Just so you know a little bit about what heirloom garlic is and what I grow, this is something that I sent to someone wanting a lot of information about my garlic. Where needed, I have updated the information to reflect today's availability and pricing:
"There are books written just on garlic; growing, harvesting, and cooking/eating. Generally garlic can be segregated into three broad categories: Turban (hardnecks), Artichoke (softneck [also called silverskins]), and Creole. Each have attributes that make them popular. Garlic is rated by garlic experts (yes, there really are garlic experts - LOL) and they are rated on garlickiness and pungency (heat). They rating is 1-10, with 1 being almost without taste and heat and 10 being extremely hot and/or garlicky.
All my garlic is considered heirloom and I grow organically. I never use herbicides or pesticides of any kind near my garden. All the garlic I grow is also labeled gourmet and there is little resemblance between it and what found in grocery stores.
1. Turban - This garlic is generally called "hardneck" because of its hard, central stem and is what's typically grown up north. This garlic can be grown in the south as well and can be harvested a few weeks before the other garlic. Turban can be quite tasteful and hot, but for the most part they are considered mild to middle-of-the-road in both taste and heat. They are generally rated 3-6. Turbans generally will have few cloves but the cloves will be quite large. Turbans will easily store for 4-6 months. I have four varieties of this and it is priced @ $22.00/lb.
2. Artichoke - This garlic prefers to grow in warmer climates and those in the far-northern states (other than the NW coastal states) can have a difficult time growing it. These are called "softnecks" and "silverskins" because the bulb wrappers are silvery in appearance. Softnecks are generally rated a bit higher than hardnecks, let's say 4-7 and they store longer than hardnecks, easily 6 months and some as long as 10 months. Every variety has a little bit different coloration and size, but some of these bulbs can weigh 1/4 lb. I have six varieties and each is priced @ $22.00/lb.
3. Creole - Now comes the cream of the crop. These garlics are rarely seen for sale (almost never when I make mine available), are almost always sold in limited amounts (often as little as 1/4 lb.!), and are at the top in every category you can imagine. These garlic are purchased for their taste/heat (4-9), their beautiful colors (everything from cream with purple stripes, lavender, rose red, and dark purple), for their keeping ability (8-12 months or longer), and because they don't lose their flavor when cooked. I am still using my Creole garlics harvested last June. Creole bulbs will almost always be a bit smaller than the hardnecks and softnecks and will generally have 8-12 cloves/bulb. These varieties would generally never be grown outside of the southern states and a warm-climate in the NW Coast areas. When a professional chef chooses the best garlic, it will always be a Creole. I have six varieties. These are priced @$25.00/lb.
For someone who has never had or bought these gourmet garlics, these prices might seem a bit expensive. But when you consider the size, flavor, and long-storage time of these garlics, the price is actually quite reasonable. Generally, my garlic is priced 20-25% less than comparable garlics sold elsewhere. Also, it is rare to find a large commercial grower that will ship garlic out before late August. Most only begins shipping in October. Mine begins to go out in mid-June. I am a hobbyist grower, not a commercial grower. I just like to grow things!
Shipping costs will naturally vary depending on weight and where it is being shipped. I am in Mississippi. Shipping to the west coast and upper NE costs me the most. Since I only sell by the pound, the lightest box would be rated at 2 lbs. Shipping will range anywhere from $7.45 up to $12.95. I always inform my buyers of the shipping cost before they commit to a purchase. That's just the right thing to do.
Also, since I won't be shipping out my garlic until mid-June (I will dig it up mid-late May and into early June) and then will cure it for 2-3 weeks, I generally won't even invoice anyone for their garlic until I actually see what I have available. Garlic, like any other crop, has good years and bad years. Last year was terrible and my total crop's weight came in about 40% lighter than the year before. I ended up limiting my buyers to reduced weight or simply had to refuse some purchases all together. Some of my buyers insist on pre-paying (they want first dibs on the garlic!) and I had to refund money to some of them. I was badly over-sold. Ouch! I don't do the pre-harvest sale any longer. I now simply ask a select few (previous buyers) if they have interest and will note those that do. I already have that list.
If you want to know the specific varieties I have and the characteristics of each, I will be glad to supply you with that information. If you want to order my garlic, just let me know and I will put you in the pre-sale ledger. But remember, I cannot guarantee that I can fulfill an order until I see what my harvest looks like.
Thanks for your interest."
Added Note:
Most store-bought garlic used to come from Gilroy, California and was only two types, both softnecks. Now, the vast majority comes from China and the variety is almost never known. Buyer beware. By the way, the huge elephant garlic you see in your grocery store is not even a garlic. It is an onion that has a very mild garlicky flavor.
