Preserving garlic

[prison break fan]

Please has anyone done this? I have googled it and there seems lots of ways to do it, but I think it is always good to hear from someone who has actually done it. I think I left my garlic in the ground too long as the bulbs are all separating. Anyway here's hoping! pbf.

[Odsox]

I always freeze our surplus.
I leave enough fresh for use over the next 3 months or so, plus of course one bulb as seed for next year.
Skin the individual cloves and freeze in a rigid container .. and that's it.
When you need one to cook with it only takes literally a couple of minutes to defrost and more importantly still tastes fresh.

I've done this now for 5 years running and they are still OK till the next harvest.

[prison break fan]

Thanks Odsox, off to do that now, I knew I could rely on Ish!!!! pbf.

[Odsox]

One thing I didn't mention is, when it's defrosted the cloves are not really crisp especially after a few months ... so probably no good if you use a garlic press. I don't use one as I always slice/crush mine so it doesn't affect me, but it might other people.
Still tastes good though.

[prison break fan]

Me too, can't be bothered washing up a garlic press, too fiddly! pbf.

[Green Aura]

Plus they don't work! OH insists on having one - his signature dish (for that read "only") is pasta with oil and garlic. So I don't feel I can deny him one. Our current one is a lurid purple plastic one that you can feel the handles bend when you use it - don't think it's long for this kitchen! We've had it for 2 weeks. It's predecessor lasted about a year then the holey bit snapped, pinging shards of metal into our dinner - nice.

I always chop it.

[oldfella]

Hang it in a dry place as you would onions, and then in the September or Spring plant those you don't need for the pot. Works every time for us.

[frozenthunderbolt]

I've cut it thin strung it on thread and dried it before -worked nicely!

[Millymollymandy]

I'm going to try freezing a bit of it like Odsox does to see how it keeps. The rest is drying as I type.

My garlic press is great, made from metal and doesn't bend. The bit with holes comes out for very easy washing. Mostly I chop garlic though and only crush it for my lemon/oil/garlic//mustard/chive new potato dressing. I also use the press to get the juice out of woody ginger.

[nogginthenog]

Pickled garlic is wonderful. It loses it's potency and you can eat them whole. Yum. Never done it myself though!

[prison break fan]

I've frozen it now, but like the idea of drying it, Cheaper than freezing!!! Normally I would just hang it in the shed, but I left it in the ground too long and it was falling apart. All this wonderful weather we have had! It's raining now! pbf.

[Jessiebean]

I just plaited mine and hung it from a nail in the shed- if I hadn't eaten it all it would still be good!
Why would I need to preserve it further? (genuine question- not being smug and facetious)

[prison break fan]

Hi Jessiebean, I don't think you are smug or facetious!!, but the reason I had to find out how to preserve my garlic was because I had left it in the ground too long and all the bulbs had separated and the stems rotted away. I would normally just plait it and dry it but not this lot. pbf.

[Odsox]

Jessie, garlic (and onions on another thread) doesn't keep in my mild humid climate, it just starts to grow again if I don't freeze it.
It's really weird, I even have peas germinating with quite long shoots, while they are still in the pod !
Anyway, that's why I freeze garlic.

[Moonwaves]

I tried pickling garlic last year as I quite liked the sound of it. Don't know what I did wrong but the jars sort of landed at the back of the cupboard and got forgotten about so it was months later before I remembered them, opened one and it STANK. Really not a good smell either. All of them were like that. Might give it a go again this year with a very small batch but now that I now you can freeze individual cloves I might just do that. Thanks for the tip.