How to Store Fresh From the Garden Garlic

Fresh garlic adds to the flavor of many recipes.

Garlic is a healthy food used to flavor meats, recipes and other vegetables. Garlic grows in bulbs and each bulb contains several cloves of garlic. Like onions, garlic has a dry skin on the outside that covers the edible inside. Fresh garlic from the garden is flavorful when served chopped up raw in salads and other dishes or when sauteed, roasted or baked. Proper storage of fresh garlic from the garden ensures the bulbs of garlic last longer and stay fresh.

Things You'll Need

• Clean cloths
• Cooling rack
• Scissors
• Mesh bag

Instructions

1. Wipe dirt off the garlic bulbs and tops with a clean cloth. Dampen the cloth just a bit to remove stubborn dirt, then dry the garlic bulbs.

2. Set the garlic bulbs on a cooling rack and allow them to sit for two weeks at room temperature in a dry location with air circulation.

3. 

   Trim the long tops off the garlic bulbs before storing.

   Cut the tops off the garlic bulbs, within an inch of the bulb. The tops are similar to the long, green portion of green onions. The top of the garlic bulbs must be trimmed off and discarded before storing the garlic.

4. Place the whole garlic bulbs in a mesh bag. Store the mesh bag in a location that is dry, dark and cool to keep garlic fresh and ready-to-use for three to six months.

Tips & Warnings

• When removing a clove of garlic from the bulb, break it off with your fingers and pull it away from the bulb. If the clove is really stuck and you must use a knife, cut only the clove you're using so the remaining cloves don't dry out.

• Throw away garlic cloves or bulbs that turn tan or brown or feel mushy.

References

• North Dakota State University: From Garden to Table: Garlic!: Harvesting, Storing