Garlic Hobby Leads To Business

Garlic Hobby Leads To Business 31-1-9 When Herrick Kimball started growing garlic, the idea of supplying a gourmet restaurant with garlic powder had not even entered his mind. Six years later, he has learned to dry and powder garlic using a dryer of his own design, and he has customers asking for more than he can produce. "Most of my sales are word of mouth," he explains. "Someone gets a gift and calls for more. This year my aunt gave some to a gourmet restaurant, and they were ecstatic over it. They wanted more, but I was just about sold out, so they took my last few ounces." Last year's crop was about 1,200 bulbs. They are all German White, a variety that consistently produces large cloves. "If you are going to grow garlic, the larger the cloves, the easier it is to dry and make powder," he says. Kimball has outlined garlic production, drying and powder making, as well as the health benefits of garlic, in his book, "The Complete Guide To Making Great Garlic Powder". One practice that is not in his book is a drying chamber he used this past season. Although it can be made to any size, he used available materials, including some 2 by 6's he had in his shed. The base is a plywood box approximately 24 by 48 by 20 in. A large space on one end allows a house fan to be placed inside to direct air upwards. The 2 by 6-in. boards form 2 by4-ft. trays with chicken netting stapled to them for bottoms. "The 2 by 6's are probably heavier than I needed but by using them, there is less chance of warping, and they leave more room for attaching the poultry netting," he says. "Most of all, they are what I had around." In the past he had simply hung the garlic in a drying shed. The drier provided better airflow and works much faster. Kimball first cuts off the tops and then fills the shelf units. After about a week, the bulbs are ready to process. After setting aside what he needs for replanting, he cleans and prepares the remainder for sale. Some are sold as fresh bulbs, while others are prepared for the transition to powder. "Homemade garlic production can be profitable," says Kimball. "I am thinking of expanding as my kids are getting older and can help more. You don't need a lot of room, and there are a lot of markets. There are many ways it can be used in dips and mixes." To help would-be garlic marketers, Kimball has a website where his book ($6.95) and a special report on setting up a garlic business can be ordered. "The website also has links to other sources of information on garlic and stories about it," says Kimball. "The report talks about how to package and market garlic powder and sources for packaging." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Herrick C. Kimball, 5604 Murphy Hill Rd., Moravia, N.Y. 13118 (ph 315 497-9618; whizbangbooks@bci.net; www. whizbangbooks.com; http://the deliberate agrarian.blogspot.com).

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