13.07.2026 17:12
The harvest of the European Union registered Taşköprü garlic, which began on July 10, continues at full speed. The garlic, described by producers as "white gold," has been left to dry in the fields for 15 days to enhance its quality and shelf life. Farmers, seeking to protect this geographically indicated product grown with great effort and high cost from thieves, have started keeping watch in the fields until dawn. Producers are demanding a base price implementation and market expansion.
The harvest of the world-famous Taşköprü garlic, registered by the European Union, continues. Farmers working in the fields throughout the day leave the garlic they extract from the soil to dry in the field for 15 days. Later, the garlic collected from the fields is sold to be delivered to tables.
"WHITE GOLD" WATCH IN THE FIELDS Taşköprü garlic, which is the livelihood of thousands of people and described as "white gold" by its producers, attracts great interest from consumers with its aroma and long shelf life. Farmers stand guard in the fields until dawn to prevent the Taşköprü garlic, cultivated with great effort throughout the year, from being stolen. Farmers who wait in the fields at night until morning to guard the drying garlic continue working in the fields during the day.
"WE PUT IN EFFORT, WE HAVE TO STAND GUARD AGAINST THIEVES" İrfan Ünvar, who grows garlic in the village of Çetmi, stated that they stand guard to protect the garlic they have worked on all year from thieves, saying, "Taşköprü garlic is a geographically indicated garlic with a long shelf life, durability, and high aroma. Our Taşköprü garlic has a long shelf life and can last without refrigeration until May. We started planting in February, then we did the hoeing, fertilizing, watering, everything. We have now started the extraction process. It has just begun. It will dry in the field for 15 days. May God bless our female workers; they came and collected it. It needs to stay in the field for 15 days to increase its quality. Once it dries, its shelf life will extend. Now we stand guard against thieves. We put effort into this for a year, and we have no choice but to wait against thieves. We spent that much, worked hard, brought it to this state, and we will continue to stand by our product," he said.
Pointing out that Taşköprü garlic is a costly product, Ünvar said, "Due to its spraying, watering, and labor, the costs are very high. To cover this, the price needs to be a bit high. Currently, prices are low. But when it dries, merchants will come and buy in bulk, and we are waiting for prices to rise."
"WE STAY AWAKE UNTIL MORNING" Necip Garparslan, who grows Taşköprü garlic in the village of Çetmi, said, "After we dig up our garlic, we have to stand guard in our fields to protect them. While waiting with close friends, we chat, eat something, and stay awake until morning. During the day, we continue working in the field."
"WE SPEND NIGHTS IN THE FIELD" Garlic producer Mustafa Ertekin also noted that the harvest, which began as of July 10, continues intensively, saying, "We are on night guard; we gather with friends. We drink tea, eat, chat, and sometimes have a barbecue. That's how we spend nights in the field. We have a drying process of about 15 days. Once it dries, we collect it. In our barns, we pile it up and move to the cleaning stage. There, we separate it into 6-7 sizes like large, small, medium."
Stating that Taşköprü garlic is a very special product, Ertekin added, "We have a small-scale market. After it dries, our big merchants come and buy it. We want a base price to be set and a large market to be established. That way, we would do our job with more passion."