Price range: £8.95 through £10.50
Elephant garlic grows enormous bulbs as the name suggests. Plant in the autumn and harvest the following July. Elephant garlic has a milder flavour than other garlics but is used in the same way.
Please note: Garlic is dispatched between September and December.
Elephant garlic
allium ampeloprasum
5 cloves per pack, weighing approximately 250-300g
We dispatch elephant garlic between September and December (stocks permitting).
Elephant garlic is one of the best things to grow in any garden or allotment. The tall plants can reach up to 2m and the purple flower heads are very attractive and loved by bees. Then, in the autumn, you get to harvest the biggest garlic cloves you have ever seen. Now, elephant garlic is more closely related to leek than garlic and although it looks like garlic the flavour is much milder.
How to grow:
Plant in the allium section of your rotation. Elephant garlic will do best in a rich but free draining soil in full sun. Prepare the growing site and in October or November, dig holes with a trowel about 15cm deep and 25 -30cm apart. Plant the cloves pointed end up and cover with soil so that the clove is beneath the level of the soil. This clove will produce a flowering stalk while the new cloves will form around it in the ground. So don’t worry about it, just let it flower for the bees, it will not diminish the crop. Cut the finished flower stalks down in July and chop to compost. Dig up the elephant garlic bulbs and put in an airy place to dry. Use as required, elephant garlic will store through the autumn and winter.
Pests and diseases:
Elephant garlic is easy to grow and does not suffer much in the way of pests and diseases.
How to cook:
Use it as you would garlic to flavour soups and sauces or try it whole in mixed roast vegetables with onion, courgette, aubergine and tomatoes.