The first, and my favorite, harvest of the year is the Garlic patch.  This year I planted three beds instead of the one I usually do.  That way I can save the best and biggest bulbs and use them for seed this fall.  I usually grow all the garlic I need for the year and this past year was no exception…. even more than we needed.  It is also very good for the chickens so they will be getting the rest of last year’s harvest after it gets ground up in the food processor.

It is ridiculous to think that 90% of the garlic consumed in the US is grown in and exported by…. China!  If you have a 5 x 5 plot, some garlic cloves (not from the grocery store) and the brains to water them in the spring, you can grow all you need and it is one of the easiest crops to grow.  It also has FAR more flavor than the junk at Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, etc., and you have the satisfaction of having grown it yourself.  Give it a shot!