a moist environment (in a planter, under stones, a piece of wood on the forest floor, etc.) they will quickly suffocate.*
In other garden news…
My hanging baskets I wrote about a few weeks back are doing pretty well. The petunias have grown since. The sedum and stone crop has been a little more challenging to keep alive. Since I placed those plants throughout the metal basket frame, I need to water them with a spray bottle. Despite them being drought tolerant, it’s been a little tedious. Some areas have died back but not all. I know this would be a lot of work and I’m still committed!

It’s lily season. My stella de oro daylilies are in bloom and just in time for some needed color to contrast the purple Walker’s Low overgrowthing [sic] in the garden. Remember – deadhead daylilies when the flower shrivels back- usually within one day of bloom, as their name reminds us. By deadheading throughout the season you will ensure the flowers are constant.

Lastly, I found what I believe is pokeweed, poking out of a crack in the cement in my backyard. It looks cool, very “urban garden”. I want to keep it but I wasn’t sure if it would damage the foundation of the house. I took to the Google-verse and read on Wikipedia that it has a long tap root. It’s not a weed, it’s a perennial plant that can grow up to 8ft tall. Probably not good for the foundation, ugh. More concerning, all parts of pokeweed are toxic to humans and pets. But then I read that its berries are food for many birds and small animals. I think the cons are weighing out the pros and I’ll have to remove it. ‘Tis the life of a gardener.
For more on gardening in Rockaway, follow me on IG: @theglorifiedtomato
Previously published in rockawave.com