Are you one of those people who could slay a vampire with a single exhale?

If you are, it might be wise to spend a bit of time outside in the wind tonight planting garlic before the temperature plummets.

Basically, plant a clove and get a whole bulb back in the spring. Pretty economical, right?

Even better, you don’t have to buy any specific type of garlic. Just get a few bulbs of local organic or chemical-free garlic, pop them open and plant away the cloves. It’ll overwinter, and in the spring, you’ll have a fabulous crop to eat with your spring greens.

Last night, I had been planning to clear out one of my garden beds and plant garlic I bought from Barbara Clark of Maggie’s Farm at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market, but honestly, the kiddo wanted to go for a walk, and what am I going to do, turn him down? I’m hoping I won’t lose out on my chance to clear out my pepper plants and plop in some garlic cloves, though I might resort to putting them in pots in the interest of just getting some in before it’s too cold.

I just don’t want to miss out on the chance to have our own crop. Because though we love cooking with garlic in our house, I have to admit, that as a person who can be sort of nutty about nutrition, what I love the most about garlic is its potential health benefits. Healthy and tasty? Can’t beat that combination.

Are you planting garlic this year?