Where and how to store garlic. How to save garlic for the winter - different ways and tricks

Despite the abundance of garlic in the store at any time of the year, it is always a good idea to have a small supply at home. Homeowners are also interested in keeping the garlic harvest as long as possible. Living in your own house, you can use the utility rooms - a basement and a cellar. It is more difficult to store garlic in an apartment, but for such a situation, you can find many ways to store garlic.

Before determining the harvesting period for this vegetable, you need to determine the type of garlic.

There are the following types:

Winter shooter, non-shooter;

Spring, or summer, ("spring").

Differences in appearance - spring garlic has small heads of bright white color with silky scales. Winter garlic is larger, its varieties can have a color range from white to dark purple. Spring garlic tolerates winter storage much better than winter garlic, it can lie unchanged until June.

The time of harvesting or planting, the keeping quality of garlic depends on which species it belongs to. The signal for harvesting spring garlic is yellowing and the beginning of lodging of the leaves. For the middle lane, the harvesting period for summer garlic is the second, third decade of August. Winter garlic begins to be harvested when its lower leaves turn yellow, and the flakes covering the head of garlic become dry. The time of harvesting winter garlic is the third decade of July, the first decade of August.

For harvesting, choose sunny, dry weather.

If you miss the optimal harvesting time, product quality deteriorates noticeably:

The heads of garlic break into individual cloves;

Cracking of the covering scales occurs;

A new cycle of garlic development begins - new roots appear on the bottom, young leaves hatch from the teeth.

Garlic with signs of overgrowing is not suitable for storage. It is advisable to dry it for several days in the open air, or in the shade under a canopy.

What kind of garlic should be stored

Owners of their own garlic beds know that before you start laying garlic for storage, you need to sort it out. Teeth from large heads that do not have signs of disease are left for planting. Seed material is taken from the outer row of teeth, the core of the head is usually not used for propagation.

Do not use for long-term storage:

Garlic heads with mechanical damage;

Overripe crumbling specimens;

Garlic with signs of disease, affected by mold and rot.

Small, non-standard, crumbling heads of garlic are used in the very near future for harvesting for the winter and for cooking. Healthy selected specimens are prepared for bookmarking for long-term storage.

All garlic, both seed and selected for future use, must be dried, the earth removed from the upper covering scales, and the roots cut off. A dry arrow in the center of the head is cut 2-4 cm from the shoulders. If you plan to store garlic tied in a “braid”, the arrow is left longer - at least 30 cm. The garlic purchased in the markets and in the supermarket is most likely already dried and trimmed. It is important to choose healthy specimens for long-term storage, not affected by rot and disease.

There are two main ways to store garlic and its varieties:

Cold method at a temperature of +1 + 3 ° C, humidity 50-70% (suitable for storing spring garlic);

Warm method at a temperature of +18+20°C, humidity 70-80% (ideal for storing winter varieties).

In the conditions of an apartment, it is possible to place garlic on a loggia or balcony part of the time before the onset of stable negative temperatures. In winter, techniques are used to store this vegetable at room temperature.

How to store garlic at home:

In a braided braid. You can weave a garlic braid by analogy with an onion bundle. To do this, when drying, the ends of the stems up to 30 cm long are left, weave a braid out of them, weaving twine or rope into it for strength. It is not recommended to leave such weaving for a long time, as the stems dry out and lose their plasticity. This technique is suitable for spring varieties.

in paraffin wax. So that the garlic does not dry out, you can dip it in melted paraffin or wax before storing it. It will take 150-200 g of paraffin for 50 heads. It is melted in a water bath and dipped in warm head solution. It is impossible to boil the solution, the main thing is to bring the consistency to a liquid state. You can apply wax, paraffin with a brush. After the coating has hardened, the garlic is placed in cardboard boxes.

After treatment with oil and iodine. Boil the vegetable oil, add iodine to it (10 drops per 0.5 l), generously rub the garlic with this mixture. The processed heads are dried in the sun, cleaned in a box, box.

In a refrigerator. The method is suitable for storing a small amount of garlic. It is stored with each head wrapped in cling film to prevent odor.

In oil filling. The cloves are cleaned from the coating, placed in a glass container and poured with boiled and cooled refined sunflower oil. The method is good because garlic-infused oil acquires a pleasant aroma and can be used for dressing salads. At room temperature, the oil can go rancid, it is better to store the container in a cool place, in the refrigerator.

in flour. Dried heads of garlic are placed in dry glass jars, sprinkled with flour, corked jars with ordinary lids, and stored at room temperature.

in salt. The method is similar to the previous one, with the difference that salt or dry sawdust is used instead of flour.

In linen bags soaked in saline. If the room humidity is high, salt will protect the garlic from rot and mold. At low air humidity, the canvas is not impregnated with saline, the heads of garlic are sprinkled with onion peel.

To prevent garlic from sprouting, a simple trick is used - its bottom is lightly burned over the flame of a gas burner. Store jars, boxes or boxes with garlic prepared for long-term storage in a dry and cool place, without access to light. Compliance with all conditions will greatly increase the shelf life of garlic.

Expert editor: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna| Phytotherapeutist

Education: A diploma in the specialty "Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the University named after N. I. Pirogov (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Moscow University of Peoples' Friendship (2008).

A native of Central Asia, a natural antibiotic, an assistant in the fight against viruses and fungi, an anesthetic and just a healthy vegetable that can transform any dish - it's all garlic. Appearing on the dining table 6000 years ago, he became loved by many nations. If you are a fan of this vegetable, then you just need to know how and where to keep it correctly. In this article, you will find all the necessary information on how to properly store garlic.

Garlic is a very necessary product in every home. It is a good antiseptic that prevents colds. It is also very important for our teeth and gums, this plant, like onions, prevents the appearance of scurvy. In addition to useful properties, it is just a food product that adds spice to dishes. Unfortunately, we often do not know how to properly store it so that it remains fresh and does not lose its beneficial properties.

From the garden or counter: we collect and select garlic

First you need to choose the right spicy vegetable, it is divided into two types - winter and spring.

If you have to take care of the garlic you have grown in your garden, you need to know the timing of the harvest. It all depends on the type of vegetable:

1. Winter or winter is harvested in the second half of July and eaten in the next 2-3 months. The maturity of the garlic can be determined by the yellow leaves and slanting stems.
2. Spring or summer is harvested in the first half of August, it can be stored for a long time, until the spring or summer of next year. The readiness of the fruit to "go out" can be determined by the yellow leaves and cracked skin of the inflorescences.

Advice: it is better to harvest on a dry day, as the soil should not be wet.

Visually, it is difficult to distinguish them when buying in a store or on the market, but the shelf life of garlic heads directly depends on its variety.

If you buy garlic in a store or market, then you need to focus on the following signs: the skin on the head of the vegetable should not be cracked. Choose smooth, firm, firm fruit without spots or dents.

The reasons why garlic deteriorates can be many different factors, and they are not always directly related to the conditions of its storage.

If the garlic heads are affected by fungi, nematode larvae, then their shelf life will be very short, and in general such a product is dangerous for consumption. In this case, it is necessary to carefully sort the garlic, divide it into slices, select the damaged ones (covered with spots, dents, cuts, empty). Only after all this procedure, you can proceed to storage.

When buying, you need to make sure that the product is by no means raw. Under such conditions, it creates favorable soil for the development of larvae and fungi.

Preparation and storage conditions

The next step is to dry the vegetable. The heads must be laid out in a well-ventilated area so that direct sunlight does not fall on it. The entire crop is worth checking and disposing of fruits with dents, even small spots, as well as dried or rotten heads.

In addition, it is important to remove the roots up to 3 mm, and cut the stems, leaving 10 centimeters. To avoid seedlings, the cut places of the fruit are cauterized before storage. After drying and preparing the garlic, you can determine where and under what conditions it can be stored.

Winter and summer types are stored under different conditions:

Adviсe:

1. You can use any container (jar, box, box, basket, bag, etc.) except for plastic containers - such dishes do not let air through, the fruits will rot and rot in it.
2. Garlic should not be placed next to other foods, as this may affect its shelf life. However, it is permissible to keep this vegetable next to the onion.

Why and how to store garlic? If simple rules are not followed, this representative of the onion family will not last long, one by one the fruits will deteriorate and become unsuitable for human consumption. In a room that is too dry, the heads will dry out and shrink, and in high humidity, on the contrary, they will rot. There are a huge number of ways to extend the life of the crop, choose the most convenient for you.

How to create all of the above conditions? Probably everyone has seen old films where garlic bunches or pigtails hang in wooden houses with grandmothers, under the ceiling above the stove. Here's a hint for you, in this form you can and should store garlic in the cellar or basement, this prevents the accumulation of moisture in it and creates proper air circulation.

Ways to store garlic

Braids, bundles or wreaths - the method has long been known and popular.
The advantages are that garlic does not take up space on the floor, on the shelves of lockers, and can even serve as a decoration for the kitchen or dining room. The shape depends on your imagination, for example, a simple bundle can be designed as a detail of your interior.

Advice: in order to make it convenient to tie the fruits, use twine, the stems do not need to be cut.

Storage in jars or boxes

1. Place dry onion-garlic in a jar

2. Sprinkle with flour

3. Close with a capron lid

In this form, the vegetable will remain fresh until spring.

Alternatively, garlic can be pickled, of course you can’t call it fresh, but you can store it this way for a very long time and it will not lose its properties. In addition, it is also tasty, garlic marinated with beets is common.

Storage in cling film

So that excess moisture does not penetrate into the garlic, and the taste and smell of the vegetable is preserved, you can wrap each head with cling film. Thus, the harvest can be stored in boxes, boxes or baskets.

Storage in the ground - non-standard way. Place the fruits in a tight bag, wrap it with newspaper to make a bundle, dig a hole up to 50 cm and bury your crop. This method helps to preserve the garlic for a long time.

Often found is storage in wooden boxes.

1. Make small holes in the box for air circulation.

2. To keep the juiciness and freshness until spring, distribute the ash along the bottom of the box, in a small layer, you can still use salt or sawdust.

3. Spread the heads of garlic on top and cover them again with the original layer, with the same component. So fill the box to the top.

So that the garlic stored in the apartment does not dry out, wrap it tightly with cling film, with the exception of the tail. After that, place the vegetable in an open glass jar.

More time consuming is a method called waxing

1. Dip the head in melted paraffin

2.Wait until the paraffin hardens

3. Put the garlic in the box, evenly

Of course, it is much easier to store garlic in a private house, especially if there is a large amount of it. A cellar or basement with good ventilation is a great place for this product. You just need to place it correctly there, or put it in boxes as described above, or tie it up in bundles and hang it upside down.

Storage in a dry, ground form

If you notice that vegetables are starting to spoil or dry out, they can still be saved. Make shavings from the cloves, cut into thin slices or finely chopped, and dry. You can dry it both naturally, that is, by spreading the pieces on the surface in a warm, dry place, and in the oven. If you want to get garlic powder, use a blender or coffee grinder. Dried vegetables can be stored for up to 3 months.

Frozen storage

Pass the cloves through a meat grinder or grind in a blender, place the resulting mass in molds for freezing. Fresh from the garden flavored garlic is available to you all year round.

Advice: do not forget to regularly sort out stocks and throw away fruits that begin to deteriorate, this will save you from losing the entire crop.

But what if you live in an apartment?

Putting garlic in the refrigerator, you often find that it simply dries out, although it seemed that it was put there only a week ago. Never store garlic in the refrigerator. Although many websites say otherwise, you can certainly store it in the refrigerator if there is nothing else besides garlic in it. The temperature needed to store this vegetable is +1 ... -3, this is too low a temperature for all the products that you have in the refrigerator, with this content you will get a sausage covered with snow from the refrigerator. It is foolish to adjust the entire refrigerator compartment for garlic, and in the freezer compartment it will be very cold and it will simply freeze. Therefore, in the apartment it is better to store it in a jar of salt, just on the kitchen table or shelf.

Good while fresh or how long to store garlic?

Of course, the shelf life of a representative of the onion family depends on the chosen method and compliance with the rules. The winter type is stored least of all, respectively, summer is more suitable for long-term storage.

On average, garlic can be stored and remain edible for 3 months to 1 year.

To preserve the taste, choose from the above methods the one that suits the conditions of your home and will help maximize the life of the vegetable.

Garlic, popularly called "stinking rose", brings many benefits to people. To keep such an assistant always at hand, use the suggested storage methods, and make sure that the storehouse of vitamins can be used at any time in your life.

As you can see, there are a lot of ways, but there are a couple of the simplest options that will suit everyone. And you can buy garlic for the future, without worrying that it will deteriorate, or you can store the harvest grown with your own hands in your garden. Of course, just fold the garlic correctly and forget about it for a year, you won’t succeed, the product is rather capricious and reacts to changes in the climate and humidity of the room. Periodically, it will be necessary to look at garlic, throw out stale, damaged, empty, rotten heads. All this is necessary so that the infection and other sores cannot be transmitted to the rest of the garlic.

In conclusion, the most important factor is the complete, ideal drying of garlic, any ingress of moisture leads to damage to the entire batch stored nearby.

Follow these tips, and you will always have order in the field of food storage.

Video: how to freeze garlic and how to quickly peel it

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Many housewives are very fond of garlic. This seasoning with a specific smell makes all dishes extraordinarily tasty. The composition of the vegetable includes a large number of trace elements and vitamins. Having harvested her favorite garlic from her plot, each housewife asks herself the question - how to store garlic in a city apartment? Today we will talk about those methods that many housewives managed to personally try, which proves their high efficiency.

Storage in glass jars

There are several types of vegetables. Actually, certain and known to experienced gardeners, the terms and nuances of collection directly depend on this. For example, spring garlic, beloved by many, is also known as summer garlic. The harvest of such a crop is traditionally managed to be harvested from its site in mid-August. Winter, which is often called winter by the people, is usually harvested at the end of July. The success of its storage depends on whether the vegetable is harvested correctly.

Cleaning must be done on time. It's time to dig when the lower leaves have turned yellow, the tops are located on the surface of the earth, and the heads on the inflorescences are not only dry, but also crack. If you are late with cleaning, you can get heads that have disintegrated into individual teeth, as well as extra roots. And then they will not be able to lie for more than 2 months. It is best to plan to dig up the crop on dry and warm days. A few weeks before the planned harvest, the beds should stop watering.

Bulbs can usually be dug up with a shovel or pitchfork. Next, they need to be decomposed in such a way that they get the opportunity to dry normally. Leave the garlic laid out in the sun for at least 3 days if you want it to not only be preserved normally, but also be then just as tasty and healthy for the body.

Let's move on to the main and exciting question for many. How to store garlic in the winter in the apartment? If you do not follow the simple rules of storage, then the crop will simply become moldy or rot. When storing garlic on your own in a city apartment, it is very important to control the condition of the bulbs, as well as create the conditions they need. One of the popular ways is to place it in an ordinary glass jar of a suitable size, which must be closed with a lid.

It is necessary to separate the husk from the heads, put the cloves in jars, then tamp well. Then you can choose one of the options. Sprinkle with salt, flour, pour oil, grind. Pre-glass jars should be sterilized and dry well. Then you can be sure that the garlic will not be affected by mold. Choose the oil according to your taste. You can use olive, vegetable, linseed or corn.

When you remove the cloves from the jar, the oil will take on an unusual garlic flavor. It is acceptable to store garlic in powder form in a jar. To make it, the teeth are cut into plates, then sent to the oven to dry. Time is no more than 15 minutes. Next, you need to grind the plates into powder. To do this, use a modern coffee grinder or food processor.

Storage with salt

How to preserve garlic in a different way, using ordinary kitchen salt, which is in the kitchen of any self-respecting housewife? It is required to take plywood boxes or large pots. It is necessary to pour coarse-grained rock salt at the bottom, place garlic, and pour another layer of salt on top. The gaps between the heads are advised to pour especially carefully.

Ideally, they cannot touch each other. Storage must necessarily take place at room temperature. Thanks to salt, garlic will not lose its excellent taste and beneficial properties for the human body. If at room temperature in salt it can lie for about 4 months, then when choosing a temperature regime ranging from 0 to -3 - up to 8 months.

Oil and iodine for storage

When making winter preparations, housewives sometimes use very unusual methods to preserve the crop. How else to store garlic in the apartment? In addition to kitchen salt, they often prefer to store a vegetable beloved by many in sunflower or other oil with the addition of iodine, which is sold in any pharmacy. Often it is already at home. The oil must be pre-prepared. So that it can create a reliable barrier against air entering the container or film. This will prevent spoilage of the stored product.

Sunflower oil should be boiled for 2 hours. After that, iodine is added to it at the rate of 20 drops of the product per 1 liter of oil. Garlic heads must be dried. They must be uncleaned. Then, using a piece of cotton wool or a cotton swab, you need to wipe each head of garlic with a mixture prepared by yourself. When the procedure is over, place the garlic in an open area under the sun's rays. When the oil is absorbed, which can be understood by running your fingers over the surface, it is advised to wrap each copy in a special cling film.

Storage in a dark place

When wondering where to store garlic in the winter in an apartment, most people, knowing about the features of this process, allocate a dark and cool place for the vegetable. This may be a cellar or basement, which is often available to residents of multi-storey buildings.

Why is the crop well preserved there? Since high temperatures are detrimental to it, which can provoke the appearance of mold or rotting. What has already been said before. One of the easiest ways to store in a cool, dark place is to braid grassy garlic stalks. It is possible to weave such an impromptu braid with the help of twine.

Further, the resulting braids are simply fixed under the ceiling or on the walls of the basement or cellar. Some people prefer to put their crops in wooden crates or cardboard boxes. The normal temperature regime is -1 - 3 degrees. At higher rates, the beginning of the germination of garlic is not excluded. And if it is less than -3 degrees in the basement or cellar, the crop can freeze. And then you will not have to rely on its high taste characteristics and the preservation of useful substances in the composition of the product.

As the practical experience of many people shows, the crop is normally stored in a cellar or basement if it is placed in nets or nylon stockings. Such simple improvised devices have been used for many years. This makes it possible to enjoy the taste of your favorite vegetable added to various dishes in winter and spring.

Video “Keep garlic in the apartment”

This video will show you how to properly store garlic in a city apartment.

We all know what garlic is. Everyone knows about its beneficial properties and how it transforms the taste characteristics of almost any dish.

But not everyone knows how to properly store garlic so as not to lose their harvest and money spent. Under all conditions, this vegetable can maintain a good appearance for a long time and not deteriorate.

To store garlic for a long time, it is necessary to properly prepare it. This process begins with the harvest. Garlic is spring and winter. The terms and features of the collection depend on its type.

Spring garlic is harvested at the end of August. To understand when a plant should be harvested, you need to look at the leaves. If she fell and turned yellow, then it's time to remove the garlic. Spring garlic is picky and can be stored until the next harvest.

Winter or winter garlic is harvested in July. It is quite capricious and can lie only until winter (very rarely until spring). If a large crop of this species is harvested, then it is better to grind the garlic into spices or make a paste from it. You can understand that winter garlic is ripe by its dry and yellow tops, thin scales and cracks on the skin of inflorescences.

Dig up garlic carefully so as not to damage the heads, since cut plants cannot be stored for a long time. After extraction, it is necessary to dry the garlic under a canopy or under the sun (if the weather is fine) for several days.

After drying, dry stems need to be cut (unless you are going to store garlic in braids) and the heads sorted.

Empty, scratched, damaged or rotten heads should never be left. They won't keep for a long time. Moreover, they can infect other garlic with rot or disease.

After the preparatory work, you can proceed to the choice of storage method. The garlic, which for one reason or another has been sorted, can be ground for seasoning or frozen in the freezer.

According to its characteristics, garlic is the champion in terms of shelf life. It is stored both in heat and in cold, while the terms do not change much.

To understand how to store garlic in a city apartment, you need to understand the storage location and packaging (container).

What is the best container to store garlic in?

1. Box. In the box, garlic does not need to be peeled, whole heads should be placed in boxes and sprinkled with salt or flour if desired. It is best to use wooden boxes, and they should have slots for the passage of air for garlic.
2. Storage in baskets. This is the easiest container and one of the easiest ways to store garlic. Due to the weaving in the basket, air constantly circulates. This favorably affects the storage of vegetables.
3. Stockings or pantyhose. This method was used by our grandmothers. But it still remains popular for storing garlic in homes. Due to small gaps, air enters the pantyhose, and garlic can overwinter remarkably. Tied tights are hung on nails, thereby saving space in the apartment.
4. Banks. In such a container, you can store both peeled and unpeeled garlic. It can be placed in a jar in its pure form, with salt or oil, and, depending on the contents, closed with a plastic lid or left open. Garlic in a jar can be put in the refrigerator or on the balcony.
5. Without container. If you don't want to store garlic in boxes, jars, baskets, or other containers, scythes are a good option. With this method, the garlic should be well dried and constantly kept in a dry place. Heads are intertwined with feathers with twine or rope. This option will allow not only to store garlic for a long time, but will also be a wonderful element of the decor of your apartment.

If you still do not know or have not decided where to store garlic in the apartment, here some of the best options:

• loggia or balcony. Suitable for storing garlic in jars or boxes if the rooms are insulated;
• cellar or cellar. Do not know how to store garlic in the winter in the apartment? Underfloor would be ideal. There is moderate humidity, good breathability, and garlic in the spring will not lose its properties;
• any dry place. Garlic will be perfectly preserved in braids, boxes or tights;
• fridge. Many people ask, is it possible to store garlic in the refrigerator? In principle, as an option, this device is considered. Garlic keeps well in the cold. If it does not interfere with you in the refrigerator and does not take up much space, then you can store it there.

So that you can finally decide how to store garlic at home, we bring to your attention several ways.

Let's consider them.

1. In salt. To do this, sort the garlic and dry the selected heads. Put salt on the bottom of the plywood box. Place a layer of garlic on this salt, then sprinkle with salt again. There can be several of these layers, at your discretion. It is important that the garlic cloves do not touch each other, and that the salt covers the layers well.
2. In a refrigerator. This method is the most common, since storing garlic in the refrigerator is simple and practical. It is important that there is a place in it. For safety, you need to dry the garlic well and place it in paper bags. If desired, you can sprinkle with salt. It is necessary to store garlic separately from all vegetables, then it will be stored until the very spring and even summer.
3. In banks. This is one of the favorite storage methods for housewives. If you have already peeled the garlic or the husk has fallen off by itself, then the jar option will be the best, since you can store the peeled garlic in it without losing the properties of the plant. To do this, we sort out the garlic, if necessary, clean it, dry it for several days and put it in jars. The lid may not be closed. The main thing is to put it in a dry place.
4. In hammered form. If the garlic managed to spoil, then its processing will be an indispensable option. To do this, choose good, unspoiled cloves, clean them and grind them in a meat grinder. Then they are salted and put into jars, which are covered with lids and put in the refrigerator. This is one way to store garlic for a short time, but you will always have garlic dressing on hand.
5. In oil. We clean the garlic, pour it into a jar and pour it with oil (olive or vegetable). Then you need to close the lid. Where to store garlic preserved using this method? You can just keep it in the fridge.
6. In sawdust. Also, instead of salt or flour, garlic can be sprinkled with sawdust (it is better if it is coniferous trees). Garlic should be stored in boxes made of wood or plywood in a dry and cool place.

Shelf life of garlic

Approximate times are:

• ground garlic - stored for no more than two months;
• flour, salt, sawdust - about five months;
• in oil - no more than three months;
• in the refrigerator, as in paper, - also about three months;
• in the bank for three months.

Many housewives love garlic. This is not only a fragrant seasoning, but also a medicine that protects against colds. It is indispensable for cooking many dishes, marinating and preserving vegetables. Garlic contains many healthy vitamins and minerals. This is especially valuable in winter and spring, because with proper storage it retains all its valuable qualities.

But at this time it is difficult to buy good garlic, so it is best to grow it yourself or buy it in the fall when it is inexpensive and fresh. True, in this case, many housewives are faced with a problem: how to store garlic? In many homes there are no suitable conditions for this, and not everyone knows how to do it correctly.

What happens when the storage rules are violated

1. If the air humidity level is high, the heads may rot or become moldy. This also happens when garlic is stored in plastic bags.

2. During storage at high temperature, such as in the kitchen, the garlic dries out. And by the end of winter it can germinate. Such teeth lose their flavor.

3. If during storage the temperature drops below -5 o, then the garlic freezes and loses all its useful qualities.

Types of garlic

There are many varieties of this vegetable, which are preserved in different ways in winter. Outwardly, they may differ in size or color of the peel. But the keeping quality of garlic mainly depends on the time of its planting and harvesting. There are two types of this plant:

If garlic is planted in the fall, it is called winter. It ripens by the beginning of August, the degree of its ripeness is determined by the condition of the arrows. Such garlic usually keeps well until spring.

Some housewives plant this plant in the spring. Such garlic is called spring, or summer. Such a plant does not give arrows, and it is more difficult to keep it until winter.

How to harvest garlic

The suitability of this plant for long-term storage is highly dependent on compliance with the rules for its collection. To determine whether it is time to dig garlic, you need to consider its leaves, and for winter varieties, also arrows. If the lower leaves turned yellow, the tops died, and the heads on the inflorescences dried up and cracked, the garlic is ripe. Do not be late with cleaning, otherwise it will fall apart into teeth, and extra roots will appear. Such heads cannot be stored for longer than a couple of months. Most often, spring varieties are harvested in late August - early September, and winter varieties - a month earlier. It is better to dig garlic on warm and dry days, and all at the same time. A couple of weeks before this, the bed does not need to be watered. The bulbs are dug up with a shovel or fork, then laid out to dry.

It is necessary to try not to damage the heads, it is even advisable to clean the ground from them with your hands. To keep garlic longer, you need to dry it in the sun for at least three days. Right with green stems, from which nutrients pass into the heads at this time. After that, you need to carefully cut the roots, without damaging the bottom, cut off the stem. Usually leave 2-3 centimeters, but if you store garlic in braids, then you need to leave more herbs. It is advisable to dry the heads in a dry, ventilated room for 2-3 weeks, remove dirt and upper scales, and only then can they be laid for the winter. But before that, you need to once again carefully inspect each for the presence of pests and damage.

Best place to store garlic

It is best if the house has a cellar or basement. In winter, in such places, the optimum temperature for storing garlic is set: 1-2 degrees below zero. You can put it in cardboard boxes or wooden boxes, or you can hang it from the ceiling. Many housewives know a way to store garlic in braids or stockings. But most hang it in the pantry or kitchen at room temperature, where it begins to dry or sprout. But in the cellar, garlic braids will keep it fresh. You can also hang it in a net or an old stocking, which

also provide air access to all heads. But this method of storage is not available to everyone. What to do if you want to keep garlic in a city apartment? You can do this on an insulated loggia in boxes lined with foam or foil. The main thing is to ensure that the temperature does not fall below 5 ° C and the garlic is not exposed to sunlight. But there are many ways to store it in the apartment itself.

How to store garlic in the refrigerator

Most housewives use this achievement of civilization to preserve many vegetables. But not everyone knows how to properly store winter garlic. After all, this product is very capricious, it easily rots. Therefore, in the refrigerator, it must be placed separately from other vegetables. To do this, they put it in linen bags, you can sprinkle the heads with onion peel. To prevent rotting, which often happens when stored in a refrigerator, the bag must first be soaked in a strong saline solution and dried. Garlic also keeps well in paper bags. Another way is small boxes in which garlic is laid in layers, interspersed with coarse salt or flour. But most often this vegetable is stored in glass jars. There are many ways to do this.

How to store garlic in a jar

1. It is easiest to put clean and well-dried heads in a jar. The main condition is to sterilize and dry it well. The garlic itself should be clean and also dried.

2. You can lay the heads in layers: a layer of flour, then garlic, the last should be flour. Coarse salt or sawdust can be used instead. During the winter, you need to periodically check the banks and, if necessary, change the filler.

3. Many housewives know how to store peeled garlic. This is also done in a glass jar. Clean teeth should be intact and dry.

The jar needs to be sterilized first. It is better to close with a regular nylon lid, and store in a cool place. And if you fill the teeth with sunflower oil, they will last longer, and then the oil can also be used: it will become fragrant and tasty.

4. You can also store garlic scrolled in a meat grinder in a jar. You do not need to add salt, the main thing is that both the jar and the garlic are clean and dry. Close it with a regular lid and store in the refrigerator.

Storing garlic at room temperature

If this vegetable lies in the cold, then it retains its beneficial properties and aroma for up to eight months. At room temperature, after four months, it begins to dry. And by spring, such garlic does not smell at all, it loses all vitamins. How to store garlic in a warm room to extend its shelf life? To do this, try to protect it from contact with air.

This can be done in several ways:

1. Take a dry and clean plywood box, pour a layer of coarse salt on the bottom, preferably sea salt. Then carefully place a layer of garlic. Top it again with salt, and so alternate layers. Completely cover the top garlic with salt.

2. Garlic lubricated with sunflower oil is well stored. To do this, the latter must first boil for two hours. Then add 20 drops of iodine per liter of oil, use a cotton swab to apply on each head directly on top of the husk. After that, you need to dry the bulbs well and lay them in storage.

3. Few people know how to store fresh garlic in paraffin. Such a film well protects the heads from drying out. To apply it, you need to melt the paraffin, and then dip the heads into it for a short time. Once dried, the garlic will stay fresh for a long time.

Storing young garlic

One of the first to appear on the beds are its fragrant long leaves. Many people love them, but heads of young garlic are no less tasty. They are not so burning, often not yet divided into slices, and their benefits are enormous. Therefore, many housewives are wondering: how to store young garlic? After all, it grows rapidly and already in June it becomes more rigid and sharp. And the dug heads are almost not stored, they dry out in a few days. To increase the shelf life, you need to fill the vegetable with sunflower oil. And until winter, you can save pickled garlic, which almost does not lose its properties.

How to prevent storage problems

Everyone who stores garlic in an apartment faces the same problems. In order for this fragrant and healthy product to be on your table all winter and even in spring, you need to know how to overcome them.

The first problem: the germination of garlic. To prevent this, before storing the bulbs, you need to burn the roots over the fire.

Second: the drying of the bulbs. This happens as a result of moisture evaporation. To prevent this from happening, you need to create a film on the surface of the heads: paraffin or oil.

The third problem: mold or rot. Fungal diseases develop in frost-bitten, damaged or pest-infested garlic. to prevent this from happening, you need to dry the heads well in the sun after harvesting. After a few days of exposure to sunlight, all bacteria and molds die.