Growing Lautrec’s Pink Garlic

Lautrec’s pink garlic derives most of its qualities from the clay-chalky hillsides of the Tarn, with a certifiable Lautrec Pink Garlic area of 320 hectares spread over the PGI zone (88 communes in the south-west of the Tarn department).

In order to apply for the Label Rouge and PGI Lautrec Pink Garlic certifications, producers must comply with a strict set of specifications covering each stage of the production.

There are several varieties of certified Lautrec Pink Garlic : the traditional Lautrec Pink (or “forain”) and certified seeds (Ibérose, Goulurose, Edenrose and Jardirose).

Depending on the varieties, seed density and climate, the yield in marketable dried garlic ranges from 4.5 tonnes/hectare to 6 tonnes/hectare.

Various production stages

• 
  L'égrenage
  L'égrenage
• 
  La plantation
  La plantation
• 
  La hampe florale
  La hampe florale
• 
  Le "despoulinage" ou ablation de la hampe florale
  Le "despoulinage" ou ablation de la hampe florale
• 
  L'ail bientôt prêt à récolter
  L'ail bientôt prêt à récolter
• 
  La récolte
  La récolte
• 
  Un paquet d'ail
  Un paquet d'ail
• 
  Le séchage
  Le séchage
• 
  Le séchage
  Le séchage
• 
  Le déracinage
  Le déracinage
• 
  Le calibrage et l'emmanouillage
  Le calibrage et l'emmanouillage

1 - The seeds are removed and planted between the 1st of December and 31st of January.

2 - Lautrec’s Pink type garlic produces a rigid flower stalk that requires cutting off in early June. This operation is called "despoulinage" or removal of the flower stalk.

3 - Harvest takes place at the end of June and can be carried out using 3 different methods: :
- Traditional method : the garlic is harvested with its leaves on. It is then hung to dry on bars in traditional dryers.
- Halfway method : the garlic is harvested with its leaves on. It is then left to dry in wooden boxes or in silos equipped with dynamic ventilation.
- Stalk removal : the bulbs are harvested without the leaves and the garlic is left to dry in wooden boxes or in silos equipped with dynamic ventilation.
In all cases, minimum drying time is 2 weeks.

Once dried, Lautrec’s Pink Garlic is : :

- Uprooted : the roots are cut off at bulb level.

- Peeled : the layers of the bulb are removed and only the last layer of skin remains, showing the pink cloves underneath. In some cases only, Lautrec’s Pink Garlic is not peeled down to the last layer of skin.

- Calibrated then bunched or packed in specially designed packaging. Each package has its own number for effective traceability.

All this work is carried out on the farms of producers committed to the PGI process, with the exception of “smaller packaging” operations (nets of 3 heads, 250 g net, 500g nets, etc.) which are carried out by authorised warehouses located in Lautrec.