Garlic--easy peel version

[NJCher]

Last edited Sat Sep 21, 2019, 09:12 AM - Edit history (1)

Is there such a thing? Or is the RG just imagining such a thing?

I asked what garlic I should order for planting this fall. He said get the easy peel kind. I said I didn't know there was such a kind and he said there was. He then demonstrated it to me and the peel does indeed just fall off. I've researched it and come up with little. I hear Lidl carries it under "pearl" garlic, but then I find out that "pearl" garlic refers to just one clove of garlic. I am confused.

So does anyone know the name I should put in the search engine to find this new or relatively new kind of garlic that's easy to peel? I want to order some for both my home and school gardens. If you put in "easy peel garlic" you get a bunch of gadgets.

The RG bought it at our local ShopRite (edited: he later remembered it was Whole Foods), but it wasn't promoted as "easy peel." There was no sign stating the cultivar. The only reason he knew it was "easy peel" is that it cost $2 a bulb and when he got it home, he discovered the peel came off all at once. He also said it had a blackish color on the peel.

I took some pics to post here but they don't really tell you anything. They just look like regular garlic.

[NJCher]

1. solved the problem

Bought the garlic at the store--5 heads of it. I just have to make sure it's organic so I can be sure it's not treated with a "growth inhibitor."

Cher

[NJCher]

2. what I learned about garlic from calling Whole Foods

Because all garlic is sprayed with a growth inhibitor, one can't plant garlic from the store. Organic garlic is the exception.

The Resident Gourmand here thought this garlic from WF would be good to grow because it is "easy peel."  It is also expensive. However, in calling Whole Foods corporate and speaking with their produce manager, I learned that unless it is organic, it probably has been sprayed with a growth inhibitor--thus no good to a gardener.

Organic garlic from the grocery store can be used as it is the only kind not sprayed with a growth inhibitor. Also the kind you order from a nursery for planting, although they charge a lot for it.

edited to add: garlic at Burpee's is priced at around $17 for half a lb which is about 5-6 heads, each head has 14 cloves. It depends on the variety--that's just an example.

[mopinko]

3. i wonder if it would help to soak/wash it.

retardants dont totally stop it, they just slow it down. i plant grocery store potatoes all the time, and it's just a matter of how long they take to sprout.
it seems to help to soak them overnight. i dont suppose a little mild soap would hurt.