How to properly store garlic until spring in your apartment: stocking up for the winter

It's no secret that garlic is a very healthy vegetable. It can change the taste of even the most boring dish, and it is also often used to treat and prevent various diseases. For this reason, the choice of the place where it will be stored at home should be taken very seriously. The most important thing to remember is that you need to dry the vegetable so that it does not spoil. Also, small heads and segments expire faster, so they are used for food first.

Optimal storage conditions

Before you figure out how to store garlic in an apartment or house, you should find out what conditions should be organized for it. There are no strict criteria, but limitations must be taken into account. Spring garlic feels best in a warm environment from +15 to +20 degrees. How to store winter garlic? Optimal temperature: from +1 to +4 degrees. Do not choose rooms that are too dry. High humidity will provoke rotting (the permissible value is in the range from 50 to 80%).

Which type of garlic is best stored in winter?

According to experienced gardeners, the spring variety has the best shelf life; it can be stored for up to two years. Spring planting is planted in the garden beds in the spring, on the first warm days, when the snow leaves the ground. The harvest is harvested in the summer, closer to autumn. The main feature of the spring variety is the absence of a rod. The lobules are arranged in several rows; large, dense teeth are located closer to the edge, and the core consists of small clusters of them.

The following varieties of spring garlic will survive the winter well:

• Abrek. It has a pungent taste, each bulb weighs approximately 30 grams. One head has up to 15 teeth. Shelf life is seven months.
• Aleysky. Spicy. The bulbs are small, 17 grams at most, but there are a lot of teeth, sometimes up to 18 pieces.
• Victorio. Medium-hot. The head weighs 40 grams, each with up to 15 lobes.
• Gulliver. Spicy. Giant bulbs weighing up to 120 grams, each with up to 5 large teeth.
• Degtyarsky. Medium spicy. The bulb weighs 38 grams, each with up to 18 cloves.
• Elenovsky. Peninsular. The head weighs 40 grams, each has 25 lobes.
• Ershovsky. Medium spicy. One bulb contains up to 25 cloves.
• Sochi 56. Mild. The onion weighs 50 grams, each head has 30 cloves.
• Flavor. Medium-hot taste. The fruit weighs 80 grams and contains up to 20 segments.

These varieties are well stored in winter and have good disease resistance.

Winter garlic, which is planted before the snow, may not be as fast as spring garlic, but there are still varieties that store well.

Among the winter crops the following should be mentioned:

• Bogatyr. Spicy. The head weighs 80-85 grams, with up to five lobes.
• Dobrynya. Spicy. The bulb reaches a weight of up to 32 grams, each with 12 teeth.
• Doctor. Onion weighing 40-42 grams. Frost-resistant, with excellent keeping quality.

How to store garlic in braids

How to properly store garlic in winter? It is very convenient to make braids or wreaths from it - the same as from an onion. It is very important not to trim the stems after harvesting and drying the plant.

So, you need to peel the garlic from the leaves, only the stems and the heads themselves should remain. You need to weave a tight braid from the fruits. For greater strength, it is recommended to use strong rope or twine.

Once the braid is tied, a loop should be made at the end of the rope. It is used for hanging. Store garlic in a dry, well-ventilated place. A kitchen or glassed-in balcony would be suitable, for example.

Method 5. In an open jar or basket

At home, you can store garlic in baskets, wooden boxes, open jars, and cardboard boxes. In order for the garlic heads to be stored well, first scorch their roots with the flame of a candle or lighter, and then put them in a basket or box and sprinkle with coarse table salt, flour, sawdust or onion peels.

Whatever method of storing garlic in your apartment you choose, keep in mind: from time to time the bulbs need to be sorted out and rotten, dried heads must be removed. If you neglect this rule, one spoiled garlic can lead to the loss of the entire harvest.

How to store garlic in cloth bags

To keep the garlic fresh, you should use cloth bags. They are easy to make yourself from old clothes or scraps.

To increase the shelf life of the vegetable, it is recommended to soak the fabric in a concentrated saline solution and then dry it. The dried heads are placed in a bag and then stored in a dry place.

Storing garlic in the freezer

You can also store it this way. To do this, the heads need to be cleaned, rinsed under water, cut, and placed in small bags. The cut cloves are immediately divided into several parts so that in winter you can take it without problems when you need it.

In this case, it is better to take a bag and use all the contents. Garlic does not like to be constantly defrosted and frozen. If you don’t really want to cut it with a knife because it will take a lot of time, then you need to fill a blender with it and grind it.

The gruel needs to be slightly salted for better storage. After this, the garlic puree is divided into several parts and placed in a bag for further freezing. When frozen, it is stored for a long time and does not lose its beneficial qualities.

To make the garlic more flavorful, you can mix it with herbs. During the winter period, a dish containing garlic will fully reveal its aroma.

Storage with pre-waxing

This is a non-standard storage option, but it helps prevent the vegetable from drying out. Using paraffin, you can protect the heads from evaporation of moisture from the surface.

For the procedure, remove the top scales, trim the stem to a length of 2-3 centimeters and remove the roots. Each head is dipped into paraffin melted in a water bath for a couple of seconds.

Place the prepared vegetables in a net or nylon stocking and put them in a cold, ventilated room. You can also keep them in the pantry or kitchen cabinet.

The most important thing is to lay out the fruits carefully so as not to damage them. How long can garlic prepared this way be stored? About six months.

How to prepare harvested garlic for long-term storage

The preparation process starts with harvesting the crop. Dig it out carefully, trying not to damage the top layer. If the surface of the plant has “wounds”, it will not last long. Then the crop is thoroughly dried. On inclement days, it is worth spreading it indoors in one layer so that each bulb gets enough air. In bright sunshine, you can place them outside. Drying continues for several days. The stems are then cut off and sorted, removing empty heads, as well as those that have begun to rot. Any damaged bulb should be separated from healthy ones to prevent them from becoming infected. The rejected ones can be recycled, and the good ones can be folded and stored.

How to dry garlic correctly

There are usually no problems with how to store spring garlic. Most often it is dried. Vegetable slices are peeled and cut thinly, after which they are placed in an electric dryer or oven. The temperature should be 60 degrees. As soon as the garlic is ready, it is sent to a blender, a little salt is added, after which everything is poured into a glass jar.

The shelf life of such a product is one year. During storage, the vegetable does not deteriorate, but over time it loses its properties and acquires a not very pleasant smell.

What are the benefits of garlic?

Modern scientists have confirmed the opinion of ancient healers: this vegetable is truly beneficial for the human body. It supports the immune system, acts as a preventive measure for certain diseases, strengthens bones, stimulates the activity of the liver and brain, and normalizes blood pressure. Natural healer is so powerful due to its unique composition.

Compound

Garlic contains many beneficial vitamins and minerals. But the main feature of this plant is its high content of sulfur compounds, in particular allicin. It has been proven that allicin is a reliable protection against neoplasms and cancer. In addition to such a powerful healing effect on the body, it also has the ability to normalize metabolism, again thanks to sulfur compounds.

Do not forget about the high calorie content of the product - only six grams, which is about one clove, contains up to 42 calories.

Beneficial features

Scientists note the following valuable qualities of a natural healer:

• It gives the body the ability to resist infectious diseases, boosting the immune system. It is known that if you take medicine with garlic at the first sign of a cold, the duration of the disease will be significantly reduced.
• Helps lower blood pressure, making it an indispensable aid for patients with hypertension. A greater positive effect is achieved by additionally taking medications intended to treat the disease. This tandem gives good results.
• Treats atherosclerosis. It removes harmful cholesterol from the body well, which has a beneficial effect on the patient’s condition.
• Supports the youth of “gray cells”. The brain ages over the years, the central nervous system ceases to cope with the load, but unpleasant processes can be postponed. It has been proven that this gift of nature is a powerful preventative against Alzheimer's disease and other serious diseases leading to senile dementia.
• Activates the vigor of the body, protects against physical and mental overload. Japanese researchers have found, in particular, that if you eat dishes with garlic, you can protect the body from fatigue, which negatively affects the heart and blood vessels. Thus, it can be argued that this plant supports cardiovascular health.
• The presence of sulfur in the plant puts it among active detoxifiers. It removes toxic substances from the body, heavy metals, and cures poisoning.
• Protects against the development of osteoporosis and age-related bone fragility. A tiny daily dose of two grams is enough to ensure the health of the entire musculoskeletal system.
• It is a preventative against cancer. First of all, it protects the stomach, colon, rectum, and oral cavity from the appearance of malignant neoplasms.
• Normalizes liver functions. It prevents the development of hepatitis, possibly due to poisoning of the body, and relieves the liver of harmful toxins.

Contraindications

Garlic is useful, but not for everyone and not always. Researchers of the properties of this plant have found that garlic can become one of the most important enemies of the body and undermine health.

Thus, it is forbidden to consume this vegetable crop if a person suffers from one of the ailments:

• Obesity. The vegetable is high in calories and also stimulates the appetite.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. A burning fruit will cause irritation and lead to big problems.
• Diseases of the biliary tract. Muscle stimulation will aggravate the disease.
• Kidney diseases. Eating this vegetable may increase your urea levels.
• Allergy. Itching, urticaria, dermatitis - these are just a few of the unpleasant ailments that can occur if you are intolerant to this vegetable.
• Difficult pregnancy. Love of spicy foods can cause miscarriage.

How to Preserve Garlic in Salt

Storing in salt is another common method. It’s different for every housewife: some use cans, others use large plastic bottles. It is convenient to place vegetables in boxes or crates made of plywood.

To harvest, you should first inspect and sort the garlic and let it dry. Pour salt into the bottom of the containers and place a row of fruits. Sprinkle them with salt and form a new row. Their maximum number is 5.

It is very important to fill all the empty spaces between the heads so that they do not touch each other.

How to store garlic in vegetable oil

It is convenient to store absolutely any type of garlic in vegetable oil. It is recommended to keep the finished product in the refrigerator; its shelf life is approximately 3 months. The vegetable will give the oil some of its flavor, making it delicious and incredibly flavorful. The preparation is done as follows:

1. Divide the prepared garlic head into slices and peel them.
2. Place the cloves in the jar as tightly as possible.
3. Pour sunflower or olive oil over the vegetable.
4. Close the container with any lid and put the workpiece in the refrigerator.

Storage Features

To keep garlic fresh and flavorful for a long period of time, it is important to find the right place for it. It must meet the following requirements:

• have a comfortable temperature;
• be out of direct sunlight;
• well ventilated;
• have favorable humidity.

The optimal storage temperature for garlic differs depending on its variety:

1. Sowing of spring varieties of vegetables is usually carried out in the second half of April, and harvesting - in early August. They have good shelf life and can be stored throughout winter and spring. The most suitable temperature for storage is from +16˚ to +20˚ Celsius. Air humidity should be between 50-60%.
2. Winter garlic is usually planted in late September - early October. The harvest takes place in July. This variety of vegetable is quite finicky in storage and rarely lasts until spring. The most suitable temperature regime is 0˚…+3˚ Celsius, air humidity is 70-80%.

To ensure the preservation of the taste and beneficial properties of hot spices, it is necessary to select healthy, ripe heads without signs of damage for storage. The husk should fit tightly to the teeth and be strong.

Before storing garlic for long-term storage, it is necessary to prepare it:

• If you dig up a vegetable yourself, you should dry it in the sun for several days;
• dry stems need to be trimmed, leaving no more than 5 cm;
• To prevent the crop from sprouting during storage, experienced housewives recommend scorching the stems on a fire or stove.

How to store crushed garlic

If the garlic has already begun to deteriorate, then you can save it using a simple method. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. It’s good to inspect the fruits and throw out hopeless slices. Clean the garlic from all excess.
2. Place the slices in a meat grinder and grind. Salt the resulting mass and put it in jars.
3. Cover the containers with polyethylene lids and place in the refrigerator.

Of course, it is not necessary to resort to this option only in case of spoilage of fruits. You can process part of the harvest this way if it was abundant. The downside is the short shelf life.

How to Preserve Garlic as a Seasoning

For greater convenience, you can save the garlic as a finished seasoning. When the need arises, you can simply take it out and add it to the dish. You will need the following ingredients:

• garlic – 1 kilogram;
• vegetable oil – 200 milliliters;
• a mixture of ground peppers;
• salt – 2 teaspoons.

The preparation looks like this:

1. Peel the garlic and cut off the bottom of the cloves.
2. Heat the oil and then let it cool.
3. Grind the garlic through a meat grinder.
4. Pour the resulting mass with cold oil, add salt and spices to the mixture. Mix everything well, put in sterile jars and roll up. Keep refrigerated.

Storage in oil

Garlic should lie all winter, while maintaining its structure. Sometimes, when it is not stored properly, mold appears and it disappears. Unnecessary heads should be thrown away.

Before storing it for long-term storage, the garlic needs to be processed. To do this you will need a little vegetable oil. The liquid is specially heated, after which it is worth adding a couple of drops of iodine. The heads are completely placed in the prepared oil. After an hour they need to be dried in the sun.

Before storing garlic for winter, you should make sure the room is dry. It is never stored in large quantities, because it can be thrown away due to uselessness.

There have been cases when a new crop is ripening, and last year’s garlic is stored on the balcony. It is better to eat fresh harvest. Any housewife knows approximately how much garlic she needs to preserve in order to get rid of the problem of finding this essential vegetable later in the winter.

On a note! How to preserve peppers for the winter