Italian Easy Peel

Ben Ronniger Last updated on Jul 15, 2024 by

Harvests in early summer - stores through fall into winter

Rocamboles grow better in cold winter gardens.

Italian Easy Peel is rare because of its incredible ease of peeling, thus its name. It is an Italian rocambole that was brought to the USA from Italy around a hundred years ago and has been grown all over Northern states ever since. It is thought to have come from northern Italy since it is a rocambole that probably won't grow well in southern Italy. Most other Italian garlics are artichokes and a few silverskins. When is the last time you remember an Italian rocambole?

Italian Easy Peel is generally good sized and can be a rather large garlic. Being a Rocambole garlic, its flavor is rich and strong, but unlike most Rocamboles its taste is milder rather than hot and spicy. A very enriching taste experience but not one to burn your tongue. For those who love garlickiness without the burn, it's for you.

From a grower's perspective, it grows well in cold winter areas and usually grows healthy uniform sized bulbs. It has thick bulb wrappers for a rocambole and they have a lot of purple and brown layered across a white background - very attractive.

Italian Easy Peel usually has anywhere from 8 or 9 easy to peel cloves that are of good size, with no smaller inner cloves. The outer bulb wrappers are thin and flake off easily so it is not a very good storer, but no Rocambole is.

For those up north who want to grow their own garlic, it seems to grow well in wet conditions. It only takes a year or two to grow all you can eat. It harvests in early summer along with most of the other Rocamboles and stores through fall into mid-winter so it's not a long storing garlic. Bulbs are usually over 2 1/2 inches in diameter and are of good size are grown primarily for their rich flavor and good growing characteristics.

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