GARLIC, GARLIC AND MORE GARLIC

Good Morning to you,

Two posts in one week. These days, that's unusual for me isn't it, but the reason I wanted to write to you again, is that firstly, Tuesday's 'around the corner' news was much too exciting not to share.... I say that with a smile on my face, because I was a little mischievous wasn't I, as I  really didn't share any news with you.... I just hinted about something wonderful, which might happen in the future, but I have to tell you,  once everything is confirmed you'll be the first to know, because without my wonderful friends that 'something' would never have happened.

Now, I think I had better tell you about my missing couple of weeks, well not exactly missing, because I knew where I was, but of course you didn't.

The reason I was away, was because at the beginning of October, George and I celebrated our 45th Wedding Anniversary and we decided to pop down to visit Danielle, who lives in Dorset.... and we had such a wonderful time. I love nothing more than sitting in a comfy chair, drinking coffee and catching up with Danielle.  Do you know we can talk for hours. If we decide to do something on a certain day, we have to be strict with ourselves. We agree a time and when the time arrives, we have to move from the chair to get dressed.... yes, that's right, we are usually in our pyjamas. By agreeing a time we manage to get to where we are going, otherwise we would probably sit in our chairs and continue chatting.  Shall I tell you something else, I am the same when I am with Natasha.... we sit and we chat for hours on end about this and that.... and I love it. I love it when I can catch up with both my daughters.... it truly makes me so happy. Their lives are so busy, that these moments we share are so precious to me.

.... and while we were in Dorset, we had the most wonderful weather.... it was so mild, compared to Newcastle, that I actually managed to go out and about without a coat.... which I certainly couldn't do here.

I love living here in Newcastle, but oh those North East winds, how they can howl.   

What I do miss, about living here in the North of England, is those days when the sun shines and the wind is still, and as cliched as it sounds, where you can just be still. Where all you can hear are the sounds from the garden and nothing more.

Talking of the garden, I was speaking to a friend of mine, the other day, who is a keen gardener. My friend has an allotment and was telling me about the vegetables which she was harvesting, onions, potatoes and runner beans to name a few and I asked her if she had ever grown garlic, as this was something I wanted to grow.... and of course, being the wonderful gardener she is, knew exactly how to grow garlic.  What surprised me the most, was that I could plant a garlic bulb which I already had in the kitchen.... the bulb has to be fat and juicy though, don't try planting garlic which is wizened, as it won't work.

So I feel sure you have guessed what we are going to do today,

yes that's right, we are going to be planting garlic, so that we have lots of free garlic cloves to cook with next year.... and I think you will have noticed that I use a lot of garlic in my cooking, so anything which saves me money makes me happy.  

Just to say, there is no music to share today, as I was in the garden when I planted the garlic bulbs and often as not, I tend not to listen to music when working in the garden.... now that's a surprise isn't it. 

You will also be so surprised to learn how easy it is to grow garlic. 

Firstly,

gently pull the garlic cloves apart and don't worry about any of the papery outer covering which is left attached to the cloves.

Find a good sized pot, which has holes in the bottom for drainage.... I'm sorry about the shadow, but the sun was behind me and it was the same where ever I moved in the garden.  My space is limited because my garden is small.

Place broken terracotta crocks or gravel, in the bottom of the pot as this helps with drainage.

Then fill the pot with all purpose soil.  I did ask if there was any specific soil needed, but apparently not.

Find your bulb dibber..... this will see a lot of action later this week, as I am going to be planting my spring bulbs.

If you don't have a dibber, you can use a pencil, but just make sure the holes are big enough for your garlic cloves to fit. Just a thought, don't make the hole so big that when the clove is planted there is air around the clove, as the clove needs to sit in the soil.

Prod the soil with either your dibber or your pencil

and

place the garlic cloves into the holes.... top side up.... the professional term is the pointy end... only joking. The bottom of the clove is the piece you detached from the bottom of the bulb. 

Look who popped by to pay me a visit when I moved from my seat. Now on this occasion, the sun behind me has resulted in some lovely shadows.

Cover with soil.... leaving just the tips of the cloves peeking through the soil.

Water

and

let's see how long it will take before we see some green shoots.

I would love it, if you decide to plant garlic, to let me know how you get on and we can compare results.

Maybe you will have some tips to pass on to me and vice versa.

I keep checking the pot, but as yet no green shoots. I know, I am going to be like a jack in the box, popping in and out of the garden to check on my babies.... but when they start sprouting I will let you know.

Take care and I will see you again next Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Miz Helen's Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday

and

Natasha in Oz for Sunday's Down Under