Inchelium Red Information
This variety of garlic was discovered, or re-discovered, growing on the Colville Indian Reservation, which is in Inchelium, Washington. The Inchelium Red has since won awards, including a 1990 Rodale Kitchens garlic taste test. Garlic varieties can be divided into hardneck and softneck types. Inchelium Red is one of the latter, which means it does not have a flower stalk and it produces more cloves per bulb as compared to hardneck types. Inchelium Red garlic plants produce bulbs that are about three inches (7.6 cm.) across and contain 15 cloves on average. The actual number of cloves can vary a lot, though, from 12 to 20 per bulb. Unlike other types of softneck garlic, this one does not have tiny cloves at the center of the bulb. All the cloves are large.
Inchelium Red Garlic Uses
Any culinary use for garlic is appropriate for Inchelium Red. This is a variety that has won taste tests, so turn to it any time you really want the garlic to shine, such as in garlic mashed potatoes. Roast entire bulbs to sweeten the flavor of the cloves. They will become sweet and soft enough to spread. This type of garlic can also be decorative. The softneck varieties don’t have a stiff flower stalk. You can easily braid the softer, grassy stems to make an attractive chain of garlic for hanging as the bulbs dry.
How to Grow Inchelium Red Garlic
Growing Inchelium Red garlic isn’t difficult. It grows as an annual in a variety of soils but prefers a versatile soil type with a long of organic material. Avoid soil that is too wet or won’t drain well. Rot is one of the few problems you may encounter growing this garlic. Start Inchelium Red outdoors, preferably in fall for a spring harvest. You can also plant in spring, but the fall harvest will be smaller. Garlic generally needs cooler temperatures to form bulbs. Your garlic plants will need sunlight and only moderate water. Keep an eye out for pests, but generally these are low-maintenance plants.
