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It’s been a while since I harvested the garlic and the bulbs have been curing spread out on a large table on the screened porch.

Today was braiding day.  Some directions say to braid right away while the leaves are still green and flexible. Some say to wait until the garlic is cured. I like the how-to instructions found here. You wait several days when the leaves are brown but not completely dessicated and soak the leaves between two wet towels to soften them back up ready for braiding. In my humid climate I wanted to let the garlic have a chance to dry out a little before I bundled them close together in a braid. Waiting also helped because they were easier to clean with the soil dried out and the outer layer of skin papery.

Before
Before
Roots trimmed

Roots trimmed

This reminded me of giving haircuts to my sister’s Barbie dolls.  Bwa ha ha . . .

Brushed clean
Brushed
All cleanAll clean
Having their spa treatmentSpa treatment

I followed the instructions from the link above and they were very clear. My only suggestion that helped me on my first braid was to take a pen and write the number of the bulb on the stalk several inches up before you begin. That way once I started braiding I could still see which stem went with which bulb.

Here’s the finished product:img_39511Hopefully next year I’ll have enough garlic to get more practice.

TL