Rocambole, the crazy garlic… and also known as sand leek?!

Share

FacebookWhatsAppEmailInstagram

0

Small secondary bulbs sit at the very tip of each stem, above a bulb of ordinary-looking cloves hidden below ground: that is rocambole, or sand leek (Allium scorodoprasum). Its flavour is richer and more pungent than common garlic, and it needs only soft, deep, well-draining soil to give two crops in one.

Rocambole, or sand leek, is doubly of interest for the vegetable patch: of course it has the bulbs with cloves typical of garlic, but on top of that – at the very tip, actually – it has small secondary bulbs at the end of each stem! Both very tasty and hardy, it’s worth dedicating a portion of the growing bed to.

Planting rocambole

This bulb vegetable loves reaching for the sky in full sun, where it truly thrives. It isn’t very picky concerning the soil, and can cope with a wide range of pH and soil types. Nonetheless, an important factor is that the soil must be soft and, preferably, full of organic matter.

Preparing the soil

To raise your chances of success and increase the harvest, here are a few recommended preliminary steps. First of all, never add rich organic material (soil mix, compost, manure) to the soil just before planting. It’s best to have done it a full year ahead to stave off any risk of rot and diseases. One good way to do this is to choose for your rocambole garlic a spot that has been abundantly amended and enriched for cultivation the previous year.

To loosen up the structure of the soil, it’s enough to break it up 4 to 8 inches deep (10 to 20 cm) with a broad pitchfork (broadfork) or grelinette, for instance.

Planting:

The planting takes place in mid-autumn-late autumn or in late winter. It’s done in a few quick steps:

1. Create ridges 4 inches high (10 cm).
2. Every 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm), plunk an offshoot or clove with the tip facing upwards, and push it down into the soil a bit. This system ensures moisture won’t build up underneath the plants, a great way to prevent rot.

You can also directly use the secondary bulblets that appear at the tip of the top-setting garlic, but it takes longer because the plant needs a full year to establish a bulb of cloves.

And remember its more down-to-earth name: sand leek. This means it loves drainage! Make sure you don’t plant it in a soggy part of the garden or you’ll be disappointed…

Growing and care

Sand leek requires practically no attention at all once it has settled in comfortably. This hardy species adapts well to temperature swings and doesn’t require any watering. Nonetheless, you might want to water a bit during unordinarily long dry spells, but refrain from doing this before the harvest.

Diseases and pests that impact rocambole

Hardy, we’ve mentioned, but also very resistant, Allium scorodoprasum isn’t vulnerable to diseases. As an added advantage, pests and parasites seem to disregard this plant altogether.

• Rocambole, like other garlic, competes poorly with weeds, so hoe or cultivate shallowly between the rows, whatever the bed or ridge layout, to avoid damaging its shallow roots.
• If you are after fat underground cloves, snap the flower stalk off as it curls, but leave a few stems standing if you want bulblets to eat or replant.
• With onions and garlic, avoid nitrogen-rich feeds later in the season, since excess nitrogen encourages soft, leafy growth at the expense of bulbs that ripen firmly and keep well in storage.
• For bulbs that need sharp drainage, standard horticultural guidance is to keep mulch pulled back from the stem base, since damp material held against the bulb encourages rot.

Harvest and proper keeping

You can harvest your rocambole garlic in late summer, in two steps:

1. When leaves start turning yellow, reach for your spading fork and lever the bulbs up a bit without pulling them out. Try not to connect or wound the bulbs themselves. This step triggers maturation of the bulbs.
2. Harvest the cloves when the leaves have turned completely yellow and have dried up. Work in dry weather, that way you can dry the harvest in the sunlight for a few days before bringing it in.

Rocambole garlic has the capacity to keep for a long time. All you need to make sure of is that it’s stored in a dry and well-ventilated spot. Spread it out in trays or hang it in clumps from a beam.

The rocambole year, stage by stage

From soil preparation to storage, rocambole asks for very little, but each job has its moment. Here is the sequence set out in order.

Follow this order and the bulbs will keep for a long time.

Cooking with Rocambole

Garlic in general is a condiment that enters into many different recipes, and rocambole is no exception. You can use them in exactly the same manner as you would its cousin, and add it to all the same recipes. They’ll feel a bit richer and deeper because rocambole garlic has a more pungent taste. Eating the bulblets is also an option, since they’re edible, too. Just like pearl onions, you can pickle them in vinegar or dice them up and toss them into a mixed salad. Rocambole garlic is definitely a candidate of choice for unique and original gourmet experiences!