Meganp, thanks for sharing that. It's good to be reminded that even though these colors can be produced by the garlic pigments (which react with amino acids, so high N and soluble ferts in excess rain could explain it) it is also true that there are many bacteria and fungi that can also produce the same or similar colors. So it is just not worth risking the use of these bulbs for seed, in case there is any micro-organism in on the party.
I've originally thought that the fungal disease called "pink root" could be the cause, but it turned out to be tropical and requiring conditions we just don't have here. But that doesn't mean we don't have something else capable of doing the damage, which I would not want to encourage by planting cloves that were affected. I have about 17 of the larger porcelains that were affected, and some looked good enough after curing to use for seed, but it will be far better to just eat them.
