Rose du Tarn Garlic - Allium sativum

Rose du Tarn  Garlic is a traditional variety, cultivated for a long time in the Lautrec region, renowned for its cloves of deep pink colour and mild flavour. This excellent variety is also characterised by very sturdy flower stalks, which facilitate braiding into clusters, as well as a long winter dormancy period, ensuring good preservation until March. This pink garlic is planted in winter, in December-January, and harvested in summer, between late June and late July. It is essential to prune the flower stalks in June, to promote bulb growth. The garlic heads need to be dried by the air, while protected from the sun, for at least 2 weeks. This rustic local variety thrives in clay-limestone soils and hot summers, even fairly dry ones.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a very hardy perennial plant, cultivated as an annual. It belongs to the Liliaceae family, like onions, shallots, and chives. It comes in the form of a large bulb, called a head, topped with long flat leaves. The garlic head contains several cloves. It is these cloves that are planted in the ground and give rise to new heads.

There are 3 categories of garlic: white, purple, and pink. White and purple garlic are planted in autumn. They are quite early, have a good yield, but their storage is limited. Conversely, pink garlic is planted in spring. It is well adapted to regions with harsh winters and hot summers. Its productivity is lower, but it can be stored for a longer period. Rose du Tarn garlic, cultivated in the Lautrec area of France, benefits from two protected designations: Label Rouge Pink Garlic and IGP Pink Garlic from Lautrec. 

In terms of culinary use, garlic can be consumed raw or cooked. Its pungent taste flavours salads, meats, mushrooms, stews, or stuffings. Garlic has the particularity of being rich in sulphur compounds and selenium. Finely chopped leaves of white or purple garlic flavour omelettes and fresh cheeses, just like chives.

Harvesting: Garlic is harvested when the leaves wither, in June and July, when it is fully ripe. Pull up the bulbs and let them dry for a few days on dry and shady ground (to prevent sunburn). The foliage of autumn garlic (white and purple) is harvested in April and May, while it is still green.

Storage: Cut off the leaves or braid them to hang. Store garlic away from light, in a dry and fairly warm room such as the kitchen. Check beforehand that the bulbs have not been bruised to prevent rotting, which could contaminate the entire harvest. Garlic heads can be stored for several months (6 months to 1 year, with pink and purple garlic storing better than white garlic).

Gardener's tip: prepare a garlic decoction to prevent damping-off in seedlings and, as a curative measure, to fight against mites and fungal diseases such as mildew and rust. Crush approximately 100g (about 10 cloves) of fresh garlic and soak it in 1L of rainwater for 24 hours. Boil gently, covered, for 20 minutes. Let it cool (still covered) for 1 hour. Strain.

Use undiluted:
- either in the watering can, to fight against damping-off.
- or by spraying on the foliage of plants (including the undersides of leaves) to combat fungal diseases and mites. You can add a little milk to the mixture before spraying to allow better adherence to the foliage.

Repeat the process 3 times at 3-day intervals. The garlic decoction does not keep and should be used within 48 hours.