Exploring elephant garlic, mountain-ash tree
Q. What is elephant garlic? -- Jerry, New Paltz
A. Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) looks like a giant garlic clove but, in fact, is not a true garlic but more closely related to a leek. The title refers to the size of the clove. It is a hardy bulb with large blue-green long leaves. This perennial herb boasts an outsized pink or purple flower stalk that appears in the spring or summer.
Under the ground, a large bulb consisting of 5-6 large cloves surrounded by smaller bulblets grows. This allium plant attains a height of about 3 feet from bulb to the tip of the strap-like leaves and originates in Asia. It is easy to grow just like its regular cousin. Plant in the fall. Break up the bulb into cloves for propagation. Some cloves are much smaller and are called corms, which grow on the outside of the bulb.
If you plant these corms, they will produce a non-blooming plant in the first year with a solid bulb or single large clove. In the second year, the clove will begin to separate into multiple cloves, so don’t ignore the corms. It may take two years, but eventually you will get a good head of elephant garlic. Elephant garlic should be ready to pick when the leaves are bent over and dying back – about 90 days after planting. When half of the leaves have died back, loosen the soil around the bulb with a trowel. You can also top off the immature plant tops when they are tender (scapes) prior to blooming. This will direct more of the plant’s energy into creating large bulbs.
Harvest the elephant garlic after the tops die down in late summer. Dig the bulbs with a garden fork and place the garlic in the shade to dry for at least a week. Trim the stems down to 1 inch, and remove the roots. Store the elephant garlic in a dry place with temperatures of 40 to 50 degrees F. Elephant garlic is much larger, milder, less “garlicky” and slightly sweet, compared to regular garlic. As a result, it's eaten raw in salads, used for seasoning as regular garlic (but for those who want a very mild garlic flavor) and soups. It's not often sautéed because it can develop a bitter taste. It also does not keep as long as culinary garlic.
Q. Is a mountain-ash a true ash tree? -- Jude, Kingston
A. The mountain-ash (Sorbus americana) actually belongs to the rose family. It is a deciduous perennial tree, native to eastern North America. The American mountain-ash and related species (most often the European mountain-ash, Sorbus aucuparia) are also referred to as rowan trees. The name "mountain-ash" is due to a superficial similarity of the rowan leaves to those of the ash; not to be confused in Fraxinus ornus, a true ash that is also known as "mountain-ash."
The berries of American mountain-ash are eaten by numerous species of birds and small mammals, including ruffed grouse, ptarmigans, sharp-tailed grouse, blue grouse, American robins, other thrushes, waxwings, jays, squirrels and rodents. This makes it a good tree to feed wildlife. American mountain-ash is a preferred browse for moose and white-tailed deer. Moose will eat foliage, twigs and bark.
Its conspicuous white spring flowers and outstanding, persistent orange fruit make it one of our most recognizable trees. It is well-adapted to both coarse and fine soil textures, but has a low tolerance for drought or fire, and virtually no tolerance for salt. It grows best in full sun but can tolerate some shade. The showy white flowers appear in early summer, and the abundant orange fruit appear in summer, persisting through winter. While the fruit provides palatable browse for many animals and birds, it is not suitable for human consumption; however, the plant is not toxic. Since it is not a true ash, it is not attacked by the Emerald ash borer. There are some beautiful examples at the Mountain Top Arboretum in Greene County.
Dona M. Crawford is the community horticulture educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County.
