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Keeping garlic for the winter is not an easy task, but it is quite doable if you follow some rules. This product is one of the most valuable on our table. Garlic is used in as a delicious seasoning for dishes and as an antiviral agent. It has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system, and only the laziest did not talk about the taste. Let's talk about how to store winter garlic. This is a whole science!
Types of garlic
In summer, there is a lot of garlic on the counters of markets and shops. It's fresh and juicy. But finding it in winter is difficult. As a rule, its quality also suffers. It comes across dry, hard and not so juicy. The first secret lies in what kind of garlic to choose for preservation for the winter. So, all garlic can be divided into two types:
- spring;
- winter.
Spring is harvested in summer or early autumn. He doesn't shoot. Once the foliage is dry, you can start harvesting. There will not be as much of it as when harvesting winter garlic. It will be difficult for an inexperienced gardener to determine whether it is winter or spring garlic, since the former may or may not release an arrow. One way or another, in order to preserve garlic until spring, you need to choose the right variety.
The following winter varieties are well stored:
- Sochi 56;
- Yelenovsky;
- Sofievsky;
- Gulliver.
If these varieties are not on sale, you can pay attention to others. Information on the label is always indicated. Spring garlic is much smaller than winter garlic, while the latter has a false stem in the middle, by which it can be easily identified.
Harvesting
The second rule when storing this product for the winter is proper cleaning. Do not overexpose the heads in the ground. The ideal time to harvest a crop planted in winter is July. Spring harvest - produced in August. If the garlic extracted from the ground is already easily divided into cloves, it can be considered overripe. It is not subject to long-term storage.
On the eve of harvesting, the soil should not be watered; it is best to do the work in absolutely dry weather. If it hasn't rained for a long time, that's very good.
For work you will need:
- gloves;
- pitchfork.
To understand how to properly clean a spicy vegetable, you just need to use our tips. First you need dig out 1-2 heads and inspect them. The husk should be soft, not dry, and peel off easily. If so, then you can start harvesting the winter vegetable. They dig it out not with a shovel, but with a pitchfork, which will keep the heads intact. As they are harvested, they are shaken off of excess soil and removed to dry.
Garlic takes about 5 days to dry. If the weather is clear, you can leave it right in the garden. If it rains, it is stored in a dry place. You do not need to remove foliage.
After 5 days after drying, the harvested garlic can be taken up again. The next step is pruning. This requires a sharp, short knife. The stems are cut off from the heads (you can leave about 10 centimeters in length, depending on the chosen storage method) and roots, leaving no more than 3 millimeters. You can now sort it before storing it. Small heads are sent to small ones, and large ones to large ones.
Now we know how to clean and prepare a vegetable for storage.
Ways to preserve garlic
Harvesting and storing garlic is time consuming, but how enjoyable it is to use your own juicy garlic in winter! How to keep it fresh, because we all know that this vegetable dries up quickly and becomes unusable?
You can use any of the methods suggested in our article. Remember that a damaged bulb will deteriorate during storage and damage neighboring ones, so keep only high-quality copies.
Method number 1 In the cellar
For the happy owners of spacious pantries, cellars and basements, all storage methods come down to the simplest: leave the bulbs for storage in a cool room. Previously, they can be woven into a pigtail from the stems, assembled in bunches, packed in special baskets, nets or boxes. Garlic is often stored in clusters suspended from the ceiling. Everyone chooses for himself, as it is convenient for him. The main thing here is to create certain conditions.
- Storage temperature - 2-4 degrees;
- Mandatory conditions are to occasionally ventilate the room.
These storage conditions are suitable only for winter garlic and not suitable for spring garlic. For those who do not have a cellar, you can use other methods. storage.
Method number 2 In banks
Residents of apartments have to store vegetables in a warm place, because in garages in winter the temperature may not be suitable for storage. Let's talk about how to properly store the bulbs in the conditions of ordinary apartments. It is very important here to take up a minimum of space and do everything to keep the garlic as juicy and spicy as in summer.
Only small jars are required for proper storage. They are pre-sterilized. The dried heads are placed in clean sterilized jars and sprinkled with coarse salt. The top layer of salt to the lid should be the densest. Salt acts as a preservative and even in spring this garlic will be juicy. If during storage the salty layer becomes moistened, the whole process will need to be done again.
Method number 3 In linen bags
At low humidity in the apartment, storage of bulbs in linen bags is allowed. Previously, onion peels are placed in them or proceed as follows:
- Prepare a steep saline solution.
- The heads are placed in it, and then exposed to dry.
- Once the bulbs are completely dry, you can place them in a bag.
Method number 4 In oil
The heads are divided into cloves and placed in clean jars. After that, fill them with any vegetable oil. This method works well for storing small batches of garlic. Oil acts as a barrier against external destructive factors.
The shelf life of winter garlic for any of the selected months is about 5 months. It's pretty good.
Storing garlic. Video
We present to the readers' attention a short but detailed video on how to store garlic in the winter and how to harvest it correctly.
Possible storage problems
Taking out garlic one winter day, you can find it spoiled. Not everyone knows why this happens. There are many reasons. Let's consider just a few of them.
- The crop was infected while growing. For example, nematode infestation can destroy the entire crop. The bulbs must be carefully sorted before storing them.
- The bulbs were frozen. In this case, mold will form on them during storage, which will inevitably lead to contamination of the entire batch.
- High humidity. This is the most common reason. That is why winter garlic in the refrigerator not stored for a long time.
- Neighborhood with heat sources. Heating dries the air in winter. Garlic cloves in such conditions rapidly lose moisture, dry out and lose their nutritional qualities. Such a product can be ground in a coffee grinder to a powdery state and added to the dish as a flavoring seasoning. Alas, useful properties cannot be returned to him.
In addition, during storage, it is often possible to notice that the roots have begun to grow back. This should not be allowed. Before placing the bulbs in a specific place, you need to singe the roots. This is what many gardeners do. This is especially true for residents of the south, where the air temperature can be above zero even in winter.
If the roots have already sprouted, you can place the peeled cloves in oil and preserve them this way.
If spring garlic is stored well, then winter garlic is not so easy to store. It is large and has a strong flavor, but it will take some ingenuity to keep it the same in winter. Store the bulbs using any of the methods suggested today. They will be juicy, and the bright taste and useful qualities will be preserved!
