How to preserve Garlic, storage options

We are at the optimum moment of garlic, the harvest has just been finished and the garlic has an excellent quality. Therefore we ask ourselves how to preserve garlic in order to prolong its life.

Curing process.

The first step is to get a good curing process, a dry and dark space with good ventilation is needed for this purpose. Choosing the right location is important.

Garlic will be cured when the leaves turn brown and the head develops paper-like layers.

Once the garlic is cured it is time to store and preserve the garlic.

Storing garlic.

To store and preserve garlic, the root and stem must be cut off. These are cut once they are dry.

They must also be clean, so it is recommended to remove the dirty external peel.

It is good if one or several garlic have a soft or damaged tooth, it needs  to be separated from the buld so that it does not affect the rest.

It is recommended to store fresh garlic in a cool, dark and dry place soits preservation is as long as possible.

How to preserve Garlic.

There are many ways to preserve garlic, we give you some ideas.

1. Garlic String.
2. Refrigeration.
3. Frozen Garlic.
4. Crystallized garlic / garlic in oil.
5. Dried garlic.
6. Pickled garlic.

Garlic String.

The garlic string is an organized way to store garlic. It is an esthetic garlic presentation where its beauty can be appreciated. The garlic stored in the string remains fresh longer, thanks to the existence of good ventilation between them. For use, teeth can be separated on demand, according to needs. For further information about the garlic string HERE.

Refrigeration.

Refrigeration is the most common way of keeping food fresh.

It is important to have humidity and temperature controlled for a good state of conservation. The ideal storage temperature in refrigeration is 4ºC.

It can be stored in this way for up to 12 months.

Frozen Garlic.

Freezing is an excellent preservation method for any food. And a lasting way.

Garlic can be frozen in any of its formats: fresh garlic, peeled garlic or garlic paste.

If we freeze fresh garlic, the whole head can be frozen (if it is used as so in kitchen) and it could also be shelled and frozen.

Peeled garlic can be frozen as so.

And the garlic paste can be frozen in a container and remove the necessary amount as if it was an ice cream. It can also be distributed in ice cube trays and frozen in such a way that you would obtain a garlic cube. And another way is to put in a bag suitable for freezing a considerable amount of garlic paste, close the bag and distribute the garlic throughout the bag in such a wayit remains as a base and freezes like this (in this way it takes up little space and when you need it it’s just a matter of breaking a piece).

Frozen garlic can be previously unfrozen or put into meals directly.

Crystallized garlic / Garlic in oil

To get crystallized garlic we must peel the garlic and dip it in into oil.

For 500 grams of peeled garlic, we will use 500 grams of oil.

We will put the ingredients in a container for 20 minutes at 120ºC and it will constantly and smoothly shake.

Once it is crystallized garlic will be preserve in a glass container. The oil should cover the garlic and the remaining oil can be used for sauces, pizzas, toasts, etc.

Garlics prepared in this way are more digestive than fresh garlic and can be used to add perfume and flavor to many recipes.

Dried garlic.

Dehydrated garlic is just to dry fresh garlic.

If garlic is not only dehydrated but we take to process and treatment, garlic powder can be obtained.

The procedure can be done in two ways, through a food dehydrator. If not available at home it can be done with the oven.

An example of dehydrated garlic is black garlic.

Pickled garlic.

As said before, there are many ways to preserve garlic and store it.

If it is stored, the harvest can be enjoyed for longer time.

Please find in next link the English article written by one of our best friend where he talks about these and other ways of preserving garlic and other curiosities Here.