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More than you ever wanted to know about garlic

Garlic is a very old cultivated crop. Originally cultivated in the Caucases Mountains of Eurasia, it is now grown virtually world-wide. There are two subspecies of cultivated garlic that are generally recognized; the hardneck varieties (Alium sativum ophioscorodon) and the softneck varieties (A. s. sativum). The hardneck varieties are thought to be more primitive and most closely related to wild garlic, while the softneck varieties have undergone more selection, and are more distantly related to the wild garlic. The most notable difference between the two subspecies is that the hardneck varieties produce flowering stalks (called scapes) while the softneck varieties do not. The scapes are usually removed from the hardneck varieties to promote bulb growth. There are about 600 distinct varieties of garlic cultivated throughout the world.

Within these classifications there are 10 recognized varietal groups; five hardeck groups (Porcelain, Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe, and Rocambole; three varieties of weakly bolting hadnecks (Creole, Asiatic and Turban), and two distinct softneck varietal groups (Artichoke and Silverskins). In general the softneck varieties store for much longer than the hardneck varieties. Almost all of the commercially grown garlic, what you find in the supermarkets, are softneck Artichoke varieties, selected primarily for their easy of cultivation, production, storage ability and mild flavor.

Hardeck Garlics

Porcelain Garlics: the bulb wrappers on porcelain types tend to be very thick and tightly cover a few, large cloves. The outer bulb wrappers are often very white and tend to some purple striping as you peel away the wrappers. There usually only 4 or 5 large cloves and few or no smaller cloves per bulb. Porcelain varieties are generally strong tasting garlics and owing to their tighly fitting wrappers can store for up to eight
to ten months or more at cool room temperature. Bulb wrappers vary from white/ivory to purple. Clove covers have elongated tipswith a golden brown color sometimes with vertical purple streaks. Porcelains grow better in cooler northern climates.

Purple Stripe: Purple Stripe garlics usually have strong purplish vertical stripes decorating the thick bulb wrappers, hence their name. Coloration is affected by growing conditions, particularly weather and sometimes they are strongly colored and at other times more white than purple. Purple stripes tend to have a strong garlic flavor, but are not usually very pungent. Standard Purple Stripes (eg. Chesnook Red and Persian Star) make the sweetest roasted garlic. They mature mid- to late season and generally do not store for more than 4 or 5 months.

Marbled Purple Stripe:

Glazed Purple Stripe:

Rocambole: Rocambole garlics tend to have thin bulb wrappers with purple striping and splotches. The wrappers are not as white as other hardnecks and tend to have a brownish cast. They are very, very flavorful garlics and most of them very hot. Rocamboles have the most distinct scape of all the hardnecks, forming a complete double loop for a week or two before straightening up. They have usually eight to ten cloves arranged in circular fashion about a central scape with few or no smaller internal cloves.

Weakly Bolting Hardnecks

Creole:

Asiatic:

Turban:

Softneck (non-bolting) Garlics

Artichoke:

Silverskin: