Elephant Garlic
(Allium ampeloprasum)
Botanically speaking, Elephant Garlic is more closely related to leeks than to regular garlic, and during the early stages of growth it looks remarkably like an enormous leek too, with its lush glaucous-blue leaves.
The scape (leafless flower stem) is ready to harvest at the end of November, just before it becomes woody: blanched in well-salted water it can be eaten like asparagus. If left to flower energy is sapped from the plant, thus scape picking serves a double purpose. Replanted average-sized cloves usually form multiple-cloved heads by the end of the growing season, though smaller cloves often develop into just a single huge clove, descriptively called a 'round'.
Lift the bulb when the foliage just starts to die off to ensure the bulblets are still firmly attached. These bulblets form around the outside of mature heads, each wrapped in a surprisingly tough skin. Hardier than their parent cloves, these are Nature's survival mechanism during harsh winters. Replanted bulblets take several years to mature, often not emerging until the second year: you can also eat them, barbecued whole, split open & sprinkled with sea salt.
Elephant Garlic Mash
Separate a head into separate cloves. Peel off the outer papery skin, leaving intact the inner yellowy layer. Toss into a heavy casserole dish, small enough for them to fit snugly, with scant water, just enough to stop them burning without the garlic actually stewing, cover. 180deg for up to 1hr - ready when a skewer pierces them easily. Squeeze out the puree once cool - a potato ricer makes a great oversized garlic press.
Add mashed anchovies, olives, capers & a dash of chilli. Quite mild so you might want to add a crushed clove of regular garlic for extra flavour, along with salt to taste. Spread it on bread or stir through cooked beans or broccoli.
Harvesting Elephant Garlic
The bulbs are generally ready to harvest straight after Christmas, though it is best to lift according to stage of growth rather than by calendar date: wait till the plant has yellowed & withered by exactly a third. If you lift while the leaves are still totally green, or when the leaves are fully dried with the top easily pulled off, the bulbs will not cure & store properly. Cure in a dry spot away from direct sunlight.
Being a hard-neck bulb it does not keep as well as soft-neck regular garlic does. The hard-neck scape stem results in the centre of the bulb not being fully closed up, which would otherwise protect the bulb from drying out & greening up. This is why it is critical to lift & cure at the correct stage of growth.
The papery skin covering over-mature bulbs readily splits, exposing the interior cloves & resulting in even more rapid greening through light exposure. Store them in a dark place should this occur. Even when cured & stored correctly Elephant Garlic will still only keep till the start of Winter. This is a specifically Summer to Autumn crop - enjoy its seasonality.
