The fall here in eastern Nebraska was warm. It was shirt sleeve weather for 80% of the days up to mid December. I plan ahead and plant garlic in a pot to start growing before it gets warm outside because it is on my back porch. The garlic starts growing in March when the sun shines in through the windows warming the pot up enought to wake up the bulbs. This year the garlic sprouted and grew to 12 inches. I covered it during the nights when the temps dropped below 32. I was hoping the decline in temps would be slow and the garlic would go dormant to regrow in the spring. No such luck. We had a very sudden fridgid cold snap. Very cold as in 12 degrees with a drop below zero.
The tender green garlic never had a chance. It was so frozen that it snapped when bent. My brain went into overtime trying to find a way to save it. Then the light bulb lit up. I grabbed my kitchen scissors and cut the tops off and pulled out the Ulu knife. It came from Alaska when a friend went on a cruise. Best "Wish you were here" gift EVER! I used it to chop the tops into thin chive like pieces and popped them into the freezer before they had a chance to thaw.
The disaster was now a boon for my creative cooking. I tossed the garlic in omlets egg salad and 3 kinds of soups. The flavor is more intense and it smells wonderful when I add it to my soups. I reach for the baggie but I force myself to put it back as I do not have enough to use as I wish. Next spring I will plant 5 times the amount of garlic I usually plant and harvest a lot of the green tops just to freeze for later use. The baggie is all that is left.
I planted a few cloves in the pot with my rosemary shrub that has been moved into the kitchen for the winter.
If you are curious about the Ulu knife I have included a link to the factory product page. I own and use 3.
http://shop.theulufactory.com/Inupiat-Birch-Alaska-Cutlery-7BA.htm