Once scorned by Anglo-Americans as a questionable foreign ingredient, garlic has undergone a remarkable transformation in American gardens and kitchens. Today, gardening enthusiasts across the country aren’t just growing it — they’re obsessively collecting heirloom varieties with the same fervor others reserve for vintage wines or rare books.
William Woys Weaver, author of the definitive guide “Heirloom Vegetable Gardening,” has personally grown and saved seeds from a staggering 280 heirloom vegetable varieties, including dozens of garlic types. “I think, at last check, that I have 53 different sorts of garlics,” Weaver notes, “but many of them are so rare that they can only be obtained through Seed Savers Exchange.”
From Medicinal Oddity to Culinary Staple
The journey of garlic in American culture reveals surprising historical prejudices. Once dismissed with the curt assessment that though “used by the French, [they] are better adapted to the uses of medicine than cookery,” garlic faced serious cultural resistance in 18th and 19th century America, largely due to concerns about body odor and hygiene perceptions.
How times have changed. “Now that we do not stink so much, we like to eat it,” Weaver observes with characteristic dry wit. “Of all the alliums grown today, American gardeners are the craziest for garlic, proven medical benefits aside.”
Understanding Garlic Varieties
For the uninitiated, all true garlics belong to the genus Allium and species sativum. But the garlic world divides sharply into two main branches: softneck (var. sativum) and hardneck or rocambole (var. ophioscorodon). The differences between them are both practical and visually striking.
“The softneck garlics are called braidable varieties because their tops are soft-stemmed and dry into a grass that can be tied together with other garlics to form them into long chains,” Weaver explains. These are the familiar braided garlics often seen hanging in rustic kitchens.
Hardneck varieties, however, put on a botanical show. “The hardneck varieties form topsets on stems that rise up like snakes,” writes Weaver. “Before they open, the flowers unroll like the long beaks of cranes; once open, they look like cobras.” These dramatic flower stalks aren’t just for show — they’re key to propagation and adaptation to colder climates, making hardnecks particularly suitable for regions north of the 37th parallel.
Confused by elephant garlic at the farmer’s market? It’s not garlic at all. “What many gardeners do not realize is that the elephant garlic, which has gained in popularity recently, is not a garlic at all but rather a type of leek that forms bulbs,” Weaver clarifies. “It does not have the medical constituents of true garlic.”
Three Red Heirlooms Worth Growing
While white garlics dominate supermarket shelves, Weaver recommends three exceptional red heirloom varieties that offer superior flavor and growing characteristics.
German Red, a medieval rocambole strain brought by 18th-century German immigrants, grows with impressive vigor. “It is a vigorous grower, often reaching 5 to 6 feet in height,” Weaver describes. “The leaves are deep green and arranged opposite each other.” Beyond its robust flavor, this variety has cultural significance in Pennsylvania Dutch communities, where the leaves of fall and spring sprouts are traditionally added to cabbage salads.
Inchelium Red, discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington state, represents a different garlic tradition. As a softneck artichoke type, it’s exceptionally productive and has earned serious culinary credentials. It “has consistently won high marks (often taking first place) in garlic tastings,” according to Weaver, making it “probably one of the best of the American heirloom red garlics” from a culinary standpoint.
Spanish Roja, a late 19th-century introduction, rounds out Weaver’s recommendations. This rocambole type produces bulbs “about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter with 6 to 12 cloves per bulb” and has remained “consistently popular with kitchen gardeners” for good reason. Its intense, fragrant flavor surpasses many white varieties, though Weaver cautions it “cannot be grown in areas that do not have cold winters.”
Garlic Gardening Misconceptions
One persistent gardening myth concerns garlic cross-pollination. While all garlics can theoretically cross-pollinate, the process isn’t what many assume. “Crosses will occur in the topsets that form from the flowers, not in the bulbs already underground,” Weaver specifies, correcting a common misconception among gardeners.
For those inspired to explore beyond common varieties, Weaver’s comprehensive guide “Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener’s Guide to Planting, Seed Saving and Cultural History” offers detailed information on growing, cooking, and preserving the genetic diversity of these distinct culinary treasures.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of America’s garlic renaissance isn’t just the variety available, but how completely our cultural attitude has shifted. What was once dismissed as a foreign oddity has become the obsession of gardeners nationwide — proof that even our most deeply rooted food prejudices can, given enough time and evidence, be thoroughly uprooted.
