Garlic cont’d….

So after some initial research we started wondering why garlic seed stock was so much more expensive than table stock, what you buy for eating at the super market, farmers market,etc… The consensus is that the biggest and best garlic bulbs are saved and sold as seed stock but are otherwise the same garlic you would buy and eat. They’re derived from the same bulb, cloves, or bulbils. Check out this forum that my sister forwarded me. It pretty much covers the discussion.

http://forums.organicgardening.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2241078301/m/6811081551

I’m maintaining a bit of scepticism towards it being necessary to plant from seed stock. I’d kind of rather saving the money (which could be the difference between a few dollars per pound to as much as $17/lb.) and just go try picking up a bit from a farmers market. This year I think we are going to do a mix. My father has reserved some 25 pounds of German Extra-Hardy from Fraser’s farm up in Churchville, south-west of Rochester that we are planning to pick up on our way to Geneva, and hopefully we’ll get to a farmers market in the next few days and buy some in bulk. Anybody out there know somewhere where we can get a 100-200 pounds of a good tasty hardneck variety of garlic for a good price?