Scroll down towards the bottom to see the years in passing. Things changed a lot this year. This Newsletter will grow as things change. A Report as of November 5, 2002 - We Have Lots of Garlic in Stock! It's been another one of those interesting years in the garlic business. An unusually warm winter followed by an ususually cool spring and summer caused some crop failures and delayed maturity and harvest of other varieties across the country for the second straight year. This, of course, caused a significant delay in shipping the garlic to our customers since we can't ship it until we get it from the growers. But now we have 22 or so different varieties in stock and are shipping frantically. The varieties we presently have in stock for immediate shipment include: Inchelium Red - rich medium artichoke. California Early - mellow medium artichoke. Chesnok Red - rich medium purple stripe - BEST ROASTING GARLIC! Persian Star - mellow medium flavor purple stripe - excellent roaster. German Stiffneck - a porcelain garlic with really big cloves and stores well. Rosewood - rich and very strong porcelain garlic that stores well - few but big cloves. Korean Red - rich and strong porcelain garlic. Mother of Pearl - very rich, yet mellow silverskin garlic that stores well. Killarney Red - very big and full flavored rocambole that will leave you wanting more. Youghigheny Purple - very large and rich full flavored rocambole garlic originally from northern Italy. China Rose - very large and very rich, yet mellow turban artichoke - great for warm winter gardens early harvesting. Romanian Red - rich and very strong porcelain with few but large cloves. Georgian Crystal - rich and mellow medium flavor porcelain that stores well. Summit Roja - big strong rocambole garlic that is very flavorful. Spanish Roja - strong and really good flavored rocambole - Ron England's favorite. Leningrad - rich and strong rocambole from the heart of Mother Russa. Siberian - beautiful very purple mellow garlic that stores well - great for warm winter area gardens. German Brown - a very rich rocambole. German Red - another very rich strong rocambole. Silverwhite - long storing silverskin with good flavor that just gets better with time. Music - rich medium-strong porcelain garlic with big cloves and stores well. Klamuth Red - rich yet mellow medium flavored - unusual for a rocambole garlic. Elephant garlic - we still have a little left - stores longer than the others. As you can see we still have a wide selection of excellent garlics, most of which are large to very large in size and many are XXL in size. Please call me on our toll-free number ( 1-866-348-3049 ) if you would like to order an assortment of some of these exotic and rare garlics and we can ship immediately. A Report as of October 6, 2002 - We Have Lots of Garlic in Stock! Late Garlic Harvest Delays Shipments for Second Straight Year! For the second year in a row, changing weather patterns have damaged some crops and have delayed the harvest of many others, causing the dry-down period to be later and shipping times to be delayed. Once again growers were unable to get their produce to us as soon as we would like, and orders have built up waiting for garlic to fill them. We finally have our garlic from the growers and it is generally excellent and we are packing and sending garlic as fast as we can to try to get caught up. If you have ordered garlic and are wondering where your order is, please understand that it is in process and will be sent as soon as possinle and we hope to be caught up completely within a couple of weeks. This time of year, we may fudge a little bit and get garlic to the northernmost gardeners first so they can get theirs in the ground before it's too late. From Todd Wesser in Pennsylvania we get a beautiful and flavorful rocambole garlic he calls Youghigheny (pronounced "yock-e-gainey", named after a river valley where it has been grown for several generations) Purple. Family history says it is a hardneck brought over from Italy in the early 1900's. Youghigheny Purple is a rich and pungent cold winter garlic that thrives in Pennsylvania and other similar climates and the ones we have in stock ready to ship are big and beautiful and have a lot of purple in them. Todd is not yet certified organic, but has been growing in accordance with organic standards for three years now. A Report as of August 10, 2002 - Yet Another New Star is Born! In addition to the old favorites of Inchelium Red and Spanish Roja, Burgundy and Metechi, two years ago we introduced Garlicsmiths' Kettle River Giants and last year Gregory's China Rose to the garlic loving public - to much acclaim. This year our newest discovery is a variety from Williams Creek Farm called Mother of Pearl - an incredibly richly flavored, yet mild silverskin. Personally, I think it is mis-named; perhaps it should be called Mother Teresa garlic, because it is somewhat homely-looking but has a heart of pure gold. When I first opened the box, I was a little disappointed with the appearance of the garlic; it was dusty and still had some dried mud clinging to parts of it (they had to be harvested during rainy weather), not as beautiful as most garlics we're accustomed to seeing around here. Peeling away the rough-looking bulb wrappers revealed light and dark plum colored streaks on creamy clove covers that had two extra layers of clove wrappers, giving them a mother-of-pearl look. When I first bit into a small clove, it was love at first bite - it had an incredibly rich, earthy garlic flavor, yet was strangely almost devoid of heat! And, since it's a silverskin, it's naturally long storing as well - Wow! Next years crop is sure to be prettier than this years crop, but I know it can't taste any better - this is a garlic lover's dream. A Report as of July 5, 2002 - We're Now Accepting Orders for Shipping in mid-September 2002! We have a couple of new developments this year that will assure faster shipping and better storage of our garlics. We have built a walk-in cooler where the temp is always in the mid-50's (perhaps ideal for storing garlic for our purposes) and a shipping department that will accomodate more people so that orders can be filled and sent quicker. These improvements coupled with our shopping cart and credit card acceptance will assure an even higher level of customer satisfaction. We can't help but think it's going to be the best season yet and that we'll have the best and widest selection ever, especially since we keep hearing from more growers. Storage temperature is very important. By storing garlic bulbs in the mid-50's F range, it keeps well and for a longer time than at room temp. A big benefit is that once the garlic is brought up to room temp; that is, sent to a customer, it continues to store well for a few months, unlike store-bought garlic that sprouts almost immediately. We can't guarantee storage length, but the closer to 55 F and 60% humidity, the better and longer garlic will store, unless affected by some sort of pest or pathogen. Our new shipping department is air-conditioned so that the garlic stays cool as long as possible - it's better for the shippers, too. I will still select the varieties of garlic for all orders, but my helpers will pick, sack and pack most orders this year. This way our valued customers get their purchses sent to them faster and it helps the local economy here a little and the local economy can always stand a little help. We're harvesting our first crop in three years and it feels good to get down on my knees in the dirt again. Regular readers know that we lost our entire crop to a tornado/giant hailstorm two years ago and that last year was too wet to plant a crop. We are in the process of growing out our seedstock plants this year and have had a pretty fair growing year in spite of the drought and this years plague of grasshoppers. Yeah, that's right, this year we get a plague of grasshoppers! I have seen more different kinds and colors of grasshoppers than ever before and still have not seen many of some other kinds I have seen before, so I know there's more to come. Those who cherish the idea that garlic repels insects better cross grasshoppers off their list of such insects. Our grasshoppers eat the garlic to the ground and then go into the ground and eat out the bulbs. They come back up out of the ground looking for more garlic and race to beat their brethren to it. We managed to cover the garlic with lightweight fabric floating row covers and it protected the garlic long enough for us to harvest most of it and avert real disaster. Most of it looks to be pretty good planting stock for us to plant in the fall. I must say, the farming business is a whole lot more interesting than you would think as you look at it from your car window or think about it from your living room in town. While some years have rewarded us with bumper crops, other years we've learned to survive a tornado and hail storm, a record-setting drought, hauling water, temps up to 116 F and now we're witnessing our second second grasshopper plague. Mother Nature gets more interesting all the time. Kinda makes me wonder what's next? Whatever it is, I shall accept it stoicly and humbly - as if there were some kind of choice. The last time I playfully complained to Ms. Nature about how little rain she was giving us, she gave me water in the form of cantelope-size hailstones that wiped out the very crop I had hoped her rain would irrigate. I don't complain about the weather anymore, anyone who can conjure up lightning, tornados and such ain't nobody to argue with. There may not be a lot of movies and entertainment parlors this far out in the country, but the environment is a show in itself out here. Sometimes, just surviving is all the reward you get for your considerable effort and other years the bumper crops come easier than they should. You can laugh or cry, but you better not complain - the landlady don't like it and won't put up with it. If it's like it was before, there will be more grasshoppers next year, but they will be different kinds than those who came this year. Then we'll be back to the bumper crops again. I think the bumper crops feed on the manure the grasshoppers leave behind - and they leave plenty of it behind. The trees and bushes all get stripped and all the leaves are reduced to little dark brown pellets that litter the ground (literally). But the trees and bushes always come back the following year and flower and bear fruit again in all the years when the grasshoppers sleep, so little is permanently damaged, though they got most our family garden this year. We have a few grasshoppers every year, but every six or seven years, their numbers increase massively. It apparently varies by variety and weather conditions - they like it dry, as a bacteria keeps their numbers in check during wetter years. During the year following the grasshopper invasion the land will be extra fertile because of the residual grasshopper manure. That's the time to plant the bumper crop - timing is everything. The 2002 crop update as of July 5, 2002. We will begin shipping in early-mid September this year - Place your orders now. We will have a couple of dozen kinds of garlic available for assortments. E-Mail me if you're not sure and ask about what varieties are best for your area and even though we cannot guarantee the fitness or worthiness of our garlic for any particular purpose, we can certainly give you some idea as to which varieties would be more or less likely to do well in your area. We have an EXCELLENT new variety - warm winter growers will love this one - it's called Gregory's China Rose. China Rose is an early season Asiatic or Turban (we are not certain yet) Artichoke that has a very rich, full earthy taste (9 on a scale of 10 - and there probably ain't no 10) but is only moderately hot; about 4 on a scale of 10. We think it's going to become very popular not only for its flavor, but because it grows well in California, the South and other warm winter areas. Garlic is shipped out in the order payment is received and with what we think is the best garlic then available. Due to unanticipated orders, we may have to substitute, but we'll find some way to get you some good garlic, one way or another. Always check the Boutique Page for what is currently available. If you wish, you can E-Mail me or call me toll-free at (1-866-348-3049) to tell me what you want to order so that I can verify price and availability. BIG NEWS! Finally, we are set up to accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard and American Express and soon Discover). This has been a long time coming and so has the shopping cart I am installing to simplify buying and to automate the process. Our acceptance of credit cards signals a shift away from a seasonal business to a year-round activity where we sell things related to garlic as well as the fresh bulbs, which we will try to stock on a year-round basis - (lotsa luck, we usually sell out of garlic and go for months without any to sell - of course, you know we're piggin' out on my private stash). It has taken a lot of time and effort to bring it all together, so I hope it works right. If not, please let me know and I'll try to get it up and running. Ordering should be easier than ever now with the on-line shopping cart. It will not only accept credit cards on line, but also fill out an order form for you to print and send if you prefer to pay by check and also would prepare a checklist if you prefer to give your credit card information over our toll-free phone line. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail or call me. I've already had about a dozen different varieties confirmed for certain that we'll have them (They're listed on the Boutique page). We expect to have several more new committments each week and will have 30 or 40 varieties available by mid-September. We will add them to the Boutique page and also add information about them in the Varieties Page as they come in. We will also add them to the shopping cart program to make it easier to order them. I will try to keep the website updated once or twice a week so that new varieties are posted immediately. Check the Boutique page for New Available Varieties as season goes on. Click Here to Go To the Boutique - Buy Small Assorted Sampler Packs of garlic & other things. Click Here to Go To the Varieties Page - Buy specific varieties of garlic by the pound. A look back at the Topsy-Turvy 2001 crop year. What an interesting year this has been! One is enough of years like 2001. It was a year of ecstastic highs and tragic lows with some growers experiencing bumper crops while others while others watched theirs' wither or drown. It was an incredible spring followed by 9-11, it was a year when some beautiful garlic turned bad in storage. It was a year we got more orders than ever before but much of the garlic from one particular grower wilted prematurely and many orders had to be cancelled. All in all; however, it was a spectacular year that I won't be forgetting any time soon. So far, the 21st century is rather turbulent, but interesting in a fatal attraction sort of way. We have grown and continued to develop in spite of it all and will continue to be a source of excellent garlics from excellent growers. We have more growers than ever before so 2002 looks to be a year of plentiful supplies of premium quality exotic varietal garlics. We will also be adding much to the website in both information about garlic and pickled garlic and other garlic snacks and kitchen tools as well as books, gardening aids and other things. We will have a lot more help in 2002 so we will be able to ship orders faster. We will be making lots of changes to the website often and will add peroidical 2002 crop reports to keep you advised about the outlook for garlic supplies this year. So please drop by from time to time to see what the current state of the 2002 crop is and be sure to get your order in early since early orders get the best selection. We will probably begin shipping sometime this summer around August or September. A look back at 2000 and a first look at this years crop as of March 22 2001. Wow! What a wild and crazy year 2000 was for us, especially when you remember that we lost our crop in April to a tornado/freak hail storm. Having no garlic of our own to offer, we asked other growers if they would sell some of their garlic to us so we would have something to sell. What a response. We received big, beautiful bulbs from organic growers all across the country. It sure felt great to be able to ship those beautiful assortments of garlics. It shows what good things can happen for everyone when organic people work together. It works for everyone - consumers get what they are looking for, growers sell their crops, everybody wins. We're going to do it again this year. While 2000 brought us a lot more unanticipated free publicity in the way of being recommended in Forbes Magazine and stories that mentioned us in lots of newspapers across the country, it also brought more than its share of adversity. 2000 was undoubtedly the hottest and driest year of my life - it hit 116 degrees several times last year and was often between 108 and 114 (measured in the shade of the north side of the house). All creeks and ponds (we call them cattle tanks) went dry and prairie and pasture alike were barren and the outlook was bleak. Almost all of the ranchers west of us had to sell off their herds because there was nothing for them to eat or drink, and we were next - we were in the midst of the worst drought in our local history. Funny, the drought ended when we went to the Garlic is Life Symposium and Festival in Tulsa, OK in Oct. It started raining on us there and rained on us all the way back from Tulsa and has rained often enough since then that we have been unable plow or plant because it has been too wet since then. Mother Nature always seems to have special treats in store for this part of Texas. No doubt this is the price we must pay for the beautiful sunrises and spectacular sunsets and the beautiful oak-treed rolling hills to the east of us and the low prairie to the west. If it's the price we have to pay for the deer and turkey and the bobcat and buzzard, it's well worth it. We love the isolation of living in a remote creek bottom area with abundant wildlife (game, the hunters call it) and if severe weather is the rent Mama Earth charges us for living in her home, it's more than reasonable. We usually enjoy growing garlic in the fertile creekside soil, but if we have to miss a crop or two occasionally, it's still cheap rent. I work as a ranch hand for my father-in-law and he has recently come up lame, so I'm now doing more of the things he used to do so it takes a little more of my time. I have been studying everything on the net about prostate cancer to see if there is a way to help him. We seem to have found some complementary therapies that have made him feel better and gain back some of the weight he lost. He is doing better and we hope it lasts. Learning about organic chemistry, cell biology and the endocrine system has opened up a whole new appreciation for the complexity of apparently simple things. What the 1999 Crop was like and how the year ended. Wow! What a busy year 1999 was. First, we were favorably mentioned in a Food and Wine magazine article and then the New York Times mentioned us as did the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Contra Costa Times and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and several other publications, too. I feel very flattered. We were overwhelmed with orders (Thank you very much!) and too busy to post any changes to the website. Still am, but I'm doing it anyway. The extraordinary amount of unanticipated free publicity caused us to sell out earlier than usual and by the time the Garlic is Life Festival began in Tulsa in Mid-October, we were sold out. We even had to return some people's money because we had no more garlic to sell. A great way to end a millinium - with things looking up.

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