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Turban Variety of Garlic
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Order Now We are now accepting early orders for gourmet garlic to be shipped in fall 2011. - [ Shallots in the Summer - order now for mid-late summer shipping ] - [ Garlic Braids - order now for Fall 2011 shipping ] - [ Garlics sorted by variety - order now for Fall 2011 shipping ] - [ Garlics sorted by mild, medium and strong - order now for Fall 2011 shipping ] |
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We now include an online garlic gardeners market where you buy direct |
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Overview of the Turban Variety of Hardneck Garlic
Turbans usually have 5-7 very large fat cloves that form something of a circle around a center that may or may not have a scape. There are few or no tiny interior cloves.
Turban garlic's bulb wrappers are usually very colorful with lots of purple splotches and stripes. Some cultivars are very white but vividly striped with red/purple vertical lines.
Most of the Turbans I have grown have had stalks (called scapes) that form an upside-down U before straightening up. All cultivars of a given variety of garlic generally have the same scape pattern before they straighten up; all Rocambole scapes form a double loop while Purple Stripe garlics form 3/4 of a loop.
Asiatics have a smaller seedhead (properly called an umbel) while Turbans have a larger umbel that resembles a turban. The umbel is covered with a membrane called a spathe and the pointed end of the spathe is called a beak. Turban garlics usually have a beak in the range of 6 to 9 inches or so and have the second-longest beaks of all garlic varities.
Not all have scapes but most usually do.
Turbans have 30 to 100 small rice-size bulbils in their bulbil capsule.
Some cultivars are instantly hot to the taste while others may be remarkably mild for up to half a minute before you get a very hot taste that spreads from the back of the mouth forward.
They can be very pungent and have a musky aftertaste.
Not all Turbans are hot although some are but there are also some rich garlicky ones that don't overpower with pungency.
Asiatic and Turban Varietal similarities Asiatic and Turban garlics were originally classified as a separate group that was part of the Artichoke garlics but recent DNA research done independently by a couple of Garlic is Life colleagues of mine, Dr. Gayle Volk of the USDA in Fort Collins, Colorado and Dr. Joachim Keller of the Institute for plant Research in Gaterslaben, Germany, shows them both to be weakly-bolting hardnecks that are distinct from each other as well as the other groups of garlics.
Asiatics and Turban garlics have as many similarities as differences. Asiatics have 8-12 fat cloves, Turbans have about 6 really big cloves. They are the very earliest harvesting of all garlics and if you can grow them you'll have garlic before anyone else is anywhere near ready to harvest. They are short storing garlics as most don't last more than 5 months at room temperature before sprouting. They are always the first garlics to sprout in the fall. They are also unusual in that they don't mature gradually like all the other garlics; when they are ready, their tops start to fall over, like onions. That's too late. The time to check their bulb size and get ready to start harvesting them is in mid-spring before their leaves fall over and they lose all their bulb wrappers, as they will if they stay in the ground for very long after they are ready to be harvested. If they lose their bulb wrappers, their storage time will be reduced even more than usual. The secret to success in growing great Asiatic and Turban is to dig down and watch the bulbs develop and when they get big enough to suit you, go ahead and dig them up, don't wait for them to fall over. You simply have to harvest them before they fall over. They do seem to grow exceptionally well in dry climates like the southwestern USA, if properly irrigated. Asiatics and Turbans should be a part of every garlic lover's garden along with long storing ones so you can have fresh garlic all year around. |
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- Know where your food comes from. - Order China Dawn direct from our growers below -
China Dawn is another beautiful Turban garlic with a rich garlicky flavor and it has a floral-like aroma when raw.
China Dawn has a mellow/moderate pungency that you
notice immediately upon biting into China Dawn raw - instant mellow sweet earthy richness that builds to a crescendo in about
45 seconds, levels out and slowly dissipates leaving you warm and grinning.
Turbans are among the very earliest harvesting garlics and store until mid-November or longer and need to be planted early in the fall.
Harvests in late spring/early summer, stores into winter.
-- Order now for shipment in fall 2011.
After ordering, use your back arrow key to return to this point,
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- Know where your food comes from - Order Red Janice direct from our growers below - Red Janice is a hardneck Turban garlic from the Republic of Georgia and has a deep, rich, earthy, musky garlickiness and a sharp pungency when raw. Red Janice becomes sweet when baked. Being a Turban it will have 5 to 9 large fat cloves. Red Janice is a good garlic to grow in order to have hot strong garlic early in May or June, depending on location and is best grown along with a longer storing garlic like Silverskin, Porcelain or Creole so you may be able to have good garlic year around. Can grow rather large and grows very well in most of the USA and can even be grown in warm winter areas quite well. -- Order now for shipment in fall 2011. Get in line early as there will likely be shortages this year. --
After ordering, use your back arrow key to return to this point,
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Know where your food comes from. - Order Maiskij direct from our growers below - This Turban garlic originated in Turkmenistan, one of those small, mountainous Islamic republics near Chechnia that used to be in the Soviet Union. Not a particularly large garlic but a beautifully colorful one that harvests very early in the season. They form hardnecks and have lots of purple in rather flaky outer bulb wrappers that are easy to peel. The cloves are tannish with purple stripes on a purplish blush background and with slightly elongated tips. The bulbs contain an average of six cloves in a circular pattern and have no small internal cloves. The taste is medium strong, leaning toward being bold,
but not overpowering. They have what seems to be a concentrated taste
with very good character that makes them very appealing to the tongue as well as the eye. They
are an attractive, early, tasty garlic that stores well but not real long
as they want to get back into the ground by October and tend to sprout in
the early fall.
Because this early season delight doesn't store past fall, it needs to be grown in conjunction with some longer
storing varieties like Porcelains or Creoles or Silverskins so as to insure having good garlic year around.
After ordering, use your back arrow key to return to this point,
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Shandong is another beautiful Turban garlic with a rich garlicky flavor that has a robust pungency that you
notice immediately upon biting into Shandong raw - instant fiery hotness that builds to a crescendo in about
40 seconds, levels out and slowly dissipates leaving you warm and breathless.
Turbans are among the very earliest harvesting garlics and store until mid-November or longer and need to be planted early in the fall. -- Order now for shipment in fall 2011.
After ordering, use your back arrow key to return to this point,
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Know where your food comes from. - Buy Direct from our Growers below and Save. -- Order now for shipping in late summer/early fall 2011. --
Shilla is a very unusual garlic and surprising in several ways.
First, the bulb wrappers are very white background-most Asiatics and Turbans seem to have a lot of purple coloration.
Secondly, there is a strong tendency for these weakly bolting hardnecks to produce a scape and the bulbil capsule at the top of the scape
has a very definite turban shape to it. The clove covers are brownish-purple.
Shilla have a very strong garlicky flavor with a moderate heat. In addition to a nice garlickiness they have a distinct undertone
to them that strongly reminds of Dijon mustand, rather similar to Rose du Lautrec, a Creole garlic from the South of France.
They have a strong aftertaste that sticks around for a while. While they are certainly not the strongest garlic I have ever
tasted, their Dijon-like flavor makes them very unusual .
Asiatic and Turban garlics are always the first garlics we harvest each year as they mature weeks before any of the others.
They should be grown in conjunction with longer storing garlics like Porcelains or Silverskins since they harvest a month or two before them and provide garlic at a time of year when good garlic is very hard to find.
Another surprise is the bulbs, which are much larger than you would think as you look at the size of their foliage.
When you see them growing in the garden among other types of garlic, their leaves are not nearly as large as the others and you begin to think
they aren't going to form very big bulbs, but the bulbs turn out to be larger than you might think.
They store clean but they don't store as long as most other garlics as they seem to want to get back into the ground earlier in the fall since they
mature so early in the spring.
Shilla garlics average about eight big fat cloves per bulb in a rather circular configuration around a central core with no tiny interior cloves.
After ordering, use your back arrow key to return to this point,
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Know where your food comes from. - Order Tzan direct from our growers below - And Save. - Tzan -- Order now for shipping in Fall 2011.--
Tzan is a bit of a mysterious garlic in that there doesn't seem to be a clear picture of what it is as I have seen
it described as an Artichoke though it is called a Turban but looks like an Asiatic. I have even seen one study that classified it as a Marbled Purple Stripe. Now that one of our growers
is growing it for the first time, we hope to learn more about it this year.
It is a very early harvesting garlic that comes at a time when good garlic is hard to find and is always a welcome presence.
First, their flavor and pungency makes you say "Yowza" or whatever you say when you
bite into something that is hotter than you thought it would be. Then you start singing or humming "Happy Days are here again"
Tzan is a garlic that harvests very early in the season. many form hardnecks
and have some purple blush purple in rather flaky outer bulb wrappers that are easy
to peel. The cloves are tannish with thin purple stripes and with slightly elongated tips. The bulbs contain an average
of 12 cloves in an Artichoke-type pattern and have a few smallish but not tiny internal cloves - a more detailed
description will come later. By all accounts the taste is hot and strong, with an earthy muskiness.
Their rich flavor makes them very appealing. They
are an early, tasty garlic that stores as well as any Asiatic or Turban as they want to get back into the ground
in October and tend to sprout in the early fall.
Because this early season delight doesn't store past fall, it needs to be grown in conjunction with some longer
storing varieties like Porcelains or Creoles or Silverskins so as to insure having good garlic year around.
After ordering, use your back arrow key to return to this point,
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Know where your food comes from. - Order Xian direct from our growers below - And Save. - Xian -- Order now for shipping in August, 2011.--
Xian is a beautiful and mysterious garlic that everyone should grow if they can. First, their beauty makes you say "Wow" -
they are very white with radical red thick vertical stripes like a peppermint stick.
Now, the mystery, they were sent to Chester Aaron, author of "Garlic is Life" and many other works, from a woman from Chinatown in San Francisco and he has lost touch with her and doesn't know where they came from originally.
A beautifully colorful one that harvests very early in the season. most form hardnecks
and have lots of purple in rather flaky outer bulb wrappers that are easy
to peel. The cloves are tannish with purple stripes on a purplish blush
background and with slightly elongated tips. The bulbs contain an average
of six cloves in a circular pattern and have no small internal cloves. The taste is medium strong, with a deep earthy muskiness and just enough pungency to let you know you're eating garlic but not enough to overwhelm.
Their rich flavor makes them very appealing to the tongue as well as the eye. They
are an attractive, early, tasty garlic that stores as well as any Asiatic or Turban
as they want to get back into the ground in October and tend to sprout in
the early fall.
Because this early season delight doesn't store past fall, it needs to be grown in conjunction with some longer
storing varieties like Porcelains or Creoles or Silverskins so as to insure having good garlic year around.
After ordering, use your back arrow key to return to this point,
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Chinese Purple - A Turban Garlic
--Sorry folks, not available this year.-- Chinese Purple is a very unusual garlic in several ways.
First, the bulb wrappers have vivid purple stripes on a very white background.
Secondly, there is a strong tendency for these softnecks
to produce a hardneck and the bulbil capsule at the top of the scape
has a very definite turban shape to it. Thirdly, the clove covers are
dark brownish-purple.
Chinese Purples have a very strong garlic taste with a fierce heat. I privately call them
Chinese cherry bombs as the heat is instantaneous and they seem to
explode in your mouth. They have a strong aftertaste that sticks around
for a while. While they are not the most powerful garlic I have ever
tasted, they are one potent package.
I perspired so much when I taste tested this one that it took 30 to 40 minutes for the hair on the back
of my neck to begin to dry out. If you like strong garlic, this is
one to get.
This would be an excellent garlic to use for the medicinal
benefits or if you want an extra strong garlic to use in insecticide
or anti-bacterial sprays as it would seem to have a very high potential
to produce lots of allicin. Asaiatics and Turbans are always the first garlics we harvest each year as they
the appear to mature before any of the others. Another surprise is
the bulbs are much larger than you would think as you look at the size of their foliage. When
you see them growing in the garden among other types of garlic, their
leaves are not nearly as large as the others and you begin to think
they aren't going to form very big bulbs, but the bulbs are surprisingly large.
They store clean but they don't store as long as most other artichokes as they seem
to want to get back into the ground earlier in the fall since they
mature so early in the spring. Our Chinese Purple garlics average about
12 cloves per bulb in a fairly circular configuration. |
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This Farmers market is like your local farmers market.
If you buy from a grower and later cancel that order for any reason, the credit card processing gateway still charges Gourmet Garlic Gardens the full processing
fee plus an additional fee of the same amount for processing the cancellation and also it places an additional clerical burden on us
so, regretably, we must charge a 15% cancellation fee when processing the cancellation because that's about what it costs us.
My advice is to look around among the various growers and decide what to buy from whom and then place your orders and stick with the growers you have chosen.
Each grower/vendor is responsible for their own garlic and prompt shipping to the buyer. Gourmet Garlic Gardens is not responsible for any garlic sent directly from any grower/vendor to any buyer and serves only as a virtual meeting place and credit/debit card processor for the convenience of both grower and buyer. Gourmet Garlic Gardens' total liability from all causes is limited to refunding the monies the buyer has charged against their card using Gourmet Garlic Gardens as a payment processor for any specific transaction with any particular grower/vendor. Prices and availability of garlic subject to change without notice. |
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How Our Garlics are Grown
All the garlic for sale in our online farmers market was grown without the use of petrochemical pesticides,
herbicides, or fertilizers; only natural and non-toxic fertilizers and pest control methods are used.
Some of our growers are Certified Organic and some are Certified Naturally Grown, which we regard as equal to
Certified Organic in every meaningful way but without all the bureaucratic entanglements.
All our farmers market growers grow organically and some are Certified Organic but not all want to be certified
Organic because of the paperwork and reporting requirements and are among the best available sources of sustainable/
organic Garlic and they become Certified Naturally Grown, where the regulation comes from their fellow members rather
than a federal bureacracy.
We do not allow growers who use synthetic petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides to
participate in our farmers market.
All garlic in our farmers market is grown in the USA, no imports allowed. |
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[ Our Home Page ]
[ Online Catalog ]
[ Garlic Overview ]
[ 40 Varieties ]
[ Growing Garlic ]
[ Cooking with Garlic ]
[ Chemistry of Garlic ]
[ Garlic Pills, Etc. ]
[ Health Benefits ]
[ Links ]
[ FAQs ]
[ About Us ]
[ How to Order ]
[ Sampler Assortments ]
[ Pickle & Preserve Garlic ]
[ Artichoke Garlics ]
[ Asiatic Garlics ]
[ Creole Garlics ]
[ Porcelain Garlics ]
[ Purple Stripe Garlics ]
[ Rocambole Garlics ]
[ Silverskin Garlics ]
[ Turban Garlics ]
[ Our Farmers Market ]
[ Growing Garlic in the South, CA & Texas ]
[ Tour our Garlic Garden ]
[ Paint Rock Pictographs ]
[ Newsletter ]
[ Garlic is Life Symposia ]
[ Good Growers Wanted ]
[ Spring 2001 ]
[ Spring 2007 ]
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Our site is always under construction. - This page last updated October 26, 2011.
If you would like to communicate with us, please send email to:
bob@web-access.net
Our website been visited over two million times by people looking for good garlic
and up to date garlic information since August of 1997.
Thanks one and all.
