Heritage Garlic
At Fat Tomato, we grow different varieties of heritage garlic each year. Some varieties thrive better than others in the ever-changing Irish weather. We care for ours with love—no chemicals, no artificial fertilisers—just our homemade organic compost and a little seaweed to enhance its taste and nutritional properties. A little goes a long way with our Irish garlic.
Did you know it takes 7 to 9 months to grow garlic in Ireland? You usually plant it in October-November and harvest it the following June-July. The Irish climate is perfect for growing garlic—it needs some cold at the beginning stages to split the clove into a new bulb, and our moist, fertile soil suits it perfectly. Unfortunately, most garlic available in supermarkets today comes from faraway places like China, often sprayed with harmful chemicals, and lacks the bold, garlicky flavour of Irish-grown garlic.
In 2023, we planted six varieties of garlic, three of which produced lots of bulbs that we can share with you. Some bulbs are bigger than others due to the poor weather this harvest season, but the flavour is mighty.
Garlic Germidour: A French soft-neck garlic with a purply skin. Rich in flavour. A little goes a long way.
Garlic Messidrome: This soft-neck garlic is renowned for its culinary uses. Traditionally grown in the Drome region of France near Provence, it has a white papery skin with ivory flesh and a delicious mild garlic flavour.
Garlic Elephant: Elephant garlic looks like garlic but is more related to the leek family. One of the largest varieties of garlic available, each bulb is approximately 10cm across, and a single clove can be as large as a whole bulb of ordinary garlic. It has a milder and sweeter flavour and goes well with white fish and chicken. We love to confit it in olive oil, keep it in the fridge, and use it for dressings and marinades.
At Fat Tomato, we grow different varieties of heritage garlic each year. Some varieties thrive better than others in the ever-changing Irish weather. We care for ours with love—no chemicals, no artificial fertilisers—just our homemade organic compost and a little seaweed to enhance its taste and nutritional properties. A little goes a long way with our Irish garlic.
Did you know it takes 7 to 9 months to grow garlic in Ireland? You usually plant it in October-November and harvest it the following June-July. The Irish climate is perfect for growing garlic—it needs some cold at the beginning stages to split the clove into a new bulb, and our moist, fertile soil suits it perfectly. Unfortunately, most garlic available in supermarkets today comes from faraway places like China, often sprayed with harmful chemicals, and lacks the bold, garlicky flavour of Irish-grown garlic.
In 2023, we planted six varieties of garlic, three of which produced lots of bulbs that we can share with you. Some bulbs are bigger than others due to the poor weather this harvest season, but the flavour is mighty.
Garlic Germidour: A French soft-neck garlic with a purply skin. Rich in flavour. A little goes a long way.
Garlic Messidrome: This soft-neck garlic is renowned for its culinary uses. Traditionally grown in the Drome region of France near Provence, it has a white papery skin with ivory flesh and a delicious mild garlic flavour.
Garlic Elephant: Elephant garlic looks like garlic but is more related to the leek family. One of the largest varieties of garlic available, each bulb is approximately 10cm across, and a single clove can be as large as a whole bulb of ordinary garlic. It has a milder and sweeter flavour and goes well with white fish and chicken. We love to confit it in olive oil, keep it in the fridge, and use it for dressings and marinades.
At Fat Tomato, we grow different varieties of heritage garlic each year. Some varieties thrive better than others in the ever-changing Irish weather. We care for ours with love—no chemicals, no artificial fertilisers—just our homemade organic compost and a little seaweed to enhance its taste and nutritional properties. A little goes a long way with our Irish garlic.
Did you know it takes 7 to 9 months to grow garlic in Ireland? You usually plant it in October-November and harvest it the following June-July. The Irish climate is perfect for growing garlic—it needs some cold at the beginning stages to split the clove into a new bulb, and our moist, fertile soil suits it perfectly. Unfortunately, most garlic available in supermarkets today comes from faraway places like China, often sprayed with harmful chemicals, and lacks the bold, garlicky flavour of Irish-grown garlic.
In 2023, we planted six varieties of garlic, three of which produced lots of bulbs that we can share with you. Some bulbs are bigger than others due to the poor weather this harvest season, but the flavour is mighty.
Garlic Germidour: A French soft-neck garlic with a purply skin. Rich in flavour. A little goes a long way.
Garlic Messidrome: This soft-neck garlic is renowned for its culinary uses. Traditionally grown in the Drome region of France near Provence, it has a white papery skin with ivory flesh and a delicious mild garlic flavour.
Garlic Elephant: Elephant garlic looks like garlic but is more related to the leek family. One of the largest varieties of garlic available, each bulb is approximately 10cm across, and a single clove can be as large as a whole bulb of ordinary garlic. It has a milder and sweeter flavour and goes well with white fish and chicken. We love to confit it in olive oil, keep it in the fridge, and use it for dressings and marinades.
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Store in a cool, dark place in your kitchen. If your kitchen is warm, place it in the bottom drawer of your fridge.
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Check our frequently asked questions page for answers to all those questions you might have.
If you have a specific question, feel free to reach out to us at hello@fattomato.ie
