Dateline: 26 August 2016
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I used to grow a LOT of garlic, and I used to have a home business making and selling Herrick's Homegrown Stiffneck Garlic Powder. Then, of course, I wrote A Book On The Subject.
But these days I grow only a single garden bed of garlic. I pick the bulbs and put the still-green plants under my wood shed to dry. A few weeks later, I cut off the roots and the top stem. The easiest way to do this cutting is with a band saw, as you can see in the picture above.
I bought that cheap bandsaw for my kids when they were younger. It never worked very well for cutting wood. But it does a great job on dry, woody garlic stems. I keep the saw around just to process my garlic every year at this time.
I used to use a large pair of scissors to cut the stems, but after cutting a couple hundred hard woody stems I usually got a blister. The bandsaw would be a fine idea if I had one, but I found that a machete and a block of wood works well too. Just watch your fingers!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth L. Johnson said,
DeleteAye! Visions of David the Good you tube video, how not to cut your hand with a machete!
I never tire as seeing scenes of a successful harvest - so many connections both for the soul and the spirit.
ReplyDeleteI had to chuckle at this one. Only a man would need a power tool where a woman can use kitchen scissors. :)
ReplyDeletePS -- I had the incredible pleasure of participating in Farming God's Way training this week. (Same roots as Foundations for Farming.) I sat there with tears running down my face because it was SOOO "good and righteous altogether." You would l-o-v-e it.
Elizabeth L. Johnson said,
ReplyDeleteThanks for cluing us in why a saw was important from past experience. I, too, wondered why scissors don't work so good--hard and woody!