A Garlic Testament: Seasons on a Small New Mexico Farm

I have bought this book 3 times and twice gave away as gift. Now I am growing my own garlic for second year and enjoyed following along in the book. Highly recommend for all gardeners...

I live in the busy world of a large city and work 40 hrs/wk. So, one of the things I look for in a book is its ability to take me to another time and place, gently and seamlessly. And I got that in this book. I got blue skies, sunny days and cool evenings in a laid back farming community in NM, got to meet locals, characters, and learned a lot about garlic. I've always loved garlic (doesn't everyone?) and, even if you know quite a bit about its properties, folklore, and growing it, I'd be very surprised if you didn't still learn something new about it. A very good read.

What might you do for a day job if you write novels? Grow garlic of course. If there is poetry in garlic the author discovers it here. His responses and explorations of the soil the sunlight, the air and the irrigated water, and the way that garlic likes to grow, make this account a compelling read. The book takes us through the planting, growing, harvesting, and to-market cycle, also telling the story of years and how the author's understanding has developed and matured. Stanley Crawford simultaneously intrigues us with an almost transcendent appreciation of the natural processes, and challenges us with perceptive commentary on the bigger agribusiness-political complex. A delightful book, detailing a huge achievement.

This is a second to none author. I added Northern New Mexico to my bucket list. I don't care what season I now know them all. Spring ar Fall sound best. I loved this book just for the descriptions. Almost poetry...

for a serious garlic farmer/gardener/grower, it is an interesting an poetic insight into someone else's life who depends on small farming. throughout the interesting story there are some good garlic growing insights. be warned that it is a story that has good garlic info in it, not an all information dense growing compendium.

Fascinating read. Beautiful prose and cutting wit.

I have bought this book several times and share it with discerning friends often - beautifully written and the kind of story that makes the reader want to hop a plane and visit the author and his wife and offer to work in the fields. Simply lovely.

it was a good book but I was looking for more strait information on growing garlic and not sot much of a story.

Exactly what I was looking for. Good book and is widely known in agricultural readers and growers

Having grown garlic for years in southern Ontario, it was pleasing to find much agreement with Stanley Crawford's account. That said, there was also a considerable amount of new information, details more clearly realized by a change in focus, tips and tricks completely unknown. I suggest the book is as comprehensive as practically possible, even to providing advice on the social aspects of farming in general, and illuminating erroneous public impressions. As an author myself, I found the style of writing to be enjoyable, often relaxing, contemplative and philosophical, an asset to any library.