I wait until after the garlic has been cured to remove a layer or 2 of bulb wrapper and trim the roots and cut the stem to about 2-3".

@Nananeko, is that from this year? You pulled em' already? I'm in 7a va and just cutting scapes.

I'm with Jack, except I try not to peel any layers. I try to dig when the row is dry; so the bulbs come up pretty clean, and if there are any extra dirt clods, l remove them without taking any more skin than is absolutely necessary, once the bulbs have dried down. Then the dirt powders off and the bulbs have cured to a certain extent and are not likely to bruise. I don't grow for market or the fair; so I really don't care if the outside skin is pristine or not. IMO maximizing the skin layers makes for longer storage. It all gets peeled away completely when I crack the bulbs for cooking anyway.

After I pull them, I hose off most of the dirt carefully and dry in the sun for a short time. Then I store them flat on open mesh seedling trays to cure. As I need them, I cut the roots and stem, then peel off the loose layers of skin and dirt.

I found that when I peel or cut too soon, the garlic smell fills the room while curing and the smell is absorbed by other plants in the room!

I let the garlic dry for about two weeks in covered area, away from sun and rain. Need a lot of open air. Then I cut the dry stems, brush the soil off and one or two layers of the dry skin.

Do not keep the garlic in the sun. No pealing when still fresh.