THE GARLIC NEWS Connecting the Canadian Garlic Network! Issue 53 Autumn 2017 HCGGA Standards: Festival Sale of Fresh Garlic One of our chief concerns is garlic disease. Unfortunately, UNACCEPTABLE GARLIC CHART there are a few different garlic diseases and pests running Not Acceptable around in this country and they're all over the place. We cannot in good conscience support or condone selling such Reason: ragged stem garlic to the public knowing that they will plant it and infect cut, dirty & loose their gardens with garlic diseases and/or pests. wrappers, roots not We do our best to educate growers at all levels on what trimmed. pathogens and pests are and how to recognize them and suggest ways to deal with them sustainably. While we can't guarantee anyone else's garlic to be Not Acceptable absolutely disease free planting stock, we want to do everything we can to see that it is, anyway. Sometimes garlic Reason: stems not that looks & smells & feels good is diseased and the trimmed, loose/brown observer is fooled. But at least we're making a sincere effort leaves still attached, to help growers learn how to avoid bad garlic. Ultimately, it stained wrappers, roots not is up to each grower to practice high plant health standards trimmed. Bulbs obviously and be responsible for their own garlic. This standard have been washed off, but more needed to ensure as provides instruction for all garlic brought to the Festival for sale and/or demonstration use. healthiest bulb possible with no signs of disease, damage or infestation under excess wrapper leaves and long untrimmed roots. Better but Still Not Acceptable Reason: roots again not trimmed and dirt on wrappers and around basal plate. Better but Still Not Acceptable Reason: loose wrapper and HCGGA Standard dirt around roots/basal plate Mature and well cured, compact, with cloves well filled and plump, free from mold, decay, shattered cloves, and from damage caused by dirt or staining, sunburn, sunscald, cuts, sprouts, tops, roots, disease, insects, or mechanical or other means. Each bulb shall be well enclosed in its outer sheath. HCGGA Checklist • Firm bulbs, no soft, dry or discoloured or exposed cloves. Not Acceptable • Clean and free from mold, decay, damage, dirt, disease. Reason: diseased garlic, • Roots trimmed no less than 1⁄4” to maximum of 1”. smells bad. • Transport and display containers clean and washed free of dirt and debris BUY LOCAL, BUY ORGANIC, BUY CANADIAN IT MAKES HEALTHY BUSINESS SENSE The Garlic News In This Issue Connecting The Canadian Garlic Network Issue 53 autumn 2017 HCGGA Standards: Festival sale of fresh garlic 1 The Haliburton County Growers have taken the bold step of setting a standard of quality Managing Editor: Paul Pospisil for garlic sold at their festival to stem the tide of diseases being spread by unsuitable garlic Business Manager: Mary Lou Pospisil sold for planting. Regular Columns: Jean Lafontaine Notes from our garlic patch 3 : Al Picketts Depressing news from growers across Canada. Softneck harvest indicator, some helpful notes and thanks to the many Garlic News supporters : Deb Barnhart : Angel Taylor 2017 Garlic Awards Winners 4 : Terry Graydon Dorothy Oogarah of Centreville, ON swept the field, achieving a 1st in all competition classes Contributors : Lorraine Bannister to earn the title of "Champion Garlic Grower 2017". : Dorothy Oogarah Ramblings 5 : Karen Poce Welcome back to Al Picketts and his discussion of storing garlic as well as keeping Published by: Beaver Pond Estates garlic planting stock in the freezer, written in his humorous and entertaining style. Printing by: Impression Printing, Smiths Falls Ail Quebec News 6 HOW TO CONTACT US Jean Lafontaine tells about his own fungal disease plus losses due to flooding on Paul Pospisil, Editor, farms in Quebec. The Garlic News, Garlic Connections: HCGGA page 7 Beaver Pond Estates, Deb Barnhart provides a pictorial glimpse of the 10th annual HCGGA Garlic Fest. 3656 Bolingbroke Road, Garlic Connections: HCGGA page 2 8 Maberly, Ont., K0H 2B0 Angel Taylor reports on the planned next steps to be carried out by the 'citizen Phone: 1-613-273-5683 scientists' in collaboration with government to finding better methods of determining Email: [email protected] the effectives of cover crops on nematodes. 2017 Winterkill & Harvest Reports .... 9 Cost of membership: Canada: $20.00 per Two statistical reports from Ontario and letters from growers on the prairies who had year of 4 issues. Single copy price $5.00. serious losses. Outside Canada: we ask our US friends to add $4.00 per year and our UK friends to add The Garlic Directory 10-11 $8.00 per year to cover higher postal costs Garlic ads, listings and useful garlic contacts. Experienced growers know the (does not apply to the E-Garlic News). advantage of letting buyers know about their garlic all year. Payment by cheque, cash or E-transfer. Garlic Health Tips & Recipes 12 Advertising: see rates in Directory pages. Cold season is bringing cold sores and heads stuffed up with colds. Fear not for garlic comes to the rescue. Try some old-fashioned garlic remedies and soup. About The Garlic News Book Review: The Complete Book of Garlic 13 The Garlic News is a membership newsletter Lorraine Bannister shares her take on Ted Meredith's great book. distributed at cost to members. It provides a When it comes to Garlic 13 networking forum for the sharing of garlic Karen Poce of Chesley, ON finds the humorous side of a bad crop year and finds information. Started in 2004, it carries on from that Bigger is Not Better when it comes to garlic. where the Garlic Newsletter and The Voice of Garlic Adventures at Highland Organics 14 Garlic left off. Back issues are available both in single copy Terry Graydon describes building a water collection system at Highland Organics and attractive 1-year bound sets. Farm for her garlic, and, has shared her recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto. Letters on late harvest 14 For lists of articles in previous issues, go to: The late harvest frustrated growers in Eastern Ontario. www.garlicnews.ca/ or, The Garlic Directory: Garlic Products at Wholesale from Eureka 15 www.rasacreekfarm.com Al Picketts has garlic for fall planting, black garlic and garlic products at wholesale. The E-Garlic News New for fall 2017 are huge rounds for growing super-size Turbans and Elephant. The E-Garlic News is available by Email. Download size is approx. 5 MB. Inquire. We Get Calls and Letters 16-19 Diseases and crop failures are the dominant theme of grower letters this crop year Editorial Policy Drought in NB and AB, new fungal disease, leek moth damage to garlic bulbs, white The purpose of the Garlic News is to enable grub damage to garlic are just some of the topics. farmers and gardeners to grow better garlic 2017 Garlic crop in Eastern Ontario 20 and enjoy it more. Articles and contributions 2017 was not a good news story with reports of winterkill, crop losses due to the increase are welcome and will be published subject to in diseases and the challenges posed by too much or too little rain, depending on where space and suitability. Letters and articles may your farm is located in Canada. be edited for length and content. Advertising, subscriptions, or material submitted for Soil Biology Workshop 20 publication that detracts from the integrity of The editor was fortunate to attend a Soil Biology Workshop run by the Compost Council the News may be refused by Editor. Articles of Canada. Garlic growers are encouraged to learn more about this emerging science of should be not over 400 words or one page of soil biology. text and pictures. Written permission for use is required for reproduction, duplication or If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. electronic transmission of any article. The more things you do, the more you can do. Contents copyright © 2017 Paul Pospisil. Deadline winter 2017-18 Issue: Dec 01. 2 The Garlic News Issue 53 autumn 2017 Notes from our garlic patch Softneck Harvest Indicator From the editor’s desk Usually, when I sit down at the computer to put together the Garlic News, I find it a very rewarding experience, reading the letters that members sent in, admiring photos and enjoying the articles, both serious and those touched with humour. Not so this time. The bad news has quite out-weighed the good. Stories of flooded garlic fields, rain, rain and more rain, drought in other parts of the country, and panic phone calls from growers who are seeing their beautiful garlic crop dying from some new disease they have never encountered before have dominated my garlic guru personae. It is depressing. Garlic is good, garlic is good for you, garlic heals, garlic makes you strong, so why are all these bad news stories coming this year? Has Mother Nature decided to punish garlic farmers, both the good and bad ones for the greed of a few? One must wonder. Garlic experts know that you count leaves on garlic to judge There are some "Good News" stories, thank goodness, from when garlic is ready to harvest. Well, that may be true for which to take comfort. the hardnecks - Porcelains, Rocamboles and Purple Stripes, Al Picketts, with his wit and knowledge, is back. His but - - - Ramblings column is always informative and his current one - - - did you know that the softnecks- Artichokes & on freezing garlic planting stock is no different. Thank you, Silverskins and some of the semi-bolting Asiatics and Al. We're glad to have you back. Turbans fall over as harvest approaches.