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Many vegetable growers are faced with a problem: they have grown a crop, but don’t know how to preserve it. Garlic heads are no exception. Of a large harvest, sometimes barely a third can be saved until winter. Bulb crops do not have good long-term storage ability; they rot and mold quite quickly. Even in winter they begin to wither and germinate. What can we say about the spring months, when you really want to pamper yourself with vigorous garlic. However, there are ways to preserve the harvest until spring.
Why should you choose a jar?
To store garlic according to all the rules, you need to understand the main condition. It will remain in excellent condition for a long time if you stop access to germs and air. When storing in banks, the necessary conditions are created. To extend the shelf life, the jars must first be sterilized and thoroughly dried.
Before looking at the various methods how to preserve garlic in the bank, a few words about the general storage rules. Not only the jar is thoroughly dried. The heads themselves must also be dry.
Therefore, if time permits, it is better to postpone harvesting garlic to a non-rainy day.
Both peeled and unpeeled garlic can be stored in glass containers. Some housewives, in order to save space, disassemble it into cloves.
Methods for storing garlic in glass jars
Method No. 1 Separate cloves
Garlic storage in glass jars begins with disassembling the head into cloves. Each of them must be carefully inspected, all sections with rot, mold or damage must be removed.
Before you put it away garlic for the winter, it must be dried for 5-6 days. Do not place it near the battery, otherwise it may dry out. The best option is in the room, on the floor.
The cloves are placed in jars and sent to a dry place. They cannot be covered with lids.
Method No. 2 Whole heads
Garlic is not always separated into cloves; it is also stored in whole heads. As in the previous method, you need to put the garlic peeled from dirt and the top layer of husk into glass jars. Moreover, you don’t need to fill them with anything else.
The disadvantage of this method, unlike the first, is the fact that large heads of garlic will fit into the jars. In addition, without disassembling the garlic into small parts, you can miss the rot inside it. In this case, the garlic in the jar will begin to rot.
Method No. 3 With salt
There are many reviews and comments on various forums about how to preserve garlic throughout the winter. Many people write: “we store garlic in salt.” The effectiveness of this method is time-tested. Various vegetables are stored with salt, as it is an excellent preservative.
The salty layers between the layers of garlic should not be less than 2-3 cm. The general steps are as follows:
- The heads (or cloves) are thoroughly dried.At the same time, it is important that they remain fresh and vigorous.
- To prevent mold from forming in jars, they are sterilized.
- Salt is poured into the bottom of the container. It should be ordinary rock salt; iodized salt is not used in preparations.
- Layer by layer alternate garlic and salt. Finish with a layer of salt.
To decide how to store garlic, you need to carefully read the conditions and choose the method you like. The video provided at the bottom of the article will help you better understand and understand the intricacies of cleaning and storing glassware.
Many vegetable growers store garlic together with onions. These two cultures get along well with each other. They both require the same conditions to survive.
Method No. 4 Ground garlic
If, despite all efforts, the garlic begins to deteriorate, immediate action must be taken.
- Good cloves are separated from bad ones and cleaned.
- They are ground using a meat grinder (you can also use a blender).
- Add a little salt to the resulting slurry.
- The mass is transferred into jars prepared in advance and covered with lids.
Store this garlic in glass jars only in the refrigerator. Garlic mass is used in cooking. The disadvantage is that such a mass cannot be stored for a long time.
To extend the shelf life, the mass is filled with sunflower oil on top. By forming a layer of liquid that does not allow air to enter the product, it allows it to retain its taste longer.
Method No. 5 With flour
The method is very similar to the previous ones, with the difference that flour is used as an insulator of one layer of garlic from the other. It prevents the heads from touching each other and takes away excess moisture. At the bottom and top of this “layer cake” there is a large layer of flour – 3-5 cm.The shelf life of the product using this method is quite long.
Method No. 5 In sunflower oil
Only peeled cloves are stored in sunflower oil. They are placed in fairly dense layers in jars prepared in advance, and then filled with small amounts. The jar is shaken slightly so that the liquid fills all the gaps and is evenly distributed. All the slices should also be covered with oil on top.
While the garlic is stored, the oil will become saturated with its aromas. Therefore, it can also be used in cooking. To make it even more aromatic, many housewives add peppercorns, various herbs and salt to the jars.
Method number 6 In wine
Mediterranean cuisine often uses garlic infused in wine. Peeled cloves are placed in a jar. Unlike the previous method, do not compact them too tightly. Wine is added to the container. Only dry wine can be used. But red or white is at the discretion of the hostess.
Method No. 7 Dry
Garlic cloves are cut into thin slices and dried. The result is garlic chips. You can store them in bags or glass jars. Just don’t cover the jars with lids. These chips are used in preparing meat dishes and soups. They retain all the aroma and beneficial properties of the product.
Some tips for preparing garlic for storage
Before you figure out how to properly store garlic, you need to understand how to harvest it correctly. The heads are dug up in dry weather, when the tops are almost dry.
- Every vegetable grower should know that it is impossible to get rid of garlic stalks. This crop is one of the few that is dried along with the stems.
- After drying, the roots are removed.It is more convenient to do this with large scissors. Although some gardeners burn the roots on fire. A specimen in which the roots are not completely cut off, but a length of approximately 3-4 mm is left, retains moisture well.
- The next stage is the selection of a maintaining temperature regime. Garlic lies for a long time in temperature ranges - 2-4 degrees or 16-20.
Bulbs can be disinfected before harvesting. For this purpose 0.5 l. sunflower oil is heated on fire. Add 10 drops of iodine to it. The solution is thoroughly mixed and removed from the heat. Each head is alternately dipped into the solution and then sent to dry in the sun. This simple procedure will allow housewives to forget about rot and mold on garlic. Bulbs collected in dry weather should not be subjected to this procedure. They will be stored perfectly anyway.
It is important to dig up the specimens correctly. To avoid cutting the heads, many vegetable growers use a pitchfork. Having slightly dug them up, they then connect their hands. After pulling the garlic out of the ground, wipe it with a glove to remove any remaining residue. The roots are lightly shaken to clean them.
Regardless of the chosen method, storing in jars is perfect for those who do not have their own basement or place to hang garlic braids.
