GOURMET GARLIC

Boom Times for Garlic Growers

Gourmet garlic is one of the easiest and most profitable cash crops for small growers, whether your growing area is a few raised beds in the backyard, or an acre or two. It’s a perfect crop for organic growers, as garlic has few pests and diseases due to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Garlic is easy to plant, grow and harvest, and the plants are compact, so a large amount of garlic can be grown in a small space. In fact, gourmet garlic can produce an income of up to $10 per square foot, so even a small 200 square foot garlic bed could bring in $2,000!

Garlic Grower Success Story …

Maine growers Roberta Bailey and Rob Lemire have had to expand their garlic production each year to keep up with the growing popularity of gourmet garlic. Not long ago, 150 pounds was enough to supply the demand at the local farmer’s market, but now they are producing over 1,000 pounds every season, and selling every clove for around $16 a pound.

Roberta was convinced the market would become saturated at some point. Yet when she shows up at the farmer’s market, it’s all gone the first day!   These days, according to Roberta, “There is never enough garlic.”

That’s what has been happening to gourmet garlic sales around the country. Folks love the flavorful hard-to-find varieties, such as Romanian Red, Carpathian and Music, which can’t be found at supermarkets, and are lining up to buy from small local growers who can supply the demand.

Prices reflect that demand as well, with the average price for a pound of gourmet garlic now at $15.70, and elephant garlic at $16.85. Value-added garlic products, such as fresh garlic scapes (green shoots), garlic braids and food products like pickled garlic or garlic vinegar also sell well.

Another Garlic Grower Success Story…

When Mary Beth Webster and David Maestros bought a 100 year old Ohio farmhouse on 17 acres, they didn’t have a clue about what to grow on the land. They chose garlic – for three reasons. First, it’s easy to grow. Second, it’s disease resistant. And their most important reason… the deer don’t eat it! They started their first garlic growing season with just 50 plants, and have since expanded to 20,000 plants. They grow 24 different varieties of garlic, with two current favorites, Kettle River Giant and Xian. Kettle River Giant lives up to it’s name, producing huge 4-inch bulbs. Xian is a beautiful red-stripe bulb from China.

Although David and Mary Beth have chosen to expand their garlic business to accommodate the growing demand for gourmet garlic, there are hundreds of small backyard garlic growers who are happy to earn a steady extra income with a few raised beds of gourmet garlic sold to local customers who want to know where their food comes from. These repeat local customers are the ones who are happy to pay $16 a pound for high-quality garlic and will ensure you are sold out every growing season!

Because the demand for gourmet garlic is booming, there are good opportunities for new growers to start growing garlic for sale, and cash in on this remarkable plant. You don’t need acres of land to make money with garlic – just a sunny spot in the backyard will do. There is plenty of room for garlic growers of all sizes. It’s an ideal part-time cash crop that can produce a surprisingly good income in a small space.

“Your book has the perfect balance of growing and marketing information about garlic. Lots of great tips, techniques and no-nonsense advice. Thanks for giving me the real-world information I needed to get serious about growing gourmet garlic. Your guide is a must-have for anyone thinking about growing garlic for profit.” Brian Alexander

Garlic is a member of the same plant family as onions, shallots, leeks and chives. In fact, elephant garlic is even classified as a member of the leek family. For thousands of years, garlic has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes. The traditional garlic varieties have an amazing range of colors, tastes and “heat,” and are light-years removed from your basic boring supermarket garlic.

Many of the most popular varieties originated in Eastern Europe – Lithuania, Siberia and Uzbekistan, and do very well in colder climates. They have a wide range of rich flavors, and names like Purple Glazer, Red Rezan, Khabar and Metechi. The Porcelain varieties are a market grower favorite, with large bulbs and a classic sweet garlic flavor. The varieties German Extra Hardy and Music are always sell-outs at the farmer’s market.

The Rocambole varieties, such as Killarney Red, Spanish Roja and Carpathian are popular with serious cooks and chefs for their full-bodied savory flavor and easy-to-peel cloves. Foodies and chefs consider Rocambole to be the caviar of garlics.Even elephant garlic has it’s fans, who are willing to pay gourmet garlic prices of $16 a pound for the sweet, mild flavor, which makes it easy for cooks to add garlic flavor to a dish without overpowering it, such as in soups or stews. Growers love elephant garlic for it’s productivity – you can harvest a substantial crop in not much space.

With so many types of garlic, it can be confusing to a new grower. Should I plant Artichoke, Creole, Purple Stripe, Porcelain, Rocambole or Turban? To make it even more interesting, there are hundreds of individual varieties of the basic ten garlic types.Don’t worry! Our guidebook, Growing Gourmet Garlic For Profit does all the heavy lifting to help you choose the best varieties for your climate and the most productive and popular varieties to grow for sale.

Value-Added Garlic Products…..

One of the best ways to profit from a crop of garlic is to “add value,” by selling garlic products in addition to freshly harvested garlic bulbs. Here are just a few examples of garlic products that have 200% to 500% profit margins and require only simple processing:

• Flea repellant for pets
• garlic braids
• pickled garlic
• garlic vinegar

What’s In The Book

Here are just a few of the growing secrets you’ll learn in Growing Gourmet Garlic For Profit:

• Best garlic types for market garlic growers.
• Top 8 softneck garlic varieties for market growers.
• Top 30 proven hardneck garlic varieties for market growers.
• Best garlic varieties for producing large bulbs.
• How to double yields with intensive planting techniques.
• The 8 best places for new growers to sell their garlic for full retail prices.
• Top  wholesale suppliers for seed garlic.
• Wholesale sources for growing and packaging supplies.

I’m an avid gardener, and have been looking for ways to earn some extra income in my garden. Your garlic growing book is a great resource and my step-by-step guide to becoming a profitable small-scale garlic farmer. The resource links alone were worth more than the price of the book. Your guide has it all – how to grow, how to make value-added garlic products and how to sell everything you grow. Thank you.   Patricia Rowe

 

Growing Gourmet Garlic For Profit covers all the essentials you’ll need to take your new garlic business from startup to profitable. You’ll find helpful information on:

• How to pick the best garlic varieties for your climate.
• Which garlic varieties are best for cooking – fresh use – powder.
• The best value-added products to make and sell locally.
• Resources for commercial garlic growers.