Artichoke types - Milder in taste, best garlic for eating raw, usual storage time 3 - 4 months
Artichoke garlic is usually shaped rather squat like and the wrappers are white or creamy with an occasional blush to the inner wrappers. They are generally milder than the Creole or silverskin types and so are excellent for raw use. They are also a good choice for those who like a hint of garlic in cooked dishes. Due to the arrangement of the cloves, the outer ones are usually very easy to remove. Artichoke types have limited storage time and should be eaten within 3-4 months. They are usually the first to mature in the spring.
For us, Early Italian often has tan, wrinkled wrappers which give it a rough look. However, looks can be deceiving because the cloves are mild and sweet. It seems to do moderately well in different soil conditions but has not yet achieved large size or consistently uniform shape.
Inchelium Red is reported to have won a number of garlic taste tests. Grown well , it is a medium to very large garlic with white wrappers. Its performance has not been consistent in our various gardens in the three years we have gown it, but it is worth the effort for its taste and sometimes reaches a very large size. It is also excellent for fresh use.
Lorz Italian is another excellent tasting artichoke garlic. It has performed very well in our different gardens over the last several years, even doing well in gardens with less than optimal soil. It has nice white wrappers and fairly consistent shape, often reaching very large size.
Red Toch did not perform well this year.
Creole types - Excellent complex flavor raw or cooked, usual storage 6-9 months
The Creole garlics are technically considered a softneck type but usually develop hard stems and scapes like hardneck garlics do. Creoles are rich in flavor, more pungent than artichoke types and less pungent than silverskin types. They have thick skins which are easy to peel and the cloves are crispy in texture. They store much longer than artichoke types. It is often difficult to obtain Creole garlics as they do not tolerate the winter conditions of the areas where most garlic farms are located in the northern part of the US. They are very suitable for growing in the south and are usually fairly early to mature.
For us, Burgundy develops bulbils in the stem, which probably causes the bulbs to be smaller than expected. However, those bulbils can be planted, just like the cloves, in the fall and they will develop into small bulbs the first year, which is an inexpensive way to increase stock. It just requires a little patience in letting the bulbs "grow up" over several years. The burgundy color of the clove wrappers looks dusty rose through the outer wrappers, but the inner wrappers are a beautiful burgundy color. It is considered to be mild yet full flavored with moderate heat. It is a consistent performer and is an excellent tasting garlic.
Creole Red is rich flavored, deep and earthy with some pungency. The outer wrappers are white, but the inner wrapper around the clove is a brilliant dark red. In the two years we have grown Creole red, it has performed well in developing size and shape. This Creole develops a consistent round shape with well formed cloves that are delicious.
Cuban Purple is also a rich garlic with earthy flavors and little heat. It is excellent for pesto, salsas and other raw uses for garlic. This garlic was very difficult to obtain; thus, we have limited stock. It has done well for the first year here. We expect this garlic to be as wonderful as Burgundy and Creole Red.
Silverskin types - Pungent, best cooked, longest storing, 9+ months
The silverskins, as suggested by their name, usually have white wrappers although the cloves may have a reddish blush. They are generally very pungent and the garlic flavor holds up well in cooking. These garlic are better sauteed to a straw color when using, unless added to sauces where they will cook. The silverskins are the longest storing type and under very conditions may keep a year. Most silverskins have large outer cloves with a number of small inner ones.
Mild French is a very pungent garlic and is best eaten cooked. It has taken the original York County Master Gardener grower about 5 years for bulbs to reach a large size, but this garlic has become a reliable performer in most or our gardens. It is one of the earliest of the silverskins to mature. It has often stored for over a year in good conditions.
Nootka is also a pungent garlic and best eaten cooked. It has not performed consistently well in the three years we have grown it, but it may need more time to adapt to a single garden. This garlic is one that makes nice braids. Nootka should also store over nine months.
Although we have only grown S & H Silver for one year, it appears to be a very consistent performer, growing to a large size in each of our test gardens this past year. This garlic grows large and matures very late. It is reported to be one of the sweeter silverskin garlics. It does appear to store for at least a
year.
We dropped Silver Rose from our trials in order to try the S&H Silver as the Silver Rose was an under performer. However, it may have acclimated in a few more years and so is worth other gardeners trying.
Western Rose has also not performed well and may be dropped from our trials. Our experience with Mild French suggests that both Silver Rose and Western Rose would perform better after several years of "growing up".