Sub Tropicals (Extra Early)

• Uses: fast cook in stirfrys, sauté or raw in salads and salad dressings, dips and pesto

• Associated cuisine: Asian

• Flavour: mild, simple

• Available: green Jul-Aug or cured Sept

• Storage: 7-9 months

• The first of the garlics to make it to market in Australia. Large elongated purple coloured bulbs with good sized purple skinned cloves. Given the mildness of the flavour this is a good option for those who don’t like a pungent garlic taste. Typically bulbs have 8-10 small to fat large sized cloves.

• Longview grows: Southern Glen 

Turbans (Early)

• Uses: fast cook, stirfrys, sauté, raw in salads and salad dressings, dips and pesto and roasted whole or scattered cloves through vegetables

• Associated cuisine: Western and Eastern Europe, Middle Eastern

• Flavour: ranges from mild to medium, simple to complex, will caramelise and turn nutty when roasted

• Available: green Aug-Nov or cured Dec

• Storage: 4-5 months

• Easy to grow popular group of garlics with a good garlic flavour, stronger than the SubTropical group. Good all-rounder for many of the lighter warm weather dishes. Many varieties in this group with white and purple coloured bulbs and cloves that go from white to fuchsia to soft pink and buff. Choose the variety to match the cuisine. Typically bulbs have 10-15 cloves ranging in size from small to large.

• Longview grows: Monaro Purple, Gossimer and Italian Purple 

Artichokes (Mid)

• Uses: sauté, long and slow cooking

• Associated cuisine: Western European, Eastern European

• Flavour: strong, bold and persistent (hence why it is good for long slowly cooked dishes)

• Available: green Oct-Dec or cured Jan

• Storage: 7-9 months

• This group comes into its own with the cooler seasons and slow cook dishes start to appear on the menu. Sourcing boutique grown (as opposed to commercially grown) bulbs ensures high quality flavour that will match the culinary heritage of the dish. Choose a French cultivar for the more buttery creamy flavours of French dishes or a more pungent deeper Eastern European cultivar to support strongly spiced saucy casseroles. Definitely find an Italian variety to sauté at the start of those pasta sauces and thick soups. They don’t go bitter. Bulbs are white with purple markings have clove skins that are white, buff or pale pink. Some varieties have bulbs that are heavily purpled, with fuchsia pink clove skins. Typically bulbs have 10 large fat cloves per bulb.

• Longview grows: French Messidrome, Late Italian, Italian Red, Dolovsky 

Creoles (Mid)

• Uses: raw, sauté, slow food and roasting

• Associated cuisine: Spanish and French

• Flavour: full range from mild through to bold with heat

• Available: green Nov-Dec or cured Jan

• Storage: 12+ months

• This group are THE garlic to use raw in your Spanish chorizo, giving them spicy heat without the chilli or in the famous Spanish cold summer soups (Ajo Bianco and Gaspacho). This garlic is also well suited to slow cooked Spanish and French dishes because they have the strength of flavour to survive long cooking. They roast well, the caramelised flavours have a strong sharp or sweet note. White bulbs with fuchsia coloured skins on the cloves. Typically 11-15 cloves per bulb

• Longview grows: Spanish Roja 

Porcelains (Mid)

• Uses: sauté and slow food

• Associated cuisine: Eastern Europe

• Flavour: strong, hot and bold, not for the feint hearted

• Available: cured Jan/Feb

• Storage: 7-8 months

• Well suited to the deep slow cooked heavily sauced dishes of Eastern Europe or those looking to create powerful garlic flavours they can’t find anywhere else. Use this garlic to match other strong seasonings. Bulbs are uniform in shape with white skins with pink skinned cloves. Typically 5-6 uniform large cloves per bulb.

• Longview grows: Music 

Marbled Purple Stripe (Mid)

• Uses: raw, sauté and slow food

• Associated cuisine: Eastern European

• Flavour: medium to strong flavour, spicy heat without the bold pungent flavour

• Available: cured Feb/Mar

• Storage: 6-7 months

• White bulbs with purple blotches, cloves are large and buff coloured. Typically 7-8 large cloves per bulb.

• Longview grows: Perhonnen Kahdestra, Russian Fioletevy 

Standard Purple Stripe (Late)

• Uses: raw, sauté, roasting

• Associated cuisine: European and Middle Eastern

• Flavour: Medium, shines when roasted.

• Available: cured Feb/Mar

• Storage: 7-9 months

• Good for dishes requiring a lighter garlic flavour in grain based dishes. Caramelises nicely producing a deep garlicky hit, very good with the roasted vegetables.

• Longview grows: Dunganski