Neighbor News
Eric’s Great Garlic Offers New Source of Locally Grown Garlic for the St. Louis Area
Locally Grown Garlic for Sale!
ST. LOUIS – August 18, 2016 – Garlic lovers have a new source of unique garlic varieties grown in and perfectly suited for the St. Louis area. Grown by Eric Horstmann, a long-time independent businessman in St. Louis, Eric’s Great Garlic offers superior garlic seed stock for every level of gardening enthusiast.
Pre-orders for garlic grown, harvested and cured from the 2016 crop are now being taken on the website, www.ericsgreatgarlic.com . Pre-order instructions and pricing are available on the web site.
Eric’s Great Garlic has a significant quantity of the Chesnok Red variety available, and limited quantities of the Meramec, Creole Red and Carol’s Favorite.All are suited for planting or for culinary use. Other varieties noted on the web site are sold out for the 2016 season but will be available again in 2017.
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St. Louis-area customers who pre-order their garlic via the web site by Sept. 6 will receive an email with instructions for the location of a pop-up Harvest Party, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 11 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Garlic-inspired tapas along with libations will be served in an award-winning garden setting to celebrate the 2016 garlic harvest and kick off the 2017 planting season. Gift baskets of a mix of garlic varieties also will be available for purchase at the Harvest Party.
“Enjoying garlic is a simple pleasure, and one that I want to share,” Horstmann said. “I selectively choose only the top quality bulbs for planting, resulting in superior seed stock. My goal is to provide my customers with the best garlic available anywhere.”
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About Eric’s Great Garlic:
My passion for garlic started on a piece of bread more than 20 years ago.
A friend had made the classic garlic cheese bread – golden brown with hot bubbling cheese – but with a twist. She had used homegrown garlic that burst with flavor and aroma that far surpassed any garlic I had ever purchased at a grocery store. I went home that night with a few precious bulbs in hand to plant for myself.
I was a novice gardener at best at that time, and to say that I mistreated those bulbs would be an understatement. I planted them in the back of my yard with no proper soil preparation nor fertilizer. The only nutrients the garlic received were from the leaves that fell from the trees that partially shaded the bed. Despite this benign neglect, the garlic thrived. Even though the bulbs were relatively small, they were prolific, and the taste remained exceptional.
As my garlic patch grew, so did my interest in gardening generally and garlic specifically. I began to research different varieties and experiment with ideal growing conditions and planting times. My enthusiasm for garlic heightened because of its diversity, hardiness and shelf life. There are few plants you can grow that will give you so much reward with just a little care. Garlic is a prized ingredient in almost any cuisine, and it takes just one clove to give you a burst of flavor. Not to mention that there is both scientific and anecdotal evidence of the health benefits of garlic.
By the way, you can purchase that first garlic variety that I planted on my web site, www.ericsgreatgarlic.com. It's called Carol's Favorite, and I hope it becomes one of your favorites too!