Dirt Rich Episode 6: “Harvesting Minnesota Garlic”

‘Tis the season for harvesting garlic in our state, so before Jerry got into the thick of it on his farm, we recorded this week’s episode of Dirt Rich. 

For years, garlic has been a growing premium product in Minnesota markets and pantries. In fact, over 50 varieties are grown here alone, and growers typically sell out relatively quickly after harvest. Many of us know Jerry Ford as a longtime local champion of garlic, directing both the Minnesota Premium Garlic Project and the Minnesota Garlic Festival (which is going “virtual” this year, stay tuned to the webpage for updates). As he says, everyone harvests a little differently, and he shares his own harvest, cleaning, and storage processes on the podcast.

Listeners will also enjoy a brief conservation history of the fourth-generation Living Song Farm. Though it’s on what is considered to be highly erodible land, early adoption of soil and water conservation practices and decades of stewardship have made it possible for them to build topsoil every year.

Dirt Rich is available to listen on your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and Google Play. You can also listen on the SFA website. Share with your friends, subscribe, rate and review to help us bring more people into our farmer network!