MONROE CO., N.Y. — In November, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County (CCE-Monroe) had its first Garlic & Squash Sale fundraiser. These fall harvest vegetables were offered just in time for Thanksgiving. Master Gardener Coordinator, Sue Magee, and Agriculture Educator, Jarmila Haseler knew that most of the seed garlic on the market was sold out. They looked around to see if they could find more – and they did! Some of the last supplies of garlic and butternut squash were still available at two local farms.
The typical planting time for garlic in Upstate New York is October. This year warm weather in Rochester allowed customers to plant their garlic into November before the ground froze.
The Organic Certified German White seed garlic was purchased from Fraser’s Garlic Farm in Churchville, NY. This variety is a very sturdy porcelain type of hardneck garlic that generally produces 6-8 cloves.(1) Two different package options were available for purchase – 1⁄2 lb. and 1⁄4 lb. This amounted to about 2-3 bulbs. This garlic variety grows fairly large and has an
excellent strong flavor that becomes sweet and mild when cooked.(1) With its many medicinal properties, garlic can boost our immune system, reduce blood pressure, lower “bad” cholesterol levels, act as an antioxidant, and even detoxify heavy metals from your body! (2)
In addition to the garlic, CCE-Monroe also offered butternut squash for the sale, purchased from J & W Farms in LeRoy, NY. The squash nicely complemented the garlic as another ingredient for a Thanksgiving meal. Butternut squash is a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals and can be cooked in many different ways. One great way is to bake it on a sheet pan covered in minced garlic!
The sale took place online with payment through PayPal and a contactless pickup. Next year, with the return of in-person programming CCE-Monroe hopes to make an event day out of the fundraiser. This would include offering more fall harvest vegetables, a garlic planting workshop, and other engaging hands-on activities.
1. Fraser, Ed. “OG German White Garlic.” Fraser’s Garlic Farm,
https://www.frasergarlic.com/product-p/001.htm.
2. Leech, Joe. “11 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 28 June
2018, www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-garlic.
–CCE Monroe County
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