This hardneck garlic is closer to wild garlic, with complex flavors. The peels slip fairly easily off hardneck garlic and it provides a richer, deeper flavor without that raw garlic "burn". Hardneck garlic, which is also the kind that scapes sprout from in the early summer, is named for the hard central core around which the largish cloves grow. Mature hardneck garlic will have a stiff stem and papery skin, but a few weeks before that, you can find immature garlic with a soft outer skin, and crisp cloves–this is definitely my favorite kind, and I love the mellow garlic flavor it adds even when used raw. This is that garlic!

Keep in a dry, cool place away from moisture.