Shandong Purple

Shandong Purple has a nice raw heat that quickly fades, yet the most subtle hazelnut flavor when cooked through whole. I lace shepherd's pies with Shandong cloves whose creamy texture works perfect with whipped potatoes. Great grower in the garden, too!

Shandong had a rough start at my farm- I started with 20 plants- 19 died in the first winter. I carefully tended the one survivor, a runt that hadn’t sprouted as vigorously before the north winds of the polar vortex whacked us. The one survivor grew to a single round that summer. I planted the round, and got one sturdy, beautiful plant that I let go to scape. I planted the 7 cloves and the 5 bulbils and got exactly 12 gorgeous plants with beautiful bulbs as described. Several years later, it's now one of my most trusted, productive types. Can't recommend enough!