Blanak

Also has been spelled Blanik. A bold raw flavor with the russet-potato esque aftertaste, it’s great to add minced and raw to sour cream to really let Blanak shine. It was one of my earliest additions- maybe 2nd or 3rd year, and it helped open my eyes to how truly unique each variety can be. Despite being a hardneck, its bulb often grows like a shapely apple, kind of curvaceous like a softneck. It seems to love something about my soil and makes tons of cloves like it wants to repopulate the planet with itself. Cloves are just the right bit of complex earthy flavor to hold their own with root veggies. 14-15 cloves per bulb.

Blanak has a strange tendency to grow a late-stage twin in a long season, up to a quarter of the population will show this tendency. A smaller second bulb forms on the side and fully develops its own set of cloves. For seed-saving and keeping, Bogatyr is a self-reliance win. Won’t win a beauty contest but wins on thrift and disease resistance.

Blanak was sold to me long ago as a Glazed Purple Stripe, and back when I hadn't seen enough other Glazed Purple Stripes, I took it at face value, but I believe it aligns more with the Marbled family. That being said, it's one of the most unique heirlooms I know and doesn't really conform to Marbled either. More research needs to be done to be sure where it fits. Who knows, it may be the result of some tinkering centuries ago, and be its own little unit.

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