This year’s harvest has not been the biggest, but the garlic is still supremely tasty and strong. If you’re interested in buying, here’s the price and list:
Please email us at redbarnfarmvic(at)gmail.com to place your order. Garlic can be collected from Northcote, at Red barn Farm, or by other arrangement.
On November 4th, we lifted this year’s harvest – and it’s a beauty! We planted less this year, but the garlic we have produced is so beautiful. Last year’s crop was good – but some of the bulbs had split. This year – not one dud.
Instead of plaiting and sizing the garlic, we have created mixed bunches. In any bunch there are large, medium and smaller bulbs, so all the bunches are more-or-less the same in quality and quantity. We are selling each bunch for $28 – and there are only 30 bunches in total for sale this year.
The harvest is curing in the barn – as you can see in the photos, and will be ready to eat from December 4th. This year’s harvest should last until March (at least). Please let us know if you’d like to place an order by emailing redbarnfarm(at)gmail.com, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram.
Yesterday, Jason and I lifted the last of this season’s garlic crop – it’s beautiful. We’ve bunched it, and it’s now curing in the roof of the barn, same as last year. 
The purple of the garlic is so vibrant – hedging into an almost blue, like a cornflower blue, on some bulbs. It seems that this year, we have about the same amount of garlic as last, but fewer small bulbs, Mostly, the garlic is medium-sized. If you’re keen for some garlic, you can buy in bunches of 12.
Prices:
Plaited Dozen medium bulbs (left) – $25 Ponytail Dozen medium bulbs (right)- $20
Send us an email if you’d like to order: redbarnfarmvic AT gmail.com
How do you store the garlic plaits/pony-tails?
The plaits/ponytails look so beautiful hanging in the kitchen or pantry – and it’s the best way to store garlic. Make sure you keep your garlic away from direct sunlight, steam and heat.
How do you use it?
To use a bulb from a plait, just gently twist and remove it. If you take the bulbs from the top of the plait first, then you keep the plait aesthetic for longer. If you want just a clove, use your fingernails or a blunt knife to remove a one. For ponytails – just choose the one you like the look of and cut it from the bunch.
How did we grow it?
We grew our garlic using organic farming methods – this year aided with biodegradable weed-mat to help. Our garlic grew naturally without artificial anythings, in gorgeous alkaline soil near pink salt lakes. As a result our garlic has all the health properties of the very best garlic – and tastes awesome!
How can you purchase some garlic?
Hit the contact page and send us an email– we can mail garlic to you (postage costs additional).
Please note: Fresh garlic quarantine restrictions apply to WA and Tasmania – so we can’t send to you unfortunately…
When do we deliver?
Due to our rural location we dispatch orders Monday – Wednesdays only. Orders received after 12pm on Wednesday will be posted on the following Monday. Won’t take long though – garlic will be with you in no time.
If you’re heading out West in Victoria, drop us a line and swing by. Buy at the farm door and check out the farm (and we’ll make you a splendid cup of tea).
Cheerio,
Penelope.
For Over the last month or so, we have had a feast of mushrooms: Pine mushrooms (the orange ones above) – sometimes known as Saffron Milk Caps or Orange Fly Capscaps, and Field mushrooms (the brown ones below).
The pine mushrooms are a delicious, nutty type of mushroom with a great texture – amazing in risotto. We have been selling these at Rose Street Pantry in Fitzroy – there should be some available every Monday until the end of the mushrooming season.
Oddly enough though, at the same time as harvesting mushrooms, our sunflowers were truly in bloom – (climate change deniers please explain…). We had to pull the sunflowers up to make way for our garlic – which we have just planted. It will be around late November when we next harvest the garlic.
With the sunflowers, we are drying them to harvest the seeds:
These could be delicious – or a mouldy disaster. It remains to be seen…
Next up – Olives!
Oh sweet miracles! I really thought our bees were done for. Our old hive was a shambles! The wooden frames were falling apart and the whole thing was a stinging, sticky mess. Last weekend, I switched everything over to a Flow Hive – (those fancy, non-invasive honey factories/bee hotels). I drew out about 15kg of honey, and the bees are healthy.
So, we don’t have a stack available this year, but I suspect that things are about to change.
Stay tuned for our next episode in farming adventure-land…Olives.
Our garlic supplies are dwindling as people are buying the last of the plaits, but the eggs are picking up supply! Andy the dog is clearly inspiring the chickens to lay…
I reckon we will be picking mulberries in the next week or so, and yesterday we harvested the apricots. Tomorrow – once the cooler weather has come, we will crank up the Aga and start on the jams. Red plum jam will be first up. Last year’s batch was delicious – so here’s hoping for this year’s. Should be plenty – the trees are heavy with fruit. If anyone fancies coming and making jam with us – sing out!
This November, we harvested our very first crop of Australian Purple garlic. We planted back in March in chemical free soil (30 years chemical free) without pesticides. The braids have been hanging in the top of the Red Barn for a month now, and we have just started sampling. Oh my! This is very good garlic indeed (and having lived in Italy, I am a total fusspot when it comes to the quality of garlic).
So if you’d like some – we are selling by the bunch.
This is a photo of the crop hanging just after being hand pulled from the garlic bed.
December-February prices:
$28 mediums (12 bulbs approx)
$22 smalls (16 bulbs approx)
$16 littlies (16 bulbs approx)
How do you store the garlic plaits
The plaits look so beautiful hanging in the kitchen or pantry – and it’s the best way to store garlic. Make sure you keep your garlic away from direct sunlight, steam and heat.
How do you use it?
To use a bulb just gently twist and remove it from the the plait. If you take the bulbs from the top of the plait first, then you keep the plait aesthetic for longer. If you want just a clove, use your fingernails or a blunt knife to remove a one.
How did we grow it?
We grew our garlic using permaculture principles, complete with kale and beetroot growing alongside the garlic beds. Our garlic grew naturally without artificial anythings, in gorgeous alkaline soil near pink salt lakes. As a result our garlic has all the health properties of the very best garlic – and tastes awesome!
How can you purchase some garlic?
Hit the contact page and send us an email– we can mail garlic to you (postage costs additional).
Please note: Fresh garlic quarantine restrictions apply to WA and Tasmania – so we can’t send to you unfortunately…
When do we deliver?
Due to our rural location we dispatch orders Monday – Wednesdays only. Orders received after 12pm on Wednesday will be posted on the following Monday. Won’t take long though – garlic will be with you in no time.
If you’re heading out West in Victoria, drop us a line and swing by. Buy at the farm door and check out the farm (and we’ll make you a splendid cup of tea).
Red barn farm 