Garlic Varieties – 2026 Info

Our garlic will be tested for garlic bloat nematode by the plant disease clinic at the University of MN in June 2026.

All garlic varieties are $2 per bulb. Bulbs are over 2″ and may be larger depending on the year. Elephant garlic is $5/ bulb. Shipping will be $13.00.

Email order to ricecreekfarm@yahoo.com. Payment can be arranged by cash, check, paypal or venmo, or XRP.

Music (porcelain): One of our most popular varieties. We like this variety for its very large size and high medicinal content. It has a starchy texture when cooked and is amazing mixed into mashed potatoes. Very large cloves make it easy to get lots of garlic with minimal peeling. Very hot when raw. This variety stores the best for us. We can use this garlic sometimes up to a year after harvest. Bulbs have 3-6 cloves.

Chesnok Red (purple stripe): We think that this is a great all-around garlic. Known for its fine flavor and smooth texture when roasted. It regularly wins awards as one of the best tasting baking garlic. It adds sweet garlic flavor without heat to dishes. Chesnok Red produces large bulbs with 8-12 medium sized cloves per head. It has a medium storage length of about 6 months.

Denostia Red (creole): (Image coming later this season) We first planted this one in the fall of 2022. This will be the first year that we bring some to the market and have enough to thoroughly test for ourselves in our own kitchen. Until we have had a little more experience cooking with it and storing it over the winter ourselves, here is a description from Whistling Duck Farm. “A beautiful, reliable producer from the city of Donostia in Spain. Like other Creoles, this garlic stores amazingly well. It is HOT, with 10-12 magenta cloves per good-sized bulb, with white outer wrapper. Thrives in warmer-winter regions but will grow in cooler areas as well.”

Inchellium Red (artichoke): Looking for a good braiding garlic? We chose this variety for its award-winning flavor (1990 Rodale Kitchens best tasting soft neck). Good storage length, 6-9 months. Bulbs contain 8-20 cloves. Here in MN these always have a percentage that bolts so that we are only able to braid a portion of the crop. Customers who purchase braids of these will often tell us that they used the last bulb a at 12 months of storage. It is usually starting to get a little rubbery at that time but is still very useable.

Thermadrone (artichoke): (Image coming later this year) This is another new one for us. We started growing it last fall and we anticipate being able to bring it to the market in 2025. Due to the fact that we haven’t been able to cook any or experience how it stores yet, I will again use an exerpt from Grey Duck Garlic to describe it until we form our own description. “This French softneck garlic is popular with chefs and will add an authentic flavor to your French dishes. It has a true deep garlic flavor with a Dijon-type mustard middle note. This is unlike any other garlic we have tasted and seems to blend especially well with butter. It can be stored under the proper conditions for 6-9 months. The large white bulbs with brown and purple streaks contain 12-20 flattened cloves. 

Spanish Roja (rocambole): A Northwest heirloom came to the Portland, Oregon area over a hundred years ago and was originally known as Greek or Greek Blue garlic. It is a generally a vigorous grower with large foliage that is dark green and results in a pretty good-sized bulb. Being a Rocambole garlic, its flavor is very strong, hot and spicy and sticks around for a long time. It seems to have an especially rich taste. From a grower’s perspective, it grows well in cold winter areas. Keeps 4-6 months.

Idaho Silver (silverskin): Idaho Silver is a softneck of the Silverskin strain whose origin story is lost to time. Bake to sweeten this many-cloved garlic or eat raw for a taste that starts slowly with the heat building to hot. Idaho Silver is known to have a long storage life with a rich flavor, its moderate bite increasing with storage.

Elephant Garlic (leek family): The flavor is considered to be milder than garlic and can be eaten raw in salads, roasted, or sauteed, but is generally not a substitute for conventional garlic in cooking. There is some evidence that elephant garlic grown in colder climates develop a sharper flavor than those grown in southern climates. Stores at least 6-8 months. Elephant garlic is $5/bulb.