Porcelain varieties are the most beautiful garlic bulbs to be found shaping into nearly perfect round, white bulbs with large cloves sometimes over an inch in thickness.  Year after year they are the number one seller because of their rich, well-rounded taste.  This delightful garlic can be used in all types of dishes and is delectable in roasted garlic spreads, salsas, and chutneys.  Porcelains have that classic garlic flavor turning somewhat sweet when cooked.  We grow the following varieties of Porcelain:

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• Music - BEST SELLER!  This is a beautiful, full-bodied and robust garlic that is harvested in mid-season. White skinned with just a blush of pink, this garlic plant makes big cloves (sometimes over an inch in thickness) that are easy-to-peel. Their flavor profile is medium hot with a true, robust garlic flavor. Exceptional shelf life for a Porcelain type garlic, Music will store 9 months to a year and are very cold tolerant.

• Romanian Red - Harvested in early to mid-summer, this porcelain is a rich flavored, very hot-strong garlic that stores into spring at cooler room temperatures.  Romanian Red, like most porcelains, is a large and beautiful garlic with rich robust flavor that is strong and has an aftertaste that lingers. The clove covers are a light brown with purple streaks.  If you are going for the healthiest of garlics, Romanian Red is by far the winner having more allicin than any of the other varieties tested.  If you want a hot, flavorful garlic, this is the one, and it stores into the following spring!

• Montana Zemo - Original source is likely from Zemo. This beautiful Porcelain strain is more vigorous than the original Zemo, producing large, dense bulbs. Grown by Foothill Farm at the base of the Mission Mountains in NW Montana, this variety is a good producer and is mild to hot in flavor. Italian Red - This hardneck porcelain variety has robust, complex flavors with a hint of heat; even raw it is mild and sautéed/roasted it becomes nutty, buttery, rich and sweet. As a typical porcelain, its outer wrappers are bright white turning lavender-silver at the center. Each bulb averages 6-8 purple-brown cloves per bulb.

• Italian Red - This porcelain variety has robust, complex flavors with a hint of heat; even raw it is mild and sauteed/roasted it becomes nutty, buttery, rich and sweet. Its outer wrappers are bright white turning lavender-silver at the center. Each bulb averages 6-8 lavender-brown cloves per bulb.

• Majestic - As the name states, they are quite majestic with some plants likely to produce large bulbs ranging from 2" to 3" or more in diameter.  Like many other Porcelains, Majestic garlic generally prefers colder climates.  Its flavor is milder than most porcelains and would be considered more mild than Romanian Red or Music.  Majestic garlic and other Porcelains generally mature later than other garlic varieties and are excellent keepers with a long storage life — sometime keeping until the next spring after harvest.  Porcelains are also typically some of the most disease and drought resistant of garlics although some tend to struggle in warm climates with mild winters and early springs.  Majestic garlic remains relatively rare and may be somewhat difficult to find when looking for seed stock to begin growing it.

• German White - German White is a beautiful and well-formed porcelain garlic that harvests early to mid-summer and stores into spring.  Its flavor is very strong and robust and sticks around for a good long time.  From a grower's perspective, it is a tall, dark-green plant and is a very good survivor, usually growing healthy, disease-resistant plants. This variety is originally from Germany but grows well in most regions of the US.  In the warmest climates it's growth is somewhat marginal.  

• Northern White - This variety is very similar to German Extra-Hardy and German White with large, beautiful and well-formed bulbs.  Its flavor is very strong and robust and sticks around for a long time.  Northern White is a very easy-to-grow hardneck garlic producing large bulbs with fat, easy-to-peel cloves. The strong-spicy flavor of Northern White makes it superb for roasting.  Stores well like many other porcelains generally from 7-10 months.

• German Extra Hardy - Yes indeed, it's very hardy, rich, garlicky, and hot, but not overpowering.  Grows well in most states even in warm winter areas but will be marginal at best in most of Florida and southern areas of Texas.  This is one of our favorites and is usually a great performer in the field with bulbs sometimes exceeding 3" in diameter.  Great for crock pot dishes, roasts, soups, and garlic mashed potatoes. 

Chefs and foodies consider rocambole to be the caviar of garlics because of their rich, savory flavor.  Rocambole varieties are extremely popular with the most discerning cooks because the intense flavor makes for an unforgettable dish.  It also helps that the cloves are easy to peel!  We grow the following varieties of Rocambole:

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• Spanish Roja – BEST SELLER!  Great taste is their claim to fame, and its flavor is very strong, hot and spicy which tends to stay around for a long time.  Rocamboles grow better in cold winter gardens and generally don't store well (maybe 4-6 months) with harvests coming early to mid-summer.  Spanish Roja, an heirloom garlic (a garden plant whose lineage can be traced for 100 years or more), came to the Portland, Oregon area over a hundred years ago and was originally known as Greek or Greek Blue garlic.  It is generally very productive with large foliage that is dark green and results in a fairly large bub sometimes over 2.5" in diameter.  It grows well in cold winter areas, but does poorly in warm winter areas. Roja has thin bulb wrappers that have a lot of purple and brown in them.  For those up North who want to grow their own garlic, it only takes a year or two to grow all you can eat.  It harvests in mid-season along with most of the other Rocamboles.

• Carpathian - Carpathian came from the mountains of the same name in Southeast Poland and is sometimes called Polish Carpathian.  Carpathian generally have good sized bulb sometimes around 2.5" in diameter. Being a Rocambole garlic, its flavor is very strong, hot and spicy and sticks around for a long time.  Their rich flavor profile makes for a great chef's garlic used in all sorts of dishes.  It is also a great variety for pickling!  Carpathian grows well in cold winter areas and usually grows fairly uniform sized bulbs. It has thin bulb wrappers that have quite a lot of purple and brown in them along with some reddish-orange veins.  Carpathian usually has anywhere from 8 or 9 easy to peel cloves that are of good size, with no smaller inner cloves. The outer bulb wrappers are thin and flake off easily so it is not a great storing garlic, but its flavor profile is the real asset of this variety.

• German Red - A true connoisseur’s garlic, this heirloom variety was obtained from an old Idaho homestead where it had been grown for over 100 years.  Cloves have a hard-loose wrapper that makes them very easy to peel.  This complex and unique garlic variety has many double, inner-and-outer cloves compared to other garlics which typically makes them much better to eat than to plant.  We’re not saying you shouldn’t plant this variety, but they are certainly a labor of love when cracking/planting time arrives.  Your reward comes at harvest-time when you crack open a bulb of this distinct variety to use in your favorite dish!  The bulbs can grow very large if given optimal growing conditions.  German Red loves well drained soil enriched with organic matter and manure; the more you add the bigger your yield.  It requires very well drained soil or the cloves will rot and/or the garlic bulbs will not keep well after curing.  German Red is not recommended (or any other rocambole variety) for Southern climates. 

• Killarney Red - This is a rich, hot, strong Rocambole Garlic.  It harvests in early to mid-summer and stores through fall and into winter.  An easy-to-grow Rocambole for northern growers,  Killarney Red's source of origin is unknown and is thought to have come from German Red or Spanish Roja; however, it is said to grow better than both of those varieties. It is generally a good sized and can be a rather large garlic.  It has thin bulb wrappers that have a lot of purple and brown in them.  Killarney Red usually has anywhere from 8 or 9 easy to peel cloves that are of good size with no smaller inner cloves.  Like other Rocamboles, it is not the best storing garlic.  Killarney Red tends to tolerate wetter conditions comparted to other Rocamboles for areas that have poor drainage.

• Armenian - This is another delicious Rocambole that stores as long as any rocambole and while it has some serious heat, it is not offensively hot.  Armenian is an early-harvesting, richly-flavored, fairly-pungent garlic that grows well in cold winter areas.  In addition to being early harvesting, it is very easy to peel and stores long enough to be planted in the fall - but not much longer. Grows consistently large bulbs with large cloves.  Great to eat raw if you're into that sort of thing.

Purple stripes are known for their beautifully red-striped bulbs with brilliant colors which provides a gorgeous sales display.  This classic garlic has a rich, full-bodied flavor with a mellow aftertaste and turns sweeter the longer it’s baked.  In fact, it’s one of the sweetest roasting garlics out there, and has been known to be used in ice cream!  We grow the following varieties of Purple Stripe:

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• Red Chesnok - Chesnok Red is a full flavored garlic with a mellow aftertaste that lingers nicely and not offensively.   This is truly one of the best baking garlics and is just a great all-around garlic. Some years it can be hotter or milder than usual, but it is always a full-flavored, robust garlic.  It harvests early to mid-summer and stores through mid-winter.  Chesnok Red is a garlic that hails from the Republic of Georgia in the former USSR.  As a Purple Stripe, it has the typical heavy purple striping that gives this variety its name.  Chesnok Red can become a rather large garlic under excellent growing conditions.  The outer bulb wrappers are somewhat thin and loose, and the large bulbs will have about a dozen cloves.  You may not believe it, but Garlic ice cream can be made with roasted Chesnok Red.  It tastes like butter brickle!

• Persian Star - They are so beautiful they can be used as your Thanksgiving centerpiece!  Persian Star is arguably the most beautiful of the main group of Purple Stripes with its thick white bulb wrappers that are streaked with purple as you peel away the outer layers.  This is a true medium hardneck garlic that is also sweet when roasted.  They are harvested in mid-summer and generally store for about 6 months.   They are said to have originated in Uzbekistan, one of the republics that were once part of the USSR.  They are a full-flavored garlic with only a bit of heat to them and are generally more mellow than hot as are most other standard Purple Stripes. 

• Oshala Purple - This is a beautiful Purple Stripe variety selected for its reliability, large size, good looks and good flavor.  Purple Stripes do well in most locations, and this one is a top performer. Matures mid to late season and stores well.  Standard Purple Stripe garlics make some of the best baking garlics and are actually sweet when roasted!  You can add roasted Purple Stripe garlic to partially thawed vanilla ice cream and re-freeze it and it will have the taste and texture of butter brickle ice cream.  It's the boss!

Like the purple stripes, marbled purple stripes have beautiful bulbs that are dappled with purple and white blotches.  Generally, they store well and have a medium to hot taste when eaten raw with a pleasant lingering aftertaste. 

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• Bogatyr - Along with Metechi, Bogatyr is one of most exceptional garlics the world knows with monster-sized bulbs and an even bigger heat!  Yes, the heat of a bogatyr garlic (eaten raw) might leave you with a possible sweat, but the aftertaste is very pleasant and lingering one.  This variety originated from Eastern Germany and was then discovered in Germany by John Swenson.  Bogatyr thrives in cold winter climates and has also been field tested to produce well in warm winter climates.  It is capable of yielding the largest bulbs of all the hardneck cultivars, with exceptionally large cloves. The bulb skins are purple and white pinstriped. This cultivar has a notably longer shelf life than other Marbled Purple Stripes.  These great fireballs store much better, firmer and longer than the standard group and grows well in most regions of the US.   

• Metechi - Since technically Metchi and Bogatyr are only distinquishable from their DNA, their descriptions are generally the same.  Metchi is a Marbled Purple Stripe hardneck variety that originated from the Republic of Georgia. Very diverse, this cultivar can handle cold northern climates as well as warmer southern climates. The attractive bulbs are dappled with rich purple and white blotches. Metechi have nice large cloves that are easy to peel and a long storing garlic for a marbled purple stripe.  This is a very hardy and good growing variety if you desire a nice hot, robust garlic flavor profile!

• Brown Rose - Our rose of the garden, Brown Rose is an unclassified hardneck variety according to Ted Jordan Meredith of the Volk study of Fort Collins, CO, (2004) though usually labeled as a Marbled Purple Stripe.  This variety also has some heat, but generally falls into the medium to hot category.  Generally, this variety is a huge producer yielding very large bulbs. Expect to get 5 to 9 cloves per bulb and 35 to 40 cloves per pound. Brown Rose usually harvest in mid to late season and can store for up to 6 months. These are great for garlic mashed potatoes!

Turbans have very beautifully colored bulbs with purple and white patches.  Turbans range from medium to medium-hot in flavor.  Tuscan, a turban garlic, is a perfect addition to your homemade marinara sauce!  We grow the following variety of Turban:

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• Tuscan - Yep, you guessed it; it's great for your marinara sauce!  A Turban hardneck variety, this Italian cultivar originated from central Italy and has purple and white pinstriped bulb skins that turn dappled towards the basal plate.  Turbans will be a good producer in most climates from warm southern climates to cold northern climates. If you live in the south, Turbans are a great choice because they are early to harvest.  The flavor is medium to hot, the perfect addition to sauces and salsas.

Asiatic varieties have mild to medium heat when used raw.  They have firm, plump cloves and thick skins.  Theses varieties are diverse in flavor and heat.  Asian Tempest is one of the hottest garlics to be found, but when cooked mellows nicely.  Tempest adds a nice kick to spreads and chutneys.  We grow the following variety of Asiatic:

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• Asian Tempest - What's a great reason to have Asian Tempest?  An early harvest (sometimes late May) gives way to a hot, strong, weakly-bolting bulb at a time when nobody else has any garlic.  That's a good enough reason right there to grow this variety!  There are typically around 8 fat cloves per large bulb.  The Asian Tempest variety spawns from South Korea, and when you first bite into a clove you feel the heat!  It slowly dissipates into a rich, earthy flavor you are sure to love.  These also have a very high allicin content which is great for you health nuts!