How to store spring garlic

Garlic is a universal seasoning for almost all meat dishes, various snacks and salads. Well known and its healing properties. Many successfully grow it in their garden. But not everyone knows the rules for storing spring garlic at home.

It is not in vain that garlic was named the king of spices in ancient times, and the manuscripts found in Egypt contain recipes for medicinal preparations prepared on its basis.

Benefit

Today, this perennial plant of the genus Onion is popular all over the world. The beneficial properties of garlic are due to the content of a rich set of organic and mineral compounds known for regulating the effects on many biochemical processes in the body.

Some oriental treatment systems even refer garlic to drugs only:

• possessing antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, it strengthens the body's defenses against colds and infectious diseases;
• studies confirm the plant's ability to reduce the likelihood of atherosclerosis;
• with regular use, it enhances immunity, reduces pressure, improves vascular elasticity;
• Garlic has a beneficial effect on eyesight, skin condition, heart function, and is an excellent antioxidant.

However, you should not use spice in large quantities for people with such serious diseases as hemorrhoids, asthma, hepatitis and some others.

Types of garlic

Garlic is of two kinds.

1. Spring - landed in spring and ripens in late summer. It does not have an arrow, has excellent keeping quality and is stored for a long time. Its dense onion with several rows of teeth is characterized by a sharp taste. For planting, you need to choose zoned varieties so that they have time to ripen in time.
2. Winter - planted in the fall, and dug in July. It does not have enough protective scales for long storage. Such garlic is better to eat or use when canning vegetables. Winter, unlike spring, shoots arrows. From them in the center of the bulb after maturation remains the core, and cloves are placed around. Although their number is less than that of spring, but they are larger.
   

Terms of cleaning

For storage is best to choose spring varieties of garlic. But in order to keep it well, it is necessary to harvest in time and correctly.

Important! Two weeks before harvesting should stop watering garlic.

To determine the timing of garlic harvesting experienced gardeners advise:

• to pay attention to the state of the garlic leaves at the base - if they are yellowed and the root neck is soft, you can start cleaning;
• expose 2-3 bulbs and examine the scales - if it is smooth and durable, the bulbs can be dug out;
• if it easily breaks into cloves in hands, time is lost - garlic is over-ripe and will not be stored.

Important! Perederv bulbs in the ground, even 2-3 days, you can lose the entire crop.

Harvesting rules

In order to keep the harvest of spring garlic for a long time and without loss, it is important to adhere to some recommendations when harvesting:

• digging bulbs should be in dry and sunny weather;
• it is impossible to pull them out of the ground - in order not to damage the heads, it is better to use forks;
• spread burlap on beds and lay out the entire crop in rows - it should dry well for 4-5 days;
• cover the bulbs with leaves and grass from too bright a sun so that they do not get burned;
• if the weather changes, it is better to put garlic under a shed or in a well-ventilated room;
• after drying, the ground remaining on the roots, you need to remove carefully with his hands, so as not to damage them. During drying, the leaves should not be torn off - from them the nutrients that make them tastier and healthier come from the bulbs;
  
• when all the garlic dries, its roots and leaves must be trimmed - from the roots you can leave up to 3-4 mm, and from the leaves more - up to 15 cm;
• go through the bulbs and discard damaged ones when digging - they will not lie for a long time;
• The largest copies leave for planting.

Storage preparation

Garlic must be provided with optimal storage conditions:

• Depending on the type, you can choose a cellar or a balcony, but you can keep it in the refrigerator;
• an important indicator is humidity - it should not be more than 70-80%;
• with a deficit of moisture, all the bulbs shrivel; if there is a lot of moisture, they will begin to rot;
• Spring garlic is beautifully stored at room temperature, and for storing winter crops, you need to create a cool environment with temperatures up to two degrees Celsius.

Processing the bulbs before storing them will increase their keeping quality. It is especially needed for a product that is not sufficiently dried or damaged during collection. Technology processing bulbs is as follows:

• to prevent their germination, roots should be singed over the fire;
• heat sunflower oil well and cool;
• add a little iodine - about 10 droplets per half liter;
• All the bulbs alternately dipped in the prepared tool, and then dried in air.

Storage of spring garlic

There are many storage options from which you can choose one that is more convenient under the current conditions.

Braid weave

Garlic bulbs, braided in braids, will be a wonderful decoration in the interior of the kitchen. They are made by weaving the ends of leaves into a piece of twine. Not everyone wants to tinker with weaving braids, so simply lay out the garlic bulbs in nylon stockings and hang. The disadvantage of this method of storage is the likelihood of the bulbs drying or their germination from too high a temperature and the lack of moisture in the room. You have to periodically sort them, choosing spoiled ones.

Old ways

Previously, in the villages they knew well how best to preserve spring garlic.

1. It is convenient to store peeled garlic cloves in sunflower oil, but the container with the product should be in a dark place. The oil in which the spice was stored gets a pleasant taste and smell and is an excellent salad dressing.
2. Often kept the garlic bulbs in flour. Thoroughly dried, their layer after layer was laid in boxes or another container with a lid and peppered with flour. On top of the tank was closed with a lid. Since the flour absorbed the excess moisture, the product was perfectly preserved until the new season.
3. It was allowed to use ashes instead of flour. Having poured onions with ashes, it was possible to store them even in a warm room.
   
4. Salt is an excellent tool to keep garlic in the kitchen cupboard.
5. There is an original way of storing garlic bulbs in salt bags. Small bags of natural cotton material should be soaked in a concentrated salt solution and dried. The bulbs put in them will be perfectly protected from diseases and moisture.
6. You can simply decompose the garlic bulbs in baskets, where they will be provided with free access of air.
   
7. Garlic, sprinkled with onion peel, is perfectly preserved - boxes and pouches are suitable for this. Only should put them in a higher place.
8. You can put the bulbs in a wooden box and pour in sawdust. They will protect the garlic from drying out.
9. Some hostesses dry slices of garlic, sliced ​​on plates, and then grind them and pour them with salt. Ready seasoning kept in an airtight container. The disadvantage of this method is the partial loss of useful properties.
   

Glass Jars

1. Scorch the roots of well-dried garlic and disassemble into cloves. It is important that they are all intact, without damage. Dry them for another week in the open air and fold them into large jars. Without closing the lid, place the container in a dry place.
2. Put clean, dried onions in a jar on a layer of salt. Fill the jar alternately with layers of garlic and salt. By closing the jar lid, you can safely store the product for several months.
   

Modern methods

Over time, new materials and technologies are emerging that will effectively preserve various vegetables.

1. If you carefully wrap each bulb in the food film, they will remain moisture and freshness.
2. Instead of film, you can use paraffin. Melt it, you should dip the bulbs and let the paraffin froze. After that they will not dry, covered with a protective film. It will not allow moisture to evaporate, and at the same time protects the bulbs from the access of pathogenic microflora.
   

How to save winter garlic

The winter view is unlikely to lie until spring. But to save it longer, you can use the refrigerator or cellar.

1. In the cellar, the bulbs can be stored in baskets or nylon stockings, hanging hanging from the ceiling. However, they must not come into contact with the walls.
2. Winter garlic is excellent in braids, thanks to the central stem. Each braid can contain up to one and a half to two dozen onions.
   
3. If there is little garlic, you can peel the cloves and store in a closed jar in the refrigerator.
4. You can store peeled slices in a plastic bag by pumping out air from it and placing it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Conclusion

Garlic is always needed in the household, both as a favorite spice and as a prophylactic remedy for colds. Proper storage at home will allow it to be stored in sufficient quantities for the winter.