Messidrome Garlic plants (autumn planting) - Allium sativum

White 'Messidrome' Garlic is an autumn variety, mid-early and productive, offering white bulbs with 10 to 15 pods of mild flavour. It is a regenerated variety derived from 'Blanc de la Drôme', free from the OYDV virus. In the vegetable garden, you will plant Messidrome garlic from September to December for a harvest in June - July.

Garlic is a very hardy perennial plant grown as an annual. It belongs to the Liliaceae family, like onion, shallot, and chives. It comes as a large bulb, called a head, topped with long, flat leaves. The garlic head contains several cloves. These are the ones that will be planted in the soil and give rise to new garlic heads.

There are three categories of garlic: white, violet, and pink. White and violet garlic are planted in autumn. They are quite early and yield well, but their storage is limited. Conversely, pink garlic is planted in spring. It is well adapted to regions with harsh winters. Its productivity is less important, but it can be stored for a longer time.

In terms of cooking, garlic can be eaten raw or cooked. Its strong taste flavours raw vegetables, meats, mushrooms, or stuffings. It is mainly used in aioli and snail butter. Garlic has the particularity of being rich in sulfur compounds and selenium. Finely chopped leaves of white garlic, violet garlic flavour omelettes, and fresh cheeses, just like chives.

Harvest: Garlic is harvested when the leaves wither, in June and July. Pull out the bulbs and let them dry for a few days on dry, shaded soil (to avoid sunburn). The foliage of autumn garlic (white and violet) is harvested in April and May when it is still green.

Storage: Cut off the leaves or braid them to hang. Store garlic away from light in a dry and relatively warm room, such as the kitchen. Ensure beforehand that the bulbs have not been bruised to prevent rot, as they could contaminate the entire harvest. Garlic heads can be stored for several months (from 6 months to 1 year, with pink and violet garlic storing better than white garlic).

Gardener's tip: Prepare a garlic mix to prevent damping-off in seedlings and, as a curative measure, to fight against mites and cryptogamic diseases (caused by fungi) such as mildew and rust. Soak 100g (about ten cloves) of crushed fresh garlic in 1L of rainwater and let it steep for 24 hours. Boil gently, covered, for 20 minutes. Let it cool (still covered) for 1 hour. Strain. Use undiluted:

• Either by watering to prevent damping-off in seedlings or
• Or by spraying on the foliage of plants (including the undersides of leaves) to fight against cryptogamic diseases and mites. You can add a little milk to the mixture before spraying to allow better adhesion to the foliage.

Repeat the process three times at 3-day intervals. Garlic mix does not keep and must be used within 48 hours.