Perhaps everyone knows about the beneficial properties of garlic. But not everyone knows how to store it. If you choose the wrong time for harvesting and storage, you can lose a lot of crops. In this article we will try to figure out how to properly store garlic at home.
Garlic storage: time and date of harvesting
Scientists have long ago established the magnificent properties of this vegetable. In addition to its culinary qualities, it also helps to strengthen immunity, increase the body's defense against acute respiratory infections and other colds. But so that garlic does not lose its unique properties and remains fresh and tasty, it must be properly stored.
Properly and on time, the harvested vegetable is already half the success. Garlic is divided into 2 types: spring and winter. Each of them should be considered in more detail.
1. Spring garlic should be removed, as a rule, before the beginning of autumn, in the last decade of August. To determine more accurate dates for the collection of spring garlic - take a look at the tops. If she fell and turned yellow - it's time to harvest. This type of garlic is best suited for long-term storage, so if it is put in a dry, cool room, then it can lie down until the next harvest.
2. As for winter garlic, if all the recommendations for its storage are observed, it can only lie until the New Year. You need to remove this type of garlic in mid-July, when the lower tops begin to dry out and turn yellow, and the upper scales become thinner and stronger. It must also be remembered that the winter variety is very moody and is absolutely unsuitable for long-term storage. If you harvested too much crop, then it is better to cook pasta from it or store it in oil, otherwise you can simply lose it.
After the garlic has been harvested, it will take him several days to dry. If the street is dry and warm, you can dry directly in the garden, if not, in any well-ventilated room, for example, in a basement or attic. As an option, during the day you can take it to the street, and at night bring it into a sufficiently insulated room. When the garlic has completely dried, it will need to be cut from the stems and cleaned from the ground.
The readiness of the harvest for long-term storage will directly depend on the timing of the harvest, set taking into account the growing season of garlic.
This culture needs to be cleaned on time and promptly. If you are late with this process, this can lead to a deterioration in the quality of the product, namely:
hiding scales will crack;
bulbs will decay into teeth;
new roots begin to appear on the bottom, and the bulbs begin to take root.
If this happens, such bulbs will not be stored for a long time and will quickly deteriorate.
Garlic Storage: Drying
For those who are personally involved in the cultivation of vegetables, it is important to know not only about the proper storage of garlic, but also about the drying process. First of all, you need to start by digging the bulbs, do it carefully, trying to do without cuts. After that, they need to clean all the earth and leave to dry along with the top sheets.
If the street is warm and sunny, you can dry it directly on the burlap under direct sunlight, but still it will be better for the culture itself if you leave it under a canopy or in a ventilated room. In addition, you will not need to hide it all the time at night, so that it does not become damp.
The whole drying process should be 4-5 days. After this, the terry root and the stem should be cut off, leaving a stick 10 cm long. If the drying went well, the bottom of the head can be broken out with your hands.
Also often used for storage:
old nylon stockings;
baskets with rare weaving;
linen bags;
box;
sealed cardboard box.
You can store garlic in each of these containers, the only thing you will need to remember to do is periodically sort through the contents and make sure that moisture does not get from the bottom of the container.
How to store garlic at home
You can store garlic in different rooms, the main thing is that they are dry, cool and well ventilated.
Apartment
For people living in city apartments, the best place to store this culture is a refrigerator, namely, a special vegetable department. Most housewives believe that it is best to put garlic heads in a polyethylene bag, but this is not entirely true. The fact is that in polyethylene, culture will begin to bloom faster, that is, deteriorate. To keep garlic as long as possible, it should be placed in a paper bag and left in the refrigerator.
There is another recommendation to keep garlic in the apartment until spring. To do this, take a box of plywood and sprinkle some dry sawdust on the bottom. After this, a layer of garlic is laid and sprinkled on top with sawdust. In such a simple way, you need to lay all the garlic. Alternatively, salt can also be used instead of sawdust, but you need to understand that its consumption will be quite large.
To keep the garlic better preserved, you can also burn the remaining dry roots of the crop with a fire (candle, lighter), and then place it in the refrigerator or pantry in cardboard boxes.
Alternatively, you can stack the heads in glass jars and cover with lids. However, this method has a significant drawback: the bulbs can become moldy and begin to rot. For greater reliability, some fill them with flour, but the risk still remains. A more reliable option in this case is to sprinkle the garlic heads with salt and leave them open.
To extend the shelf life, you can use paraffin from a melted candle by dipping all the heads in it. This will create a certain effect of conservation, which will help to preserve the culture much longer: it will not dry out and mold will not appear on it.
Fridge
In every family, a small amount of garlic is always stored in the refrigerator for everyday use. Keeping this culture in the refrigerator also has some features.
So that the crop does not begin to germinate ahead of time, it is not advisable to store it in a plastic container, the best option would be a jar (0.5 or 1 liter), in which pasteurization should be done, place garlic in it and cover with a polyethylene lid.
You can also store garlic in a cloth bag, however, for this you will need to do a preliminary treatment in it with a solution of sodium chloride. With its help, a film will be created that blocks access to moisture.
Cellar
For storage in the cellar, the most proven and effective method is to store the culture in salt in wooden boxes with holes on the sides. They must be stored according to the same principle as in glass jars: 2 layers (top and bottom) of 2-3 cm each. If the cellar is quite dry and it is well ventilated, you can also weave garlic braids and hang them on the walls. Instead of braids, you can also use stockings or nylon tights.
Remember! Xwounding garlic is a key point, and in order not to be left without this valuable crop in the winter during acute respiratory infections, follow all the above recommendations.
Be healthy!
