Winter garlic is early ripening, has large heads, therefore it is popular with gardeners. Not only roots are eaten, but also tops, namely garlic arrows, from which you can prepare various goodies.
How to cut arrows off garlic
Winter garlic can be non-shooting and shooting. This division is conditional, in cold climates the peduncle may not appear in the shooting varieties, but in hot weather, on the contrary, even in the non-shooting varieties of garlic, an arrow is formed on which a box with seeds is formed.
And then the vegetable throws all its strength into the development of air bulbs, and the garlic head stops growing. The task of the grower is to grow a large bulb, so the peduncle must be cut off in time. This is done like this: take the peduncle at the base and pull slightly. If the stem does not stretch, then simply break it off.
Garlic arrows have the same beneficial properties as cloves, and are also tasty, so you should never throw them away. Cut off their buds and prepare an original snack.
How to cook garlic arrows
Arrows of garlic make interesting salads, side dishes for meat, savory snacks. They can be marinated, fried, stewed. Before cooking anything, cut off the heads at the peduncles, blanch for 5-10 minutes in boiling water. If the arrows are young and gentle, blanching can be dispensed with. Fry the prepared product in oil and add to salads or use as a side dish. A variety of dishes prepared on the basis of garlic arrows are a great opportunity to diversify your summer table. And not only summer, because arrows can be harvested for future use.
Shooter recipes
The meat stewed with arrows turns out to be tender, with a bright taste. You will need 200-300 g of arrows, 400 g of pork, 1 large onion, 50 g of vegetable fat, 2 large tablespoons of potato starch, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, spices.
Cut the arrows into 4-6 cm pieces. Cut the pork into thin strips and fry. Place thinly chopped onions in the meat and fry until translucent. While the meat is browning, prepare the sauce using the starch, soy sauce, and a glass of water. Put the prepared arrows in the meat, pour the sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Garlic arrows for the winter are quite simple to prepare. Twist an arbitrary amount of product in a meat grinder, salt to taste. Divide into bags or containers and place in the freezer. Add vegetable oil to the defrosted mass and use as a spread on bread or add to dishes as a seasoning. You can freeze the arrows cut into pieces, and fry them without defrosting in winter. Garlic arrows are a good source of vitamins, especially in winter.
Pickled garlic arrows are also tasty. Boil them in water for 2-3 minutes, then place them tightly in sterilized jars and cover with hot marinade. Marinade: for 1 liter of water, take salt and sugar 50 g each, vinegar 9% 100 g. Sterilize liter jars for 5 minutes, close with iron lids. Such canned food can be stored for more than one year.
