Clédor Pink Garlic - Allium sativum

Pink Cledor Garlic is a late spring variety obtained by INRA. It produces medium-sized cloves tightly packed into medium-sized bulbs, highly fragrant, with a pale pink skin and white flesh. They have a long dormancy period, making them an excellent storage variety, two to three months longer than white garlic. Clédor is planted from February to the end of March for a dry harvest starting in July.

Garlic is a hardy perennial plant, grown as an annual. It belongs to the Liliaceae family, like onions, shallots, and chives. It comes in the form of a large bulb, called a head, topped with long flat leaves. The garlic head contains several cloves. It is these cloves that are planted in the ground and give birth to new garlic heads.

There are 3 categories of garlic: white, purple, and pink. White and purple garlic are planted in autumn. They are quite early, have a good yield, 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 significant, but it can be stored for a longer period.

In terms of cooking, garlic can be consumed raw or cooked. Its pungent taste flavours raw vegetables, meats, mushrooms, or stuffings. Garlic has the particularity of being rich in sulphur compounds and selenium. Finely chopped leaves of white or purple garlic flavour omelettes and fresh cheeses, just like chives.

Harvesting: Garlic is harvested when the leaves wither, in June and July, when it is ripe. Dig up the bulbs and let them dry for a few days on dry and shaded ground (to avoid sunburn). The foliage of autumn garlic (white and purple) is harvested in April and May, while it is still green.

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

Gardener's tip: prepare a garlic decoction to prevent damping off in seedlings and, as a curative measure, against mites and fungal diseases such as mildew and rust. Crush 100g (approximately 10 cloves) of 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 in the watering can to prevent damping off, or by spraying on the foliage of plants (including the undersides of leaves) to fight fungal diseases and mites. You can add a little milk to the mixture before spraying to allow better adhesion to the foliage.

Repeat the process 3 times at 3-day intervals. The garlic decoction does not keep and should be used within 48 hours.