
This week at Loon Organics, we harvested part of the garlic crop. As I sat in the sunny field and rubbed the dirt from each head, I developed a new appreciation for this little allium. “Nothing is easy about garlic.” I heard Adam say as he moved down a row, rhythmically pulling head after head from the dirt. I was quick to understand why. The heads don’t give up easily. Sometimes they stay in the ground, and all you come up with is the top of the plant. The pitchfork is then used to free the garlic. After each head has been cleaned, they are loaded onto the wagon and escorted by Toby back to the barn for drying. Up the ladder and into the loft of the barn they are lined up to dry. Hearty German, Music, and Red Chesnok varieties of garlic filled the warm air inside the barn with their fragrances. I biked home that day winged with green garlic stalks bursting from my backpack.