The simplest DIY preparations: storing garlic in glass jars - life hacks and important rules

Garlic is not intended for long-term storage. After a couple of months it begins to rot or mold, and if it survives until spring, it sprouts or withers. But there is a wonderful way to store it - in glass jars. There are many options for such storage, we will look at all of them in this article.

Choosing garlic for storing in jars

The first thing you need to do to better preserve garlic throughout the year – it’s time to dig it out. To do this, you need to know the ripening time of each individual variety. An overripe vegetable is more prone to rotting.

Another important factor – landing time. Garlic can be spring (planted in early spring) or winter (planted in autumn). The first is harvested in August-September, the second in late spring or June, depending on the variety.

The main sign of maturation – yellowing of the lower leaves, as well as cracking of the seed pod on the arrow.

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The best varieties of spring garlic for long-term storage:

• Aleysky;
• Gulliver;
• Abrek;
• Sochinsky 56;
• Gafurisky.

The best varieties of winter garlic:

• Alcor;
• Hermann;
• Reliable;
• Podmoskovny;
• Replicant.

In general, spring varieties tolerate long-term storage much better than winter varieties. They can last up to two years, maintaining their freshness.

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Preparation for storage

Dig up the garlic, leaving the stems. They will be needed so that the head receives nutrients for some time. Next, clear the soil with your hands and place it on a bed to dry for 4-5 days.

If the weather is rainy, it is better to put the vegetable under a canopy or even indoors. If the weather is too hot and sunny, then garlic won’t like it either - burns are possible. Drying indoors lasts 2-3 weeks. The scales will begin to peel off and become thinner and more transparent.

Next, the bulbs are cut off from the stems and roots using a knife or pruning shears. Stems are trimmed to 3-5 cm, roots – to 3 mm.

To prevent the teeth from sprouting, the roots of each head are scorched over an open fire.

If you did not harvest the crop on time, then in order to avoid the appearance of rot or mold, it is advisable to perform the following procedure:

1. Heat 0.5 liters of sunflower oil.
2. Add 10 drops of iodine to it.
3. Mix everything.
4. Dip the garlic heads into the mixture.
5. Dry in the sun.

We figured out the choice of garlic and its preparation. Now let's move on to the question of how to store garlic in a jar.

Advantages and disadvantages of storage in banks

Like any other method of storing vegetables, this option has its pros and cons.

The advantages include:

1. A jar is an excellent barrier to microorganisms.
2. The jars are convenient to store indoors, the product is packed quite compactly (under the table, in the pantry, in the refrigerator, on the balcony - anywhere).
3. You can use a variety of toppings and even create your own salad dressing.
4. The garlic can be left unpeeled or peeled.

Minuses:

1. Some of the jar storage options require a lot of preparation time.
2. Additional costs for fillers: salt, flour, butter, etc.

Preparing jars

There are no difficulties at this stage - the jar just needs to be sterilized and dried. To do this, take a large saucepan or basin and boil the jars in it. If there are no large containers, then you can hold the jar over boiling water even in a small saucepan. Steam also kills germs.

Another method is oven sterilization. Probably the most convenient. Firstly, the oven can accommodate a large number of cans. Secondly, you don’t need to figure out how to hold the jar over the steam so as not to get burned or drop it.

Storage methods

There are many options for storing garlic. You can leave the vegetable as a whole, or you can take it apart into heads or even grate it. Each case will have its own nuances. Let's look at each method in more detail.

Whole heads

Peel the head from the top layer of husk and put it in a jar. There is no need to fill it with anything and close the lid either.

This is the fastest method, but it has two significant drawbacks:

1. Whole heads leave a lot of empty unused space.
2. Rot may go unnoticed between the cloves.

It is advisable to store in a cool but dry place.

Separate cloves

This method is similar to the previous one, since the vegetable is placed in a jar without any fillers. But in this case, the head is disassembled into teeth. It is very important to carefully inspect each one for rot or mold. The container is stored in a dry place.

Dry

Disassemble the head into cloves and remove the husks. Cut each into thin circles. Dry. You will get these unique garlic chips. You can store it both in jars and bags. There is no need to close the jars. These “chips” are added to soups and meat dishes. It is very convenient, and the taste and aroma are perfectly preserved.

Dried slices can be crushed in any convenient way and used as a fine seasoning, the so-called garlic salt.

Storage in flour

In this case, flour is poured into the bottom of the jar in a layer of about 2 cm, then garlic is laid out, and flour is sprinkled on top again. So it is necessary to repeat laying out layers up to the neck. You can use either whole heads or cloves (just don’t need to peel them). Flour here serves as an insulator: it prevents the heads or teeth from touching each other and absorbs excess moisture.

In salt

Storing garlic in glass jars with salt is an alternative to storing it in flour. Salt also acts as an insulator here. The jar is left open. You can also store both the heads and the teeth in salt. The teeth can also be stored cleaned. Salt disinfects and allows the vegetable to be stored all winter and even spring.

In the ash

Instead of flour and salt, you can use wood ash. But in this case, you only need a couple of tablespoons. Sprinkle the garlic with the first spoon, filling the container halfway, the second - at the end.

In vegetable oil

Quite a sophisticated method. Place the peeled and washed garlic cloves in a jar and pour in vegetable oil. In this case, you can use both sunflower and other oils, for example, olive, linseed. And some people use unrefined sunflower oil - it all depends on your personal taste preferences.

If desired, add spicy dried herbs, pepper or other spices. Remove the garlic cloves as needed. The oil itself can and even should be used. It acquires a spicy taste and aroma. This oil is perfect for dressing salads.

The method has a significant “minus” - garlic loses some of its nutrients.

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Should be stored in a closed jar. The shelf life of such a product is about 4-5 months.

In wine

Pickled garlic in wine belongs to Mediterranean cuisine. You can pour the peeled slices with wine in a jar, or put them in a bottle of wine (with a wide neck). The type of wine does not matter; again, it all depends on your taste. You can use dry, red or white.

An alternative option is storage in vinegar. But it is worth considering that the taste of garlic will be completely different.

In pureed form

This storage method is more like a finished sauce rather than a way to preserve garlic as a raw material. But nevertheless, an excellent option.

The garlic needs to be divided into cloves, peeled and washed. Then grind in a blender or grate. Place the resulting mixture in a jar and add oil. Mix the contents until smooth. In this case, you don’t need to pour a lot of oil - about 1.5 times the volume of grated garlic.

Any oil will do. To add piquancy, you can use olive oil and add dried Provençal herbs. It makes an excellent dressing for meat and vegetable dishes.

You can also find out the top 20 best ways marinate garlic at home.

Where to store jars

The ideal place for storage is a refrigerator or cellar. But there is often not enough space in the refrigerator, and housewives simply store garlic in the house or on the balcony.

The main thing is not to place the container in the sun, near a battery, or in a damp place. Without refrigeration, shelf life is slightly reduced. But the temperature should not fall below 0 degrees, otherwise the garlic will freeze.

Best before date

The shelf life of garlic directly depends on the method and place of its storage. It can be stored in oil for about 4 months. Wine and vinegar are added to the shelf life for about 4 more months - it turns out to be more than six months.

As for dry storage, if all conditions are met, garlic will last until spring in any filling: both in salt and in flour.

Tips and tricks

Here are some tips to help keep your vegetables fresh throughout the winter:

• spring garlic is stored at 16-20 degrees and humidity 50-70%;
• winter - at 2-4 degrees and humidity 70-80%;
• damaged cloves are used immediately, without leaving them for the winter;
• It is advisable to store garlic separately from other vegetables.

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Conclusion

Whatever container and whatever filling you store the vegetable in, it needs to be inspected from time to time for the appearance of dark spots. If you find them, remove the damaged head or clove so that the rest do not become infected. And it’s better not to regret it at the very beginning and not to leave for storage slices that cause you doubt. It’s better to eat them right away than to go through the whole jar later and lose part of the harvest.

The methods and techniques presented in the article will help extend the shelf life of garlic, and will also add variety to your menu using this useful and valuable product.