It’s muddy
I like to take pictures of the satiny garlic cloves after they’ve been cured and cleaned (example here). Today I decided to take pictures of an earlier phase. It’s been wet here, but the garlic leaves had yellowed and it needed to be harvested. Maybe I should have waited, but no, today was the day.
Some people make neat braids with the stalks. Then it’s possible to hang the bulbs from the rafters for curing. I’ve never gotten the hang of that braiding. Some years I keep the bulb on the stalk while drying. That’s probably a better approach. This year I just wanted to get rid of the stalks. They were messy and dirty and long and some were rotting. So I cut all the bulbs off. When the roots dry, I’ll brush more dirt off and trim the long roots.
The garden looks lush in the mist. The peas are yellowing and need to come down. The zucchini’s just getting started. No cucumbers or tomatoes yet, but they’re coming.
I feel low-energy. Maybe it’s the rain.
Well, now that you mentioned the braiding…I can’t help but think of the many creative women (not me) who would braid, cord weave and make into paper ???? There is such a life to the spent stalks.
Your garden is so vibrant and inviting.
The stalk is too stiff to manipulate by hand, but the leaves might be made into something? I’ve used iris leaves before, they work well for cordage.
dank … that’s the word that comes to mind … so yes, I totally get your wanting to get the garlic out of the ground and cleaned up
the zucchini looks amazing
Yes, dank. Sam made a drying contraption out of a large cardboard box, fencing, and a fan that will help a lot.