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A healthy vegetable like garlic is very popular in Russia. It has been known for a long time, people liked to add it to dishes, rubbed it on a crust of Borodino bread, and eat it just like that. Having grown a harvest of garlic on their site, many are wondering how to properly store garlic at home. Let's talk about everything in order.
The benefits of garlic
Garlic is an extremely healthy product. It contains oils that have a beneficial effect on:
- circulatory system;
- the immune system;
- gastrointestinal tract.
The use of this product in food is justified both in summer and in cold weather. This is why it is so important to find a good way to store garlic at home. In autumn and winter, using this product, you can protect the whole family from colds.
Before talking about how to store a product at home, it is important to touch on the topic of harvesting.
Harvesting garlic in summer
Harvesting garlic is an important stage, it must be approached with all responsibility. The fact is that with all the variety of vegetable varieties, it should be divided into two main types:
- summer (spring);
- winter (winter).
Storing garlic spring storage differs from winter storage. There are also differences in appearance.
Winter varieties are planted in winter, in September - October. They tolerate frost and survive well in the soil at -22 degrees. In spring, the rooted fruit develops rapidly and yields a bountiful harvest in July. All teeth are gathered around one thick arrow. All varieties of winter garlic are arrowed.
Spring varieties, on the other hand, do not shoot. The only exception is the Gulliver variety. Such a vegetable is planted in the spring, and the crop is harvested already in mid-August. He does not tolerate severe frosts. Outwardly, the head of spring garlic is smaller than the winter one and all its cloves are collected in a spiral in a bulb. They are small, covered with soft leaves.
All types of crops must be harvested in warm, dry weather. It is categorically impossible to do this immediately after the rain. Moreover, it is forbidden to water the soil before digging out the bulbs. When harvesting, you can use a pitchfork or a shovel, taking care not to damage the bulbs. The pre-storage process can be divided into several stages:
- digging out the bulbs;
- drying;
- sorting;
- pruning.
The dug garlic, holding by the long tops, is shaken off excess soil and, in good weather, left to dry in the sun. In rainy weather, this should be done directly in a dry room. Drying period is 5-6 days.
Now the product is being sorted. We need to select the best. Garlic that will not be stored:
- damaged;
- moldy;
- infected with diseases;
- not dried thoroughly.
After sorting, it is required trim correctly... The long powerful roots of the vegetable are cut off with a sharp short knife, leaving 2-3 centimeters from the bottom. It is better to cut the tops depending on the storage conditions:
- 15-20 centimeters are left for beams;
- for braids 35-40 centimeters;
- in all other cases, it is appropriate to leave 2-3 centimeters, no more.
Everyone chooses for himself how to store garlic at home. Let's talk about the most common methods.
Storage methods
Speaking about how to store garlic in winter, you need to know that spring garlic is well stored both warm at room temperature + 18-22 degrees, and in a cool cellar. Winter can only be stored in a cellar or refrigerator. The maximum storage temperature is +4 degrees.
When discussing the storage of garlic in winter, they often talk about summer varieties. Winter crops are dug up, used in conservation, and the rest are planted in the fall in the beds to get a new crop. However, this does not mean that winter varieties cannot be stored. On the contrary, housewives love it for its large head and the size of the garlic cloves.
In houses where there is a cellar, dry heads are simply woven into braids from the tops, collected in bunches and hung. This is convenient, especially if the humidity is low.
But how store garlic for the winter at home or in the apartment? If the rules are disregarded, the heads will not last until winter. We suggest considering ways to store garlic if the temperature is room temperature.
In bags
Many of us have heard of the unique quality of salt. When used as a preservative, it can extend the life of many foods. To learn how to preserve garlic until spring, use the following tip.
You need to prepare a saline solution. To do this, boil water and add three tablespoons of salt per liter to it. Now the head is lowered into this solution for two seconds and removed. Wet bulbs must be dried in the sun and stored in a linen bag at room conditions.
In glass jars
Jars in which you need to store garlic at home must be thoroughly washed and dried. Now salt or flour is poured on the bottom of each jar, and then a layer of onions is laid out. Then everything is again poured with flour or salt. Perhaps this is the best of all storage methods in a small space.
After a month and a half, you need to check the condition of the bulk product itself (salt or flour). If there are damp lumps, you need to remove everything and pour the heads again.
In the fridge
When choosing the right method, they always start from what the conditions are in the house. Some apartments don't even have a storage room. The safety of products can only be ensured by the refrigerator. In this case, there is no need to talk about a large number of blanks, but you can close the jar. For this, garlic paste is prepared.
Storing in the refrigerator also requires conditions to be reckoned with. If bacteria get into the garlic paste, mold will form. After chopping the garlic through a meat grinder or blender, you need to place it in small sterile jars and pour a thick layer of salt on top under the lid. This will be an additional barrier to the development of bacteria. The product stored in this way will be as fresh, healthy and juicy as in summer.
Sometimes you can store peeled cloves directly in the bag in the freezer. All useful properties and taste will be preserved. This method is good for those who live in small apartments. You can also freeze berries and vegetables for feeding children. They will practically not differ from the summer ones.
Video
We bring to the attention of our readers a video with tips on where to store garlic and how to do it.
Each housewife, from year to year, preserving certain vegetables for the winter, develops a number of steps. They are all correct.
Instead of a conclusion
As we have already noticed, storage of garlic at home for the winter can be provided only in low humidity conditions. Whichever methods you use, remember the basic rules for storage. In winter, you will be pleased with the pungent garlic taste, it can be used in the preparation of the first and second courses, and eaten fresh.
Fresh garlic is always useful in the household. Some mothers advise breathing in garlic vapors more often, so that your children can protect themselves from colds and flu during cold weather. It is up to everyone to decide how justified it is.
