Hello Chimacum Corner Community!

There’s an old saying from India: “Garlic is as good as ten mothers, for keeping the girls away.” It’s a phrase so memorable there’s a farm named after it (Shout out to Ten Mothers Farm in Cedar Grove, NC! Gordon and Vera are absolute boss dawgs.) Seeing the bounty of garlic, cured well, stored in a beloved wicker basket (or hey, a cardboard box from the Corner Nursery, let’s be real), is closely associated with the abundance of fall and the harvest times. Garlic is probably one of the longest standing annual crops, in terms of soil time. Hence, its cherished position in our cuisine. Another method to summon the cozy abundance of autumn is to watch Les Blank’s 1980 celebratory documentary of the same (partial) name as the aforementioned Indian saying. That is sure to get you all jazzed up about the old “Stinking Rose.” In scanning the aisles of CCF, it’s kind of hard not to notice that we are a bit garlic obsessed. Follow along to see all the allium tricks we’ve got up our sleeves.

Culinary Garlic

There’s garlic for planting, and then there’s garlic for eatin’. This year the Corner has put together a formidable catalog of both! As concerns the Produce Porch, the early-to-market folks have been Art Heineman of Edible Acres out of Tonasket, WA, with a solid Romanian Red hardneck and a softneck Inchelium Red, and Highland Farm coming from Sequim, WA, growing some considerable “Music” hardneck. Some closer to home staples have arrived as well. Midori Farm is holding it down in Quilcene contributing to the ever popular “Music” hardneck stock. Dave and Karen Seabrook of Chimacum Workhorse Project are the true stallions of the garlic scene this year, contributing both seed and culinary garlic of various stripes. For the Produce Porch, they have grown both “Music” and “Chesnok Red” hardnecks, as well as the Washington staple, “Inchelium Red,” a softneck. Say hello to Jim and John, their Belgium Draft team next time their doing a lap through the parking lot! Now is the time to stock up on a couple pounds of your favorite varieties, while the full depth and breadth of our local garlic scene is in house!

Case Deals

Sauce Tomatoes from Spring Rain/Midori Farm/Tonnemaker Hill
5lb Case: $20.99
Oxheart 10lb Case: $40.99
Tonnemaker Striped Roma 12lb case: $35.00

Pickling Cucumbers from Midori Farm*
By the lb: $4.29
5lb Case: $17.99
* Note: limited availability, Weds. and Sat. deliveries

Freestone Yellow Peach: assorted
By the lb: $3.99
Half Case: $16.99
Full Case: $29.99

Freestone White Nectarine: “Zephyr”
By the lb: $3.99
Half Case: $16.99
Full Case: $29.99

Freestone Yellow Nectarine: Fantasia
By the lb: $3.99
Half Case: $16.99
Full Case: $29.99

Da Sauce is Da Boss

In honor of all things Local Garlic, we thought we would highlight some of our favorite garlic-based value-added products in the Grocery Department. King amongst them is the Karam’s Garlic Sauce, a Seattle staple with a near forty year legacy of excellence. It is simple but killer, a perfect blend of fresh garlic, lemon juice, non-gmo canola, salt, and pepper. The squirt bottle format is perfect, and allows for careful application to toast, bagels, buns, meats, salads, and more! A serious rival of Karam’s is the Majestic Garlic brand Delicious Creamy Garlic spread. It comes in an 8oz hummus-style tub, is extremely addictive, and perfect for dipping chips or crudite in. It is also raw and vegan. Another perennial staff favorite is Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic, which is a love letter from two talented culinary siblings to their Cambodian mother. These Bay Area ballers pack a ton of style and flavor into their products, equating bland food with a “weak spirit” just like Mama Teav herself. Last but not least we have the Traditional Toum and Garlic Tahini sauces from Trazza Foods. A la the Majestic Garlic spread, Toum is a fluffy, pungent sauce made from emulsifying fresh raw garlic in a neutral oil with lemon juice and salt. Pure and extremely delicious! Vampires should take heed, and give Chimacum Corner a wide berth, due to all the epic garlic potions lurking about.

Seed Garlic

Garlic is a big investment in the garden, but also one with a big payout! Garlic has some serious health benefits, like boosting the immune system, helping to fight cancer, and supporting cardiovascular health, according to this growing guide from Territorial Seed Company. It also has some serious culinary benefits, in particular the hardneck varieties. Nothing like toasting your own garlic chips in the skillet, especially if it’s “Music” cloves! We are proud of our local seed garlic growers for exhibiting their patience and tenacity in the gorgeous seed stock they have lovingly made available to our Nursery. This year we have Seed Garlic of various types from both “Houses” of garlic: hardneck and softneck. Participating farms in the Seed Garlic program this year include Chimacum Workhorse Project, Highland Farm, Space Twins Provisions, Solstice Family Farm, and Nine Hills Farm! One particularly cool variety we are stoked about this year is the Montana Zemo hardneck grown by Chimacum Workhorse Project. It is a great cold climate garlic, with pink-wrapped cloves, and is prized by the staff of Cook’s Illustrated! Seed Garlic always seems to sell out quickly, so don’t hesitate to swing through the Nursery next time you’re at the store and secure your coveted fall planting!