Garlic is a healthy and delicious ingredient in many dishes, from cold snacks to soups. Many housewives prefer to buy it in bulk, during the harvest season, or grow it on their personal plot. Compliance with storage rules will help to save stocks of garlic.
Which garlic is suitable for storage
Many housewives who buy garlic for the winter find that after a couple of months the heads dry out, turn yellow and completely lose their characteristic pungent taste. One of the reasons is the wrongly chosen varieties. Only spring garlic harvested at the end of summer is suitable for long-term storage. It ripens for a long time, manages to accumulate the required amount of nutrients. The nutritional value of such a product is much higher and lasts longer. That is why, when purchasing vegetables for the winter, you need to inquire about their variety and time of collection. It is not out of place to clarify the region. Vegetables grown in their own climate zone are much better preserved.
Those who grow garlic on their own must harvest on time. Dig the heads out in clear, dry weather. Garlic harvested in the rain will quickly deteriorate. Before digging, the beds are not watered for 2-3 days. In mature garlic, the leaves turn yellow and begin to slope to the ground - this is a sure sign that you should not delay harvesting.
After digging up, you need to act step by step, the safety of the crop depends on it. In no case should the heads be damaged, such garlic will have to be used immediately for food, it cannot be stored. The dug heads are sorted out, rejecting damaged, ugly or rotted ones. Strong, selected garlic is laid out to dry. The weather in autumn is unstable, you need to dry the heads in a shelter: on the veranda, loggia, in the summer kitchen. An important condition is a constant supply of fresh air and the absence of dampness. From time to time, the garlic is turned over, and after drying, it is cleaned of the remnants of the earth, without cutting off the tops. After 4 days, the long dried leaves can be removed, but much depends on the storage method chosen. In some cases, the tops will still come in handy.
Ideal parameters for storing garlic
To keep the heads strong and juicy, you need to keep the temperature in the room between 5 and 17 degrees. It is important to provide moderate humidity (about 40-50 percent). Excessively dry air contributes to the loss of elasticity, too humid can provoke rotting. It is necessary to protect stocks from insects and rodents.
It is best to store garlic on a glassed-in terrace, cellar, entryway, shed, or summer kitchen. Stocks must be protected from sudden changes in temperature and moisture. Owners of private houses often hang garlic in the entryway, collecting it in bunches or braiding it into braids from dry, uncut tops. Another popular technique is to fold the peeled heads with cut roots and leaves into nylon stockings. In a suspended state, garlic is perfectly stored until spring, and damaged heads can be noticed and removed in time.
The easiest and easiest way is to fold the heads into wooden boxes, barrels, tubs or baskets. If there is no extra storage space, garlic can be stored together with onions, they have the same humidity and temperature requirements.
Large stocks can also be stored in the ground. The heads of garlic are placed in plastic bags or wrapped tightly in plastic. Then the bundles must be tightly wrapped in rags (for example, old blankets or coats) and buried in loose soil to a depth of about 40 cm. The earth is carefully tamped down and marks must be left specifying where to look for supplies.
Storage in the apartment: step by step instructions
If stocks are small, the heads can be placed in the lower area of the refrigerator. A particularly comfortable microclimate will be provided by drip-type units that maintain the moisture level that is optimal for vegetables. Garlic dries quickly in the no frost refrigerator. On average, heads are stored for 2 to 3 months.
The original way is to store not whole heads in the peel, but a semi-finished product necessary for cooking. The wedges are peeled, finely chopped, or passed through a kitchen processor. Small portions can be packaged in plastic containers or ice cube trays and then placed in the freezer. Garlic retains its aroma for six months, does not dry out and does not grow moldy. In addition, vegetables in this form will take up much less space.
Peeled, but not cut, slices are perfectly stored in vegetable oil. This homemade method not only preserves the spicy vegetables, but also gives a subtle flavor to the oil, with which you can make delicious vegetable salads, add to stews and homemade soups. The calorie content of garlic with this storage method will not change. It is better to place the jar in the refrigerator, having previously closed it with a glass or plastic lid.
For soups, stews, and other hot dishes with garlic, thin plastics can be dried outdoors. The plates are put in a glass jar and stored along with other spices.
The classic storage option in beautiful long braids or wreaths is not suitable for cramped kitchens with central heating. But the garlic decorated in this way can be hung on the glassed-in balcony. It is important to protect stocks from direct sunlight and accidental moisture ingress. The method is not suitable for southern balconies, but on loggias facing north, garlic is successfully stored until spring.
If the apartment has a storage room, supplies can be placed there. Heads are placed in baskets or boxes, plastic bags or boxes with sealed lids cannot be used. It is advisable to check the humidity level in the room in advance, if it is below 40%, the vegetables will dry out quickly and lose their taste.
You can put the heads in glass jars and sprinkle with flour, fine table salt or ordinary sand. Close the containers with plastic lids and place them in a cool, dark place: in the closet, kitchen cabinet or even under the bed. It is better to store small stocks without flour, having previously disassembled into slices, but without removing the husk.
