aglio appena raccolto / freshly harvested garlic

The best part about gardening is harvesting.

That's a greedy perspective, I know, but it's the truth. I like other things about gardening, of course. When I need to relax, I can pull some weeds. When I want to be distracted, I can go around with my camera. When nothing seems to be working as expected, I can focus on the purposeful flight of hummingbirds going from flower to flower. Harvesting, however, is sheer, baby joy.

The most pleasant harvest method is digging.

When you harvest garlic, onion, potatoes, you don't quite know what you will find underneath, and the short delay heightens the satisfaction. Think about a treasure hunt where the prize is edible.

This is the second year I harvest garlic and I am doing a better job at curing it for long term storage. I am still clumsy and sometimes a clove comes off while I clean a head (you can see the hollow in the head closest to the gloves): it's not a problem, since fresh garlic is a pleasure to use in the kitchen.

The photos above are my contribution to edition #44 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted this week by Kavitha of Divine Food and Art.

The top photo was shot in monochrome, while the bottom one was shot in color and then converted to black and white.

This post contains the gallery of photos submitted to the event.

On this page, you can find out who is hosting the current and future editions of the event.

Comments

[Laura]

Quest'anno ho piantato l'aglio tardissimo e non ha ancora formato gli spicchi, mannaggia!

Ho gia comprato l'aglio per il prossimo anno, quest'anno non saro' in ritardo!

Di solito mi bastano 12 teste, una volte ne ho piantati troppi e mi sono ritrovata con 24 teste che poi ho dovuto buttare.

Vorrei provare le cipolle quest'anno, non sono mai riuscita, sono sempre andate in semenza prima di fare il bulbo tondo. Hai esperienza con cipolle e scalogni?

[Simona Carini]

Laura, spero che riuscirai a raccoglierlo. L'anno scorso anch'io l'ho raccolto piu' tardi. Io ne ho piantati un po' di piu', ma una parte li piantero'. Devo dire che mi si conservano abbastanza bene. Purtroppo non sono molto brava con cipolle e scalogni: e' il secondo anno e anche stavolta mi hanno fatto subito il fiore. Ho letto che succede quando ci sono variazioni di temperatura, che qui sono la norma. Una mia amica mi ha consigliato di aspettare fino alla fine dell'inverno a piantarle. Quelle che ho non sono tonde: certo, le usero' lo stesso.

[Lynne]

Brilliant photo and kudos to you on your gardening skills!

[Stash]

I love the bottom pic, Simona. So evocative of the earth where the bulbs grew.

I want to visit Italy one of these days. It must truly be a wonderful place to live.

[Paz]

What a fun treasure hunt! Very impressive harvest.

[Elizabeth]

What gorgeous looking garlic! And doesn't garden garlic taste amazing? I can't stop myself from eating it fresh out of the garden. I love the hot crispness of the cloves.

[Orchidea]

Che bello il tuo aglio! Io ho provato a piantarlo in vaso sul balcone a ottobre ma dopo la neve dello scorso inverno è marcito... ci riproverò quest'anno e cercherò di metterlo n po' al riparo.
Ciao.

[Laura]

Il mistero delle cipolle, provero' di nuovo nel giardino della mia vicina che ha piu' spazio. Forse ci vuole piu' caldo?

[A Canadian Foodie]

I am not sure I agree - as I also love getting the soil ready, planting and can almost say that watching the first shoots rear their heads is as exciting as the harvest. Not nearly as tasty, though!
:)
V

[torviewtoronto]

beautiful picture these must have a really delicious aroma :)

[Simona Carini]

Thanks Lynne!

Hi Stash. You know, as long as I lived in Italy, I took a lot of things for granted, included garlic. My mother would get it from someone in her native village and I never really asked myself how it was grown. Garlic is not a food that interests a child. My family finds it rather amusing that I am interested in growing some of my own food, making my own cheese, etc. Italy is certainly a great place to visit on vacation. As for living there, I'd say that first it depends on your job.

Thanks, Paz!

Hi Elizabeth. I love the smell and flavor of freshly harvested garlic. And I also like that I can rely on my little stash for several months.

Ciao Orchidea. Io sono fortunata nel senso che abito in una zona dove la temperatura di solito non scende mai di molto e di fatto l'inverno scorso ha gelato pochissimo. Spero che proverai di nuovo e ti auguro di avere maggior fortuna stavolta.

Laura, non so bene. Chiedero' al signore che mi aiuta a tenere a bada la mia giungla la prossima volta che lo vedo e poi ti faccio sapere.

Dear Valerie, you are a true gardener. I can't say I enjoy the hard work of getting the soil ready and I am a poor weeder. I do agree with the planting part: that is indeed fun. And yes, seeing a seed sprout is indeed a joy.

Hi Akheela: the smell is indeed wonderful. It's a heady mix of fresh garlic and soil, crisp and bold. It makes you want to run in the kitchen and cook something with garlic.