Copyright 1998 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Call it the Garlic Olympics. Pungent bulbs from two dozen countries are competing in Othello this summer for a place in the Mid-Columbia's agricultural arsenal.
Trouble is, problems have plagued team garlic in the varietal trials.
And the judges might not get to taste test until next year - even though they could be to blame for the middling performance. It's a not a difficult crop to grow, but like any crop, it does take some experience to grow really well. Forty-six varieties from around the globe are being tested for fitness in the Basin. The trial garlic comes from Egypt, Korea, Spain and Pakistan among other places and was supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's international cultivation program in Pullman. The trials could be a big step for an industry that ranks somewhere below wrinkled seed peas in Washington's top agricultural products.