What is it?

We grow a type of hardneck garlic called Chesnok Red. The term hardneck refers to the “hard” flower stalk that is in the center of the bulb, with the cloves growing around it. Garlic grows underground in the form of a bulb. In the spring and early summer, the white and light green parts of the stalk are also edible and mildly garlic flavored. This is called green garlic. Look for the thickest stalks, grip them firmly low down near the soil level, and pull straight up.

FOR THE 2026 SEASON, THE GARLIC BECAME FULLY MATURE AND TO PERSERVE ITS QUALITY WAS ALL HARVESTED FROM THE GROUND, CURED, CLEANED, AND IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE CHECKOUT.

Garlic has been used for thousands of years to both treat and prevent illness. It can boost immunity, improve cardiovascular health, and has been shown to reduce blood pressure and lower “bad” cholesterol.

How do I clean and store it?

For green garlic wash the whole stalk and gently remove all dirt. Trim off the tough dark green leaves and discard or save for stock. Trim off the roots. Store stalks in the fridge in a reusable silicone bag or container with a lid. To use, dice the entire stalk; near the bottom, where the cloves are forming, the flavor will be stronger.

THE 2026 GARLIC CROP HAS BEEN CLEANED AND CURED AND IS AVAILABLE FOR YOU AT CHECKOUT. STORE AND USE THE GARLIC BULBS AS YOU WOULD NORMALLY.

How do I cook it?

You can use green garlic anywhere you would use regular mature garlic cloves. Green garlic is a seasonal delicacy and benefits from very little fussing over.

• Green Garlic Soup from Chez Panisse

• Meg’s way: melt a pat of butter in a nonstick skillet and sauté a couple tablespoons of green garlic until softened. Whip up a couple of eggs with salt and pepper, add them to the pan, and scramble until juuuust set.

“Oh no, we picked 47 green garlics”:

Do not wash or cut them; simply lay them out to cure in a dry, well ventilated place like a covered porch or in the garage with a fan on them for 1-2 weeks, until the leaves have tightened into the paper around the cloves. At that point you can remove the tops and bring indoors.

If you would like to braid them, withing 1-2 days after you get them home, after the tops have wilted, but not fully dried, take a pointed pare of scissors or knife and make a small vertical cut in the stalk just above the bulb. Then find the “hard” flower stalk in the middle and cut it off, not damaging the surrounding leaves. The flower stalk will then slide out the top center of the leaves. After this step you can braid the garlic tops just as you would any “softneck” garlic. The trick is to just let the tops wilt but not get dry and crunchy. Timing is very important to get a good braid. If you wait too long to braid them, you can still tie a string around several stalks with the bulbs on and display them that way.