Curing Garlic
After garlic is harvested it needs to be hung to dry. Remove most of
the dirt from the roots, being careful not to bruise the garlic. Tie
the plants about 25 to a string in five bunches of five. The appropriate
number of plants in a string depends on their size and moisture level
at harvest. You want the circulating air to be able to reach all sides
of all bulbs. Leave the roots on as they have a moderating effect on
the drying rate.
Hang the strings out of direct light where it is warm with good air
circulation - a temperature of 21 - 24°C (70 - 75°F) is ideal
and two to three weeks drying time is ideal. This way the bulbs dry
evenly and without spoilage. You want the wrappers to dry and the garlic
to retain its moisture and oils.
Tip
- Select Your Garlic Seed First
Select good sized, fully mature bulbs with nice plump healthy cloves
and set these aside for seed. |
Cleaning Garlic
When the wrappers are dry, prepare your supply of garlic for long term
storage or for planting.
Cut off the roots and leaves of bulbs selected for fall planting, but
don’t fuss much about cleaning them. Label them and hang them
in clean mesh bags in the storage area until planting time.
For your eating supply, cut the roots off the bulbs, leaving 1 - 2
cm of root, and cut the tops off, being careful not to cut the skins
protecting the individual cloves. The papery wrapping protects the garlic
and keeps it fresh. Remove the dirty outer layers of wrappers and brush
loose dirt out of the roots. Place the clean bulbs in clean mesh bags
and hang in the storage area.
Tip
- Don't Store Damaged Bulbs
Damaged cloves spoil easily. Put aside any bulbs with soft cloves
for immediate use. The good cloves from these bulbs are excellent
for garlic pickles or dried garlic. |
Storing Garlic
Under good home storage conditions a solid, well-cured, well-wrapped
garlic bulb will keep 6 to 8 months or longer. The actual keeping time
is affected by variety and other factors. Store garlic at a cool, stable
room temperature. A temperature of 15 - 18°C (60 - 65°F) with
moderate humidity and some air circulation works well. We hang our garlic
in mesh bags and store our bulbils in paper bags.
Did
You Know?
Supermarket garlic has usually been kept cold in controlled
storage. If garlic has been kept cold it soon begins to sprout when
brought to room temperature. |
Dried Garlic
Another method of storing garlic is to dry it. This works well for
damaged cloves or bulbs. We have a entire page devoted to how to dry garlic.
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