The Global Garlic Project was initiated in 2005. Ten bulbs each of Persian, Sicilian, Russian, Italian, Korean, Salt Spring Island, Ukrainian, Former Yugoslavian, Thai, and Tibetan seed garlic were purchased from Salt Spring Seeds, and planted. The Cutting Veg didn’t have its own land in the early days, so the first few plantings happened at various farms, including ManoRun Farm, and Whole Village. Later, the project would live at McVean Farm in Brampton for a few years, before rooting at its current home in Sutton. Farmer Daniel birthed the project first and foremost from a deep passion for growing, eating, and sharing garlic. We love the Global Garlic Project, because it promotes seed diversity, enriches the taste of our food, promotes health and wellness, and because it’s so fun to cook with so many different types of garlic! Over time, The Global Garlic Project has expanded from its initial 100 bulbs to an annual harvest of approximately 50,000+ bulbs. We have lost a couple of varieties over the years (we miss you Thai, Hungarian, and Portuguese), and gained many more (Hello Israeli, Chinese, Polish, Northern Quebec, Siberian, Argentinean, Romanian, Japanese, Cuban, Guatemalan, Transylvanian, Czech, German, and Rose de Lautrec). We intend to continue to secure seed garlic from various places around the world, expanding our offerings and preservation of seed diversity. What’s the difference between all the varieties? Some are hot and spicy, some are mild, some are sweet. Some varieties have many cloves per bulb (Sicilian can have up to 18), while others, like the Russian, can have 2 or 3 huge cloves. Colours and shape vary as well. For more info about the various varieties, and their unique qualities, please visit Our Varieties page.
The Cutting Veg grows its garlic organically. In addition to growing in a chemical-free environment, the garlic is supported through crop rotations, and use of organic compost. We mulch our garlic thickly with straw, minimizing the need for weeding. The use of mulch also allows us to never water the garlic. The winter and spring precipitation, in combination with the straw mulch, provides all the moisture that the garlic requires. In the entirety of The Global Garlic Project, the garlic crop has never once been watered. If you are interested in growing your own garlic this year, check out our basic growing instructions.
The Global Garlic Project is sustained and supported by countless volunteers annually. From breaking bulbs into cloves in preparation for planting, to composting beds, to planting, to mulching, to weeding, to removing the garlic scapes, to harvesting, to curing, to cleaning and labeling the bulbs…each step is supported by people who love to farm, love garlic, and love to support the community and the land. We are grateful to the hundreds of people who sustain this project, and welcome everyone to participate in the Global Garlic Project.
