News and Stories

Domestic garlic yields remain extremely low. The maturity of many bulbs was compromised by warmer winter temperatures and unseasonal rains. Peeled garlic is being processed at a much slower rate to cull poor quality cloves.

• Domestic garlic is grown during the winter months, harvested during the summer, and put into storage for year-round distribution
• Bulbs require a certain number of cold nights to develop properly; last winter’s higher-than-normal temperatures didn’t provide the cold exposure needed
• Typically irrigation is withdrawn in late May to allow fields to dry for harvesting, but irrigation was extended until late June in the majority of fields to aid growth
• Abnormal rains in June and July added heat and moisture to the garlic, causing a percentage of cloves to deteriorate
• Defects will vary as growers move through different lots, but issues will be apparent to some degree until new crop stocks are available
• Imported garlic is on the market at slightly lower price levels
• Chinese peeled garlic has a similar shelf-life to California product; the flavor profile is less pungent as there is a higher water content and less oil
• A small percentage is also imported from Argentina, Mexico, and Spain

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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