Ways to store garlic for a long time in an apartment so that it does not dry out

It has long been believed that garlic is one of the most miraculous natural medicines and at the same time a spice. It is especially useful in autumn and winter, when the body is more susceptible to infections and colds. It is very clear that in order to enrich your diet with fresh garlic throughout the winter and even spring after its summer and autumn harvest, you need not only to harvest the harvest on time, dry the heads, but also create favorable conditions for its long-term storage, choosing the most suitable way.

You can read about the positive experience of storing garlic at home below.

Rules for storing garlic in the cellar (basement) and in the apartment

The main condition and rule for good preservation of garlic for a long time is to maintain a constant storage temperature.

The best place to store garlic heads in winter is naturally basement (cellar), but it must be dry and well-ventilated, and the air temperature must always be around +1 .. + 4 degrees.

However, if you do not have a cellar or basement, then garlic can be stored at home at room temperature (for example, in the kitchen, where it will always be at hand), which should be within +16 .. + 22 degrees.

It's important to know! When storing garlic at home, the heads may dry out more, which is quite natural. Therefore, the storage place should not be too dry, but not too damp: the optimum room humidity is within the range of 50-80%.

It is not hard to guess that garlic is best stored that has been previously well dried and properly prepared for storage... That is why take this action with all seriousness and responsibility. All the information you need is detailed in this article.

By the way! Spring garlic is better stored than winter garlic, so it can be stored in an apartment, while winter garlic is best kept in a basement at low temperatures.

It is also worth considering the fact that small heads and slices deteriorate much faster, so it is better to use them for food and cooking in the first place.

Potential storage problems and errors

It often happens that in winter the heads can rot (mold) or dry out, and those that can survive until spring begin to sprout and put down roots, although you seem to have not violated all the conditions for harvesting, preparing and direct storage of garlic. What is the problem, and how not to ruin the harvest?

Rot or mold

As a rule, heads rot either damaged during collection and preparation for storage, or frozen already in the cellar. First of all, it is mold that becomes a consequence of high humidity, and if the temperature also grows, then the death of the crop cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is very important to maintain stable storage conditions for garlic.

Drying out

It is hardly possible to completely avoid drying out the garlic, since this is a normal process of moisture loss, especially if you store it in an apartment. But if the drying proceeds rapidly, the teeth become stone from drying, and at the same time turn yellow, then these are already signs of a bacterial disease. Remove such heads from the total mass of the stored product urgently!

Only a special treatment with paraffin will help to retain moisture in the bulbs, thanks to which the heads will have a kind of protective layer. We will talk in more detail about this method of keeping the bulbs fresh and juicy later.

Germination of roots

The solution to this problem will be preliminary "scorching" or burning of the bottom together with the remnants of the roots, which can be performed over a candle flame or directly above a gas burner.

If the garlic still takes root, then the method of storing it in oil, which will be described later, will save.

Advice! Review your inventory periodically! If a head confuses you, then do not hesitate to use it in the first place, without waiting for the entire crop to be lost with just one spoiled garlic.

How you can store garlic all winter until spring: top 13 ways of long-term storage

In fact, there are many traditional and new, also very practical ways of storing garlic for a long time.

In braids

The most beautiful way to store garlic is by braiding its stalks into braids.

To make the pigtail strong and tight, use additional rope or twine when braiding. And don't forget to make a loop at the end of the rope so you can hang it on a nail.

It will be a good solution to hang the pigtail in any suitable place: in the closet, in the kitchen, in the closet, on the glassed-in balcony or in the basement.

By the way! Storage in braids is ideal for spring garlic, which is harvested later, but is stored much longer and better than winter.

In bunches

One of the easiest ways to store garlic, if you live in a private house or have a large kitchen, is to hang it in bunches or brooms, so to speak, tying long stems with heads into peculiar panicles.

In a net or in nylon tights (stockings)

If you do not want to bother and tie the garlic together with their stems in braids or brooms, then you can place the already cut heads in a net or nylon tights, and then again hang them in the corridor, between window frames, in the kitchen or in another dry and always cool location.

Just in the bank

The simplest way, suitable for any premises (and it doesn't matter where you live in a private house or in a city apartment).

Take any (1, 3-liter) dry glass jar and put the previously well-dried and cut garlic in it, and leave the lid open (although some, on the contrary, close it). Store the jar in a kitchen cabinet, such as under the sink or in any other cool place (but not necessary). When using this method, the shelf life is approximately 2-3 months.

Important! Of course, every house has its own microclimate, but for obvious reasons, there is no ventilation in glass jars, so condensation can develop. So, if you close, it is better to use a lid with holes.

Note! Some summer residents advise to pre-sterilize the jars, but most of them store well without it, because you will hardly sterilize the garlic itself anyway.

Video: storing garlic in a jar

In flour

Another way to store garlic in a jar is to use flour (you can buy the cheapest one).

At the bottom of a dry glass jar, you need to pour a small layer of flour, then put the garlic heads, add a small layer of flour again, put the garlic and so on, until the jar is completely full. There must be a layer of flour on top. The jar can be placed inside a kitchen cabinet or on top.

By the way! You can use enamelled pots instead of cans.

In salt

Another analogue of storing garlic is in a jar with a sprinkle. Again, you need to take a jar, although shallow wooden or plastic boxes are also suitable, pour coarse salt into it, put the heads on it and repeat the process until the container is filled to the brim.

It is optimal to put the container in the cellar or in the basement, although you can again use the pantry or kitchen cabinet. The main thing is that the place is dry and cool, and the temperature is constant.

In wood ash

Instead of salt or flour, you can use wood ash, but in this case, it will be enough just to sprinkle 1 tbsp of garlic. a spoonful of ash when the container is half full, and then again when you completely fill it.

Video: processing and storing garlic in cans with wood ash

In vegetable oil

This method is very effective if you have begun to sprout roots of the bulbs, or you decide to prevent this process.

You can store garlic in oil as follows:

1. Prepare a sterile container - a glass jar.
2. Rinse well, peel the cloves and put in a container.
3. Pour in vegetable oil, and you can use both sunflower and olive or even linseed.
4. Cork and refrigerate.

You can store garlic in this way for about 3-4 months, taking out the fragrant cloves as needed for cooking.

Important! Garlic oil is obtained simply with a divine aroma, but the cloves themselves acquire a rather specific taste, which may not be to everyone's liking.

Video: how to properly preserve garlic until spring at home in oil

In wooden crates or baskets

At home, you can store garlic in baskets, wooden crates, and cardboard boxes.

You can also sprinkle the heads for better preservation with salt, flour or ash. Sawdust and even onion skins are also suitable for you, or you can simply leave it stored in its pure form.

The boxes can store paraffin-treated garlic.

In film and sawdust

If you plan to store garlic in sawdust in a plastic or wooden box, or in a cardboard box, then it would be rational to first wrap each garlic with cling film, except for the bottom and top of the left stem.

In paraffin

Paraffinizing garlic is the best and perhaps the only way to keep the heads juicy for a long time.

How to carry out the procedure?

1. Pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then set the temperature as low as possible so that the water does not boil.
2. Cut the paraffin into pieces and place it in a smaller container, which you put in a pot of boiling water to create a kind of water bath.
3. When the paraffin has melted, grab the tip of the garlic stem and dip the head in the paraffin for 1-2 seconds.
4. When the garlic bulbs are dry, place them in a dry box, jar, or collect them in a net and hang them up.

As a container for the preservation of the harvest of garlic, you can also use fabric bags (the so-called linen), which should be filled with heads, tied and hung in the room required for normal storage.

Can garlic be stored in the refrigerator

Of course, you can store the garlic in the refrigerator, but it will remain fresh only for a very short time (up to a week), and there can be no question of any preservation until winter or even more so spring. The thing is that in such conditions, the garlic head quickly gains moisture and can become moldy.

It's another matter if you are going to preserve the cloves in wine or vinegar. In this form, they can be stored for up to 3-4 months.

Pickling garlic for the winter

Video: pickled garlic for the winter

Remember that the surest option not to be left without spicy garlic cloves in winter is to store them in several ways at once. Try everything - old, traditional, and new, but also reliable - and then you will determine your personal best method of storing garlic.

Video: how long to keep garlic fresh