Almost everyone who has their own land grows garlic. This is a very useful and irreplaceable vegetable. It is used not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine. Therefore, having grown a good harvest of garlic, you still need to try to preserve it. Very often, if stored improperly, garlic begins to germinate or, conversely, dries out almost completely. And I would like to learn how to store it in an ordinary apartment so that it is always at hand.
You need to start with harvesting. Garlic must be collected on time, left to dry for a while, and then properly prepared for storage.
Harvesting garlic
Garlic that was planted in winter (winter) must be harvested in the first days of August or at the very end of July. If the garlic was planted in spring (spring), then the most suitable time to collect it is the end of summer.
Choose a dry and sunny day for this process, and a pitchfork will be the most suitable gardening tools. The garlic is dug up, the heads with stems are shaken off the ground and laid out on the site for drying. It should be dried in a sunny place or in a well-ventilated area for five days.
The drying process is completed by cutting off the excess stem and roots using a pruner or large scissors. The stem should be left no more than ten centimeters, and the roots approximately three millimeters.
Preparing garlic for long-term storage
There are many ways to store garlic. The main thing is to properly prepare the vegetable. It can be further processed, or you can do without processing. However, the processed garlic heads last longer.
Garlic processing is mandatory if it was not possible to dry it for the required time or if the garlic was overexposed in the sun during drying. And also if it was dug in rainy and cold weather. If you followed all the stages of cleaning and drying correctly, then you can proceed to the next stage without processing.
Garlic processing has three parts:
- The remaining roots on the garlic heads must be scorched over the fire - this will prevent their germination in the future.
- Dip each head of garlic in a specially prepared solution (four to five hundred grams of any vegetable oil calcined over a fire for two hours, mix with ten drops of iodine) - this will help to avoid various diseases and become a prophylactic agent against mold.
- Dry the heads of garlic thoroughly (in the sun or by airing).
How to store garlic: proven methods
Garlic planted in spring will keep well in a warm room (up to twenty degrees Celsius). Winter garlic planted in the fall should be stored in a cold room (no more than one to three degrees Celsius).
Often summer residents and gardeners choose a storage location, focusing on the amount of harvest. A small crop can be stored in an apartment. Usually, not much is needed, only as an additive to dishes or as a seasoning. If you have a large family and everyone loves garlic, and the harvest exceeds one box, then you will have to use the cellar or balcony.
The storage location is of no small importance for the garlic. The room should be cool (from three degrees Celsius to three degrees below zero) and humid (up to eighty percent). Arrange a large harvest of garlic in cardboard, wooden, or wicker containers.
If a small amount of garlic is enough for your family, then use one of several ways to store garlic in the apartment. For its storage, objects and materials from our daily life are used.
Storing garlic in pigtails and bunches
Dried stalks of garlic, together with their heads, are woven into a tight braid and hung from the ceiling in the closet (or in another dry, dark and cool room). This method of storage allows you to economically use space in your home, but it takes some time to create high-quality weaving.
Storing garlic in a net
Garlic is poured into nylon nets with large cells and, as in the previous method, is hung closer to the ceiling.
The downside of these two methods is the potential for garlic to grow and dry out. Therefore, you will occasionally need to sort it and remove the spoiled one.
Storing garlic in salt
As a container, you can take a sterilized glass jar (3-liter) or a small wooden box with small holes for air exchange.
At the bottom of the jar, you need to pour a two-centimeter layer of salt, then fill it almost to the top with garlic, and all the voids between the garlic heads must be filled with salt. The top also needs a layer of salt, the same as at the bottom of the jar.
You need to put the garlic in the box in layers - a layer of garlic, and then a layer of salt, and so on until filling. This garlic will keep well throughout the winter.
Storing garlic in flour
This method involves the use of a container with a lid. At the bottom you need to pour a small layer of flour, then put the heads of garlic as tightly as possible, having previously rolled them in flour. Then again cover with a layer of flour and cover. Flour picks up excess moisture well, so the garlic will stay fresh until summer.
Storing garlic in sterile jars
Prepare 1 liter or 2 liter glass jars, sterilize them and dry well. They say that in such prepared containers, garlic can also be stored for a long time without additional fillers.
Storing garlic in ash
Storing garlic in ash is similar to the salt and flour method. Take a cardboard box and lay down alternating a layer of ash and a layer of garlic. The top and bottom layers are necessarily ash. The box can even be stored in the kitchen.
Storing garlic in onion skins
Garlic keeps well in onion skins. As a storage container, you can take any boxes, boxes and even small bags. And it's better to store everything somewhere higher.
Storing garlic in cling film
This film will prevent the garlic heads from drying out. They need to be tightly wrapped with cling film, each and better with a double layer.
Storing garlic in paraffin
Take regular paraffin candles and melt them in a water bath. You need to dip each garlic head in hot paraffin and let the excess liquid drain. Once the paraffin is set, you can put all the garlic in small cardboard boxes or baskets.
This storage method does not allow moisture to evaporate, as it is hindered by the protective film that covers the entire surface of the garlic. In addition, the film will not allow any pathogenic microbes to penetrate the vegetable.
Storing Garlic in a Cloth Bag
The bag should be made of any natural material. Soak it in a very saturated salt solution for a couple of minutes. Dry it thoroughly. Fill with garlic and do not tie during storage.
In this way, the processed bag will protect the garlic from mold and various diseases.
