Garlic Elephant Cloves
The spectacular 'Elephant Garlic' is more closely related to leeks than your everyday garlic, and is commonly known as the 'wild leek'. Easy and rewarding to grow, this hardy herb produces big, papery-skinned bulbs that can measure up to 10-15cm in diameter, each with five or six huge cloves. It is a perfect choice for the kitchen garden or for adding a touch of drama to your herbaceous borders.Milder and sweeter in flavour than smaller varieties, 'Elephant Garlic' makes a versatile and outside-of-the-box cooking ingredient. Grate it raw for salads and dressings, slice it finely for stir-fries, or best of all, bake or roast the bulbs whole, before squeezing out the lovely creamy centres for an unusual vegetable or dip, for spreading on crusty bread, or adding to mashed potato. Also great for the barbeque, just wrap them in foil and throw them on the grill! Cloves can be used fresh and succulent, or after they have been dried and stored over a few weeks or months, when they will have a more intense flavour.A native of Asia, 'Elephant Garlic' thrives in a sunny position in well-drained soil, although can tolerate a heavier soil than smaller garlic varieties. The large, broad, flattish blue-green leaves and sturdy flower stems will rise tall and proud in your vegetable garden - or make a striking feature in a mixed border. The pinky-purple blooms appear in June and July - they are pretty enough but should be trimmed early so the plant concentrates its goodness in the swelling bulb. Cut the flowers for your vase or leave just a few in your borders for dramatic effect.Supplied as four planting cloves, which will produce four plants.
