Does anyone know how I should go about finding a market for ElephantGarlic? It is the only thing I can grow around here that the grasshoppers don't like to eat and at the moment I have 28 pounds that I just harvested from two 4x4 beds.If i can figure out how to sell some it would sure help thecash flow around here.There is not a lot we can do with only an acre and half of that in trees. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.Thanks,Carla

-- Carla Sloan (hillsidefarm@texoma.net), June 17, 2000

Answers

Carla, all I can think of are the obvious answers. Talk to the produce manager of your grocery store, the manage of an upscale eatery. If you produced it organically, but aren't certified, make sure to tell them that you grow naturally-that is appealing to a lot of people. Sometimes there are farmer's markets that don't charge much (if at all) for people to sell at. I've seen people sitting at a card table with just a few cukes they had extra. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), June 17, 2000.

It's pretty labor intensive but making a garlic braid then using raffia or a light jute twine to tie in sprigs of herbs sells really well and at a premium price at farmer's markets as the consumer has something pretty to use as decoration before (s)he uses it in cooking. A little card with tips on using the garlic and herbs makes it an even more attractive item. I used clean hay twine to strengthen the braid and make a hanging loop. (I'm a great believer in use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without, as a friend who raised her family during the Depression was fond of saying)

Elephant garlic has that hard core in the neck and to soften it for braiding, I took a mallet to it so it would bend without breaking. Sort about 7 bulbs by size, remove outer soiled skins, trim the roots and put the largest in the center of a group of 3. Use the hay twine to tie them together, then start braiding the leaves with the twine as part of one strand. Add the bulbs alternately on each side with the smallest at the top. You may cut a few leaves from each strand if it becomes too bulky. Continue the braid until it's long enough to double back on itself and bind with the hay twine. Decorate with herbs and the card and you're set. I priced mine according to weight of the garlic but usually got $12-14 per finished braid. You know your local market and charge what the market will bear. This works well with onions and looks great with red onions. GL

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), June 19, 2000.