Garlic Gods

Ashley writes:

My neighbors Earl and Jo-Anne always grow lots of elephant garlic. Earl told me that years and years ago, when he and Jo-Anne moved in to their house, two neighbors – “two old guys” Earl describes them – always grew elephant garlic and gave some to Earl and Jo-Anne.  They’ve grown it ever since.

Earlier this summer, Earl was cutting down the dried stalks of the garlic and put a stack of them into the branches of one of their cherry trees on their parking strip.  Yesterday morning, this playful sign showed up hanging in the tree.

Earl doesn’t know who did it — other than “the Garlic Gods,” of course.  But he got a real kick out of it. We don’t know what the Latin says at the bottom – neither of us speak Latin and I haven’t hit up the interwebs for it quite yet.

I happened to be walking my dog and chatting with Earl yesterday when he came upon it.  One of the many, many reasons I love my neighborhood – gardening humor!

Maybe an Wallingford Latin scholar can help with the translation?

On a related note, the cherry tomatoes outside our house (4065 4th Ave NE) are ripe and have a sign on them: “Please Snack On Me”. If you have fruits or vegetables growing near the sidewalk of your house, and don’t mind sharing with a passing neighbor, let them know! It’s a shame to see so many apples and plums and such going to waste.