Legacy Extension garlic venture retains escalating in Maine gardens
For almost a quarter century, Dave Fuller has been educating untold figures of folks ages 5 to 90 how to grow hardneck garlic. It’s been one of his places of experience as a University of Maine Cooperative Extension agriculture and non-timber forest merchandise qualified centered in Farmington.
He has furnished fingers-on teaching for commercial growers and house gardeners in the cultivation, harvest, curing and storage of the pungent perennial in Maine. With Extension crops professional Steven Johnson, Fuller has developed UMaine Extension publications and videos that have grown garlic lovers globally. With each other with Johnson, Fuller also has experienced many garlic research jobs, such as the hottest, a a few-12 months analyze of the results of scape elimination at diverse advancement levels on the dimension of the harvested bulb.
This fall, as he ready for his retirement from UMaine Extension in February, Maine’s garlic guru knew he needed to find a property for the 800 bulbs he’s applied in his investigate. He contacted colleagues and Master Gardener Volunteers who worked with organizers of university and community gardens, which include tribal gardens, the place some of the 100 lbs of garlic could be planted and utilised for educational reasons, support with foods sovereignty efforts and feed the hungry.
In 54 destinations in practically every single Maine county, Fuller’s garlic now has a 2nd lifestyle.
“It’s a neat way to lengthen the instructing,” claims Fuller, noting that hardneck garlic was a rather new crop in Maine when he started out increasing it 28 many years in the past. Without a doubt, as component of his job interview for his UMaine Extension job 24 years ago, he did an educational system on garlic.
“I commenced and ended my vocation with garlic,” he says. “It’s a beautiful plant, quick to expand and used in all the world’s cuisines.”
Fuller’s favorite side has to do with the allium’s perennial visual appearance in the back garden — the previous to be planted in the fall and the first to show up in the spring. His favored recipe: roasted garlic smeared on a new baguette
There’s no telling how substantially garlic is rising in Maine due to Fuller’s abilities and enthusiasm. He by no means tires of answering the most-requested query: when do I harvest it?
“It’s a contacting,” claims Fuller, a UMaine and College of Southern Maine alumnus. “Serving the men and women of Maine even though using my information and knowledge has been a aspiration job.”
“Of all the vegetable groups, individuals are superior on tomatoes, but garlic is a complete other thing. Folks are gaga on garlic.”
Roasted garlic recipe:
Preheat oven to 400 levels F
Slice the quite major off bulbs of hardneck garlic to expose clove ideas
Area the bulbs on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Coat the tops of the bulbs with olive oil and bake until soft, about 50 % an hour.
