A False Spring Brings True Opportunity

I can recall many a false spring such as the one that's currently trying to seduce us with its warm temperatures and drying soils and the hills and valleys cautiously greening. I'm not falling for it. Surely the weather will return to cold and wet and gloomy before furious summer arrives. Until then, there's a little something we can do in the garden to keep our hands busy and take advantage of this winter's gift. 

The surface of the soil may look and feel somewhat dry, but underneath it can still be wet and gummy. Probe around. If you can crumble the top several inches of the soil, you can work with it. There are places in my garden where the soil is workable and others where it's not. If you find a sunny spot with workable soil that you have no other plans for, plant some garlic. 

I use a lot of garlic in the kitchen and each year I go through several of those five-pound bags you can buy at Costco. Sometimes the garlic starts to sprout before I use it all. Eventually, the sprouted cloves will become useless for cooking so I use them for planting, not with the intention of harvesting bulbs in mid-summer, but for leafy spring garlic. Of course, you don't have to wait for your garlic stash to sprout. You can plant even when the cloves are still firm and whole. 

Here's how to do it: loosen the soil about three inches deep and add about an inch of compost and a handful of organic fertilizer. Then smooth the area. Take several garlic bulbs and break them into cloves. (This is also a good way to use up those annoyingly small cloves that are just too small to deal with in the kitchen.) Sink each clove into the soil until its point is just above the surface, spacing them about two inches apart in all directions. At that spacing, two square feet can yield as many as 72 plants. If you have it, mulch with a bit more compost. Water them gently and wait. 

It may be several weeks until they show signs of growth. Keep them watered and weeded and in April or May you'll begin harvesting bunches of green garlic to use in soups, with pasta, or anywhere you might use leeks. You could leave a few in the ground to bulb up but, because these are generic store-bought garlic, prepare to be disappointed. If you want decent-sized bulbs, it's far better to buy seed garlic from a seed house. 

Repeat as necessary throughout the year for a steady supply. 

Joe's Tranquil Tip of the Week: Everywhere I look, trees are bright with citrus. It's prime time for Meyer lemons. As I always say, “When life gives you lemons, add garlic and parsley and make gremolata.” It's traditional to sprinkle some on osso buco, but I find it can add a final grace note to just about every wintry dish but oatmeal. 

Start with about 4 tablespoons of chopped Italian parsley. Add a tablespoon of grated lemon rind and a tablespoon of chopped garlic. Vary proportions according to taste. You can add grated orange rind or chopped anchovies for variety.