Content
Such a healthy vegetable as garlic is very popular in Russia. It has been known for a long time, people loved to add it to dishes, rub it on the crust of Borodino bread, and eat it just like that. Having grown a garlic crop on their own plot, many people wonder how to properly store garlic at home. Let's talk about everything in order.
About the benefits of garlic
Garlic is an extremely healthy product. It contains oils that have a beneficial effect on:
- circulatory system;
- immune system;
- gastrointestinal tract.
Eating this product is justified both in summer and in cold weather. This is why it is so important to find a good way to store garlic at home. In autumn and winter, using this product you can protect the whole family from colds.
Before we talk about ways to store the product at home, it is important to touch on the topic of harvesting.
Harvesting garlic in summer
Harvesting garlic is an important step and must be approached with all responsibility. The fact is that with all the variety of vegetable varieties, it should be divided into two main types:
- summer (spring);
- winter (winter).
Garlic storage spring storage differs from winter storage. There are also differences in appearance.
Winter varieties are planted in winter, in September - October. They withstand frost and are perfectly preserved in soil at -22 degrees. In spring, the rooted fruit develops quickly and produces a bountiful harvest in July. All the teeth are gathered around one thick arrow. All varieties of winter garlic bolt.
Spring varieties, on the contrary, do not shoot. The only exception is the Gulliver variety. This vegetable is planted in the spring and harvested in mid-August. It does not tolerate severe frosts. Externally, the head of spring garlic is smaller than winter garlic and all its cloves are collected into a bulb in a spiral. They are small and covered with soft leaves.
Harvesting of all types should be done in warm, dry weather. You should absolutely not do this immediately after rain. Moreover, watering the soil before digging the bulbs is prohibited. When harvesting, you can use a pitchfork or shovel, being careful not to damage the bulbs. The process preceding storage can be divided into several stages:
- digging up bulbs;
- drying;
- sorting;
- pruning
The dug up garlic, held by the long tops, is shaken off of excess soil and, in good weather, left to dry in the sun. In rainy weather, this should be done directly in a dry room. The drying time is 5-6 days.
Now the product is sorted. We need to select the best ones. Garlic that will not be stored:
- damaged;
- moldy;
- infected with diseases;
- not dried thoroughly.
After sorting it is required trim correctly. The long powerful roots of the vegetable are cut with a sharp short knife, leaving 2-3 centimeters from the bottom. It is better to trim the tops depending on the storage conditions:
- for beams leave 15-20 centimeters;
- for braids 35-40 centimeters;
- in all other cases, it is appropriate to leave 2-3 centimeters, no more.
Everyone chooses for themselves how to store garlic at home. Let's talk about the most common methods.
Storage methods
Speaking about how to store garlic in winter, you need to know that spring garlic is well stored both warm at room temperature +18-22 degrees, and in a cool cellar. Winter crops can only be preserved in a cellar or refrigerator. The maximum storage temperature is +4 degrees.
When discussing storing garlic in winter, they most often talk about summer varieties. Winter crops are dug up, used for conservation, and the rest are planted in the garden beds in the fall to produce a new harvest. However, this does not mean that winter varieties cannot be stored. On the contrary, housewives love it for its large head and the size of its garlic cloves.
In houses where there is a cellar, dry heads are simply woven into braids of tops, collected in bunches and hung. This is convenient, especially if the humidity is low.
But how store garlic for the winter at home or in the apartment? If the rules are neglected, the heads will not survive until winter. We suggest considering ways to store garlic if the temperature is at room temperature.
In bags
Many of us have heard about the unique quality of salt. When used as a preservative, the life of many products can be extended. To learn how to preserve garlic until spring, use the following advice.
You need to prepare a saline solution. To do this, boil water and add three tablespoons of salt per liter to it. Now the head is lowered into this solution for two seconds and removed. Wet bulbs must be dried in the sun and stored in a linen bag at room conditions.
In glass jars
Jars in which you want to store garlic at home must be thoroughly washed and dried. Now salt or flour is poured into the bottom of each jar, and then a layer of onions is laid out. Then everything is sprinkled with flour or salt again. This is perhaps the best of all storage methods in a small space.
After a month or a month and a half, you need to check the condition of the bulk product itself (salt or flour). If there are damp lumps, you need to take everything out and pour the heads again.
In a refrigerator
When choosing the right method, you always start from the conditions in the house. Some apartments don't even have a storage room. Only a refrigerator can ensure the safety of food. In this case, there is no need to talk about a large number of blanks, but you can close the jar. For this, garlic paste is prepared.
Refrigerated storage also requires consideration of conditions. If bacteria gets into the garlic paste, mold will form. After grinding the garlic through a meat grinder or blender, you need to place it in small sterile jars and pour a thick layer of salt on top under the lid. This will be an additional barrier to the development of bacteria. The product preserved in this way will be as fresh, healthy and juicy as in summer.
Sometimes you can store peeled cloves directly in the bag in the freezer. All beneficial properties and taste will be preserved. This method is good for those who live in small apartments. You can also freeze berries and vegetables for feeding children. They will be practically no different from summer ones.
Video
We bring to our readers a video with tips on where to store garlic and how to do it.
Each housewife, from year to year, preserving certain vegetables for the winter, develops a series of steps.They are all correct.
Instead of a conclusion
As we have already noticed, storing garlic at home for the winter can only be done in conditions of low humidity. Whatever methods you use, remember the basic rules when storing. In winter, you will be pleased with the pungent garlic taste; it can be used in the preparation of first and second courses, or eaten fresh.
Fresh garlic is always useful in the household. Some mothers advise breathing in garlic vapor more often, and then your children will be able to protect themselves from colds and flu during cold weather. How justified this is is for everyone to decide for themselves.
