Moon phase: Week 4 (waning)
Yesterday I took down the bundles of garlic that had been hanging in my conservatory to dry. They had been there almost a week, having been harvested just after the full moon (best time for lifting roots for storage) so I thought it was time to progress to stage two: stripping and further drying.
The first part turned out to be quite messy, so I'm glad I did it outdoors. Basically you have to rub off the driest outer layers without exposing the individual cloves - easier said than done with some of them! However the reward is that you end up with lovely clean bulbs, just like the ones in the shops.
The bulbs now need another two weeks' drying in a cool dry airy place (not easy in this weather!). Unfortunately we don't have a garage or cool shed, so I will have to put them in the utility room and hope for the best!