Everyone knows garlic has a distinctive odor, and yesterday it filled the air with a mellow, pleasant scent. The morning was ideal for garden work. A blue sky arched overhead, and the sound of squabbling nuthatches echoed from the trees.
The good thing about gardening is the harvest. The bad thing about gardening is the harvest. I love having fresh garden produce, but harvesting is a lot of work. It means freezing, canning, and in the case of garlic, drying. Not my favorite thing.
This summer has been a strange one for gardening. Some crops are fantastic. Others a dismal failure. So I was somewhat apprehensive about digging up my garlic patch. I kept putting off the job. Yesterday I could stall no longer.
The morning was warm but with a prediction of rain showers, so I hopped to it. Grabbing three plastic bags (to carry the bounty) I headed outdoors, found a spade and started digging without much enthusiasm. But the first bulb broke through the soil and surprised me. It was big! I dug out the second one. Also large! Curiosity took over. Was the entire crop going to be as large?
Pushing the spade under the next plant, I unearthed it. Also nice. Soon I found myself working at lightning speed. The garlic bulbs easily popped out of the ground, and I was enjoying myself. Curiosity had taken over. I wanted to see just how good the crop was.
Half an hour later, the plants were all on top of the ground. This year’s crop was generous. I’d need to add more garlic recipes to my cooking repertoire. My exuberance was dampened as several raindrops splashed on my face. Quickly gathering my harvest in plastic bags, I headed inside where I spread my treasures on newspaper to dry, undisturbed, for the next two weeks.
The only available drying space was in the basement guest room, which I figured would be just fine. However, as I left the room, I noted that distinctive garlic smell was filling the air and wafting into the rest of the basement. Once inside, the pungent odor was not mellow or pleasing. My hope is that the smell will dissipate by the time company arrives in a few weeks.
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