Garlic is a healthy product and an indispensable seasoning. Dishes using it are relevant at any time of the year. Especially in winter, when it is necessary to support the immune system and strengthen the body’s defense against bacteria.
But with normal storage, garlic quickly deteriorates, it begins to dry out, mold, and rot. As a result, the garlic harvest harvested in summer may become unsuitable for consumption by winter.
To prevent it from spoiling, it must be properly preserved. This can be done with salt - the simplest and most reliable preservative.
We will tell you in this article how to organize storage of garlic in salt for the whole winter.
Choosing garlic for storing in jars
The first thing you need to do to better preserve garlic throughout the year is to dig it up on time.
To do this, you need to know the ripening time of each individual variety. An overripe vegetable is more prone to rotting. Another important factor is planting time. Garlic can be spring (planted in early spring) or winter (planted in autumn). The first is harvested in August-September, the second in late spring or June, depending on the variety.
The main sign of ripening is yellowing of the lower leaves, as well as cracking of the seed pod on the arrow.
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The best varieties of spring garlic for long-term storage:
- Aleysky;
- Gulliver;
- Abrek;
- Sochinsky 56;
- Gafurisky.
The best varieties of winter garlic:
- Alcor;
- Hermann;
- Reliable;
- Podmoskovny;
- Replicant.
In general, spring varieties tolerate long-term storage much better than winter varieties. They can last up to two years, maintaining their freshness.
Read in our article: what varieties of peas are there.
How to store garlic in an apartment. What is the ideal place and container to store garlic?
Experienced gardeners and gardeners know how to store garlic in winter. Many different containers are suitable for packaging, from bags to cans. In the right conditions, it is possible to store garlic until spring, until a new crop ripens.
You should independently choose at what temperature to store the products, since garlic is suitable for both heat and cold, everything will depend on the chosen method. But there are still temperature limits. Above-zero conditions should remain between 15 and 20 degrees. Negative degrees should not fall below two or four levels.
As for the terms, their fluctuations in different storage methods are small. It should be borne in mind that the dryness of the room where the garlic crop is going to be stored should not be excessive, otherwise the vegetables will dry out. And with high humidity, the garlic heads rot. At the same time, the optimal humidity conditions for the spicy vegetable vary within a fairly wide range from 50 to 80 percent.
There are many ways to store garlic in your apartment. You can store the products in the cellar area or underground, put the raw materials in the basements, on an insulated loggia or glazed balcony. There is no doubt whether you can store garlic in the refrigerator; the vegetable compartment is perfect for this.
You can store garlic simply in the room, putting it in boxes or stockings, making braided braids. The main thing is that the chosen storage location is dry. Garlic in a 3-liter jar or in a box is often sent to the loggia. The harvest is also left in wicker baskets, where there is constant circulation of air masses, which will prolong storage.
Do not neglect the “grandmother’s” method of storage in tights and stockings, hung from the wall on nails. The nylon is woven in such a way that air “walks” in the gaps formed, so winter garlic will last longer at home.
Tip: Garlic stalks can be gathered into a braid; this method can decorate the interior of your home.
Preparation for storage
Dig up the garlic, leaving the stems. They will be needed so that the head receives nutrients for some time. Next, clear the soil with your hands and place it on a bed to dry for 4-5 days.
If the weather is rainy , it is better to put the vegetable under a canopy or even indoors. If the weather is too hot and sunny , then the garlic will not like it either - burns are possible. Drying indoors lasts 2-3 weeks. The scales will begin to peel off and become thinner and more transparent.
Next, the bulbs are cut off from the stems and roots using a knife or pruning shears. Stems are trimmed to 3-5 cm, roots – to 3 mm.
To prevent the teeth from sprouting, the roots of each head are scorched over an open fire.
If you did not harvest the crop on time, then in order to avoid the appearance of rot or mold, it is advisable to perform the following procedure:
- Heat 0.5 liters of sunflower oil.
- Add 10 drops of iodine to it.
- Mix everything.
- Dip the garlic heads into the mixture.
- Dry in the sun.
We figured out the choice of garlic and its preparation. Now let's move on to the question of how to store garlic in a jar.
Pickled garlic
If desired, garlic grown at the dacha can not only be preserved in the apartment until the next harvest, but also made into an excellent snack. To do this, the cloves in the jar should be pickled in much the same way as other vegetables from the plot.
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Young garlic is usually prepared in this way for the winter. To marinate the heads:
- clean the garlic from dirt and remove the roots;
- remove the top gray layer of scales from the garlic and leave the film;
- trim the stems, leaving stubs 2-3 cm long.
Next, place the heads in a glass container and fill with boiling brine. To prepare the brine, use the following ingredients:
- salt - 2 tbsp with a slide;
- apple or regular vinegar - 100 ml;
- sugar - 1 tbsp with a slide;
- a set of spices, as for pickling cucumbers - dill umbrellas, currant and cherry leaves.
At the final stage, roll up the jars filled with garlic or close them with metal screw caps. These heads will be ready for eating in about a month.
You can also pickle the garlic using individual cloves. The technology used in this case is the same. But before placing them in jars, the heads themselves must be disassembled, having first been completely cleaned of husks and films.
Advantages and disadvantages of storage in banks
Like any other method of storing vegetables, this option has its pros and cons.
The advantages include:
- A jar is an excellent barrier to microorganisms.
- The jars are convenient to store indoors, the product is packed quite compactly (under the table, in the pantry, in the refrigerator, on the balcony - anywhere).
- You can use a variety of toppings and even create your own salad dressing.
- The garlic can be left unpeeled or peeled.
Minuses:
- Some of the jar storage options require a lot of preparation time.
- Additional costs for fillers: salt, flour, butter, etc.
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 considering various ways to store garlic in a jar, a few words about 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.
Preparing jars
There are no difficulties at this stage - the jar just needs to be sterilized and dried .
To do this, take a large saucepan or basin and boil the jars in it. If there are no large containers, then you can hold the jar over boiling water even in a small saucepan. Steam also kills germs. Another method is oven sterilization. Probably the most convenient. Firstly , the oven holds a large number of cans. Secondly , you don’t need to figure out how to hold the jar over the steam so as not to get burned or drop it.
How to preserve garlic until spring at home. Optimal conditions
To preserve winter garlic for a long, cold winter, it is important to provide the necessary moisture and temperature parameters. Otherwise, the slices will become covered with rot, mold, or dry out.
You can store garlic for the whole winter in a ventilated cellar. The room is well ventilated, there is always the necessary coolness and there is no sunlight.
Basements and pantries are ideal places to store winter garlic at home. We must not forget that part of the autumn harvest is set aside for planting. Half of the harvested crop can be eaten.
Winter is a long period. The vegetable helps support the immune system and is considered especially useful during the winter months.
Storage conditions:
- Temperature – from -2 to +2. If you increase the temperature, the heads will undergo germination. With a large negative indicator, the vegetable will freeze and lose its taste and nutritional qualities. Only the spring variety is stored at room temperature.
- Ambient humidity – from 60% to 80%. The room should not be excessively damp or dry. At high humidity the variety rots, at low humidity it dries out.
- Ventilation. We store garlic correctly! The room must have access to fresh air flow. The product is usually stored in canvas bags where air can easily penetrate. This prevents the heads from drying out.
- Darkness. The absence of direct penetration of sunlight prevents ultraviolet radiation from reaching the surface of the product. Darkness prevents rapid spoilage.
It is important to store spring garlic correctly. This garden crop is unpretentious in storage. The heads can be laid out on a table surface or on the floor. Pre-spread a soft, dry cloth. Knowing how to store garlic in winter at home, you can avoid mistakes and fully enjoy the harvest.
It is possible to store garlic in any city apartment if you follow all the rules.
Storage methods
There are many options for storing garlic. You can leave the vegetable as a whole, or you can take it apart into heads or even grate it. Each case will have its own nuances. Let's look at each method in more detail.
Whole heads
Peel the head from the top layer of husk and put it in a jar.
There is no need to fill it with anything and close the lid either. This is the fastest method, but it has two significant drawbacks:
- Whole heads leave a lot of empty unused space.
- Rot may go unnoticed between the cloves.
It is advisable to store in a cool but dry place.
Separate cloves
This method is similar to the previous one, since the vegetable is placed in a jar without any fillers. But in this case, the head is disassembled into teeth. It is very important to carefully inspect each one for rot or mold. The container is stored in a dry place.
Dry
Disassemble the head into cloves and remove the husks. Cut each into thin circles. Dry. You will get these unique garlic chips. You can store it both in jars and bags. There is no need to close the jars. These “chips” are added to soups and meat dishes.
It is very convenient, and the taste and aroma are perfectly preserved. Dried slices can be crushed in any convenient way and used as a fine seasoning, the so-called garlic salt.
Storage in flour
In this case, flour is poured into the bottom of the jar in a layer of about 2 cm, then garlic is laid out, and flour is sprinkled on top again. So it is necessary to repeat laying out layers up to the neck. You can use either whole heads or cloves (just don’t need to peel them). Flour here serves as an insulator: it prevents the heads or teeth from touching each other and absorbs excess moisture.
In salt
Storing garlic in glass jars with salt is an alternative to storing it in flour. Salt also acts as an insulator here. The jar is left open. You can also store both the heads and the teeth in salt. The teeth can also be stored cleaned. Salt disinfects and allows the vegetable to be stored all winter and even spring.
In the ash
Instead of flour and salt, you can use wood ash. But in this case, you only need a couple of tablespoons. Sprinkle the garlic with the first spoon, filling the container halfway, the second - at the end.
In vegetable oil
Quite a sophisticated method. Place the peeled and washed garlic cloves in a jar and pour in vegetable oil. In this case, you can use both sunflower and other oils, for example, olive, linseed. And some people use unrefined sunflower oil - it all depends on your personal taste preferences.
If desired, add spicy dried herbs, pepper or other spices. Remove the garlic cloves as needed. The oil itself can and even should be used. It acquires a spicy taste and aroma. This oil is perfect for dressing salads.
The method has a significant “minus” - garlic loses some of its nutrients.
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Should be stored in a closed jar. The shelf life of such a product is about 4-5 months.
In wine
Pickled garlic in wine belongs to Mediterranean cuisine. You can pour the peeled slices with wine in a jar, or put them in a bottle of wine (with a wide neck). The type of wine does not matter; again, it all depends on your taste. You can use dry, red or white.
An alternative option is storage in vinegar. But it is worth considering that the taste of garlic will be completely different.
In pureed form
This storage method is more like a finished sauce rather than a way to preserve garlic as a raw material. But nevertheless, an excellent option.
The garlic needs to be divided into cloves, peeled and washed. Then grind in a blender or grate. Place the resulting mixture in a jar and add oil. Mix the contents until smooth. In this case, you don’t need to pour a lot of oil - about 1.5 times the volume of grated garlic.
Any oil will do. To add piquancy, you can use olive oil and add dried Provençal herbs. It makes an excellent dressing for meat and vegetable dishes.
You can also find out the top 20 best ways to pickle garlic at home.
Where to begin
Of course, before storing garlic, the heads must be carefully prepared. First, sort out the garlic as carefully and carefully as possible. Heads with damaged or rotten teeth are, of course, not suitable for storage, including in jars. It is better to put this garlic aside and use it in the near future.
There is no need to remove the roots from garlic when storing it. In this case, it will last much longer without signs of mold or rotting. If desired, the roots can be scorched with fire before laying the garlic. This will help prevent sprouting.
Once sorted, place the garlic in a warm, dark, dry place to dry. When the husks are dry, trim the stems, leaving small stumps.
Tips and tricks
Here are some tips to help keep your vegetables fresh throughout the winter:
- spring garlic is stored at 16-20 degrees and humidity 50-70%;
- winter - at 2-4 degrees and humidity 70-80%;
- damaged cloves are used immediately, without leaving them for the winter;
- It is advisable to store garlic separately from other vegetables.
Read the following article: how often to water tomatoes in hot weather to get a good harvest.
How to prevent garlic from spoiling
The three most common ways to help avoid spoilage and rotting of garlic in winter:
- Direct sunlight can kill bacteria that cause various diseases of vegetable crops. Therefore, during drying, it is highly recommended to periodically expose the garlic to the sun;
- To prevent garlic from drying out during storage, you can dip it in warm melted paraffin, which, after drying, forms a shell and becomes an obstacle to the evaporation of moisture;
- If garlic begins to sprout, its cloves lose density, become soft and tasteless. To avoid this, you should set the roots of each head on fire.
There are quite a few ways to store garlic. Each of them does not present any particular difficulties, so choosing the most suitable one will be easy.
The main thing is to pay special attention to harvesting and its preparation. After all, if the garlic is not dried enough or there are bacteria-damaged and rotten cloves in the heads, then it will not be possible to preserve it. By following the recommendations, everything will definitely work out and you will have a supply for the winter.
In the refrigerator or cellar
Garlic can also be placed in the refrigerator or cellar, but since it is not resistant to rotting, the bulbs must be placed separately from other vegetables. In the refrigerator, the shelf life of garlic is on average 2 months, after which it will gradually begin to dry out. Storage methods:
1. The heads can be placed in a paper bag or cloth bag, previously soaked in saline solution and dried. Store in the vegetable compartment. 2. Trim the roots and hold the garlic over an open flame for 3-5 seconds to char. This will help prevent sprouting.
If this germination process has already begun, it can be slowed down, but it cannot be completely stopped. Trim off the green sprouts and put the garlic back. It will keep in this form for another 1-2 months.
3. Fill cloth bags with onion peels, then place the heads of garlic in them. Store as is in the basement, pantry, or bottom shelf of the refrigerator. 4. Pour vegetable oil into a container, put it on fire and boil it. Add iodine at the rate of 5 drops per 250 ml of oil. This composition must be applied to the heads. The bulbs can be dipped in oil or coated with a brush. Dry the processed garlic in the sun. Then transfer it to any container: jars, boxes, crates, baskets.
This is a labor-intensive method, but at the same time quite effective. Garlic prepared in this way can be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of +2 °C to +4 °C throughout the winter.
5. Garlic can be placed in a basket, wooden box or cardboard box with pre-made holes for air circulation. Place the container in a room with a temperature range from +2 °C to +4 °C.
During storage, periodically sort out and inspect the heads. If spoiled bulbs are found in the box, they should be removed.
Two in one: save peeled garlic and make garlic oil
With the help of vegetable oil, garlic can be perfectly stored in a peeled state. Prepare a glass jar. Place tightly peeled slices into it and fill them with vegetable oil. Any kind available will do, but olive oil will be the healthiest for a salad. This storage option is also convenient because it eliminates the need to peel garlic when cooking. And the oil, imbued with a characteristic aroma, will be an exquisite addition to salads and sauces.
Garlic prepared in oil can be stored at temperatures from +18 °C to +22 °C, but the shelf life will be shorter, and such a jar cannot be left in the light.
Video: garlic cloves in oil
Vacuum method
Prepare glass jars, boil them, then dry them well. Place the heads of garlic in them. Close tightly with vacuum lids, removing air from the cans with a special device (pump). Store in the refrigerator.
The disadvantage of this method is that you will not be able to remove one head from the container, or you will have to repeat the procedure to remove air again.
Good old retro
Place the unpeeled heads of garlic in nylon tights or nets so that they are positioned loosely and hang them in a cool place. For example, in a cellar or basement, where the temperature does not exceed +4 °C. If the balcony in the apartment is glazed, you can hang the garlic there too, covering it with a cotton cloth.
In the freezer
Not all housewives advise freezing garlic. Try this and, after evaluating the result, decide for yourself how convenient this storage method is for you. Its advantage is that you practically don’t need to spend time processing the garlic during cooking; you can immediately add it to the dish.
Video: how to freeze garlic for the winter
Important! If you use freezing as a storage method, be prepared for the fact that the taste and texture of the garlic may change.
