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Surprisingly, it seems to many that it is most difficult to grow garlic, and then it will somehow lie itself until spring, and nothing will happen to it. This is an erroneous statement, since doing this at home is quite difficult if you do not think about what and how to do it. How to store garlic in winter, ways to do it right and keep the maximum of useful substances – you will learn all this in our article.
harvesting garlic
As soon as the winter or spring garlic ripens, that is, its leaves turn yellow, the false stem becomes soft and sinks to the ground, and the husk will easily move away from the cloves – you need to quickly remove it from the garden so as not to spoil further storage, and it does not dry out. Winter is best harvested in July, spring – in August or early September.
With a fork or shovel, carefully pry the bulbs out of the ground, being careful not to damage either the bulb itself or the roots of the plant. If the weather is cloudy, but not rainy, put the fruits on the beds. If it is going to rain or it is very hot, then move the bulbs under a canopy. Harvesting does not end there: very carefully, trying not to break the roots, clean the bulbs from the ground. You can wash them in cool water and then leave to dry. This will allow you to prepare the bulbs for further storage. You need to keep your crop under a canopy for about 10 days so that all vegetative processes stop naturally.
An important condition for properly preparing garlic heads is keeping the air humidity low. Thus, when the harvest is over, you will have juicy fruits that are not spoiled by moisture and rot, which can be safely stored at home until spring.
Harvesting bulbs is best done in dry weather, early in the morning or late in the evening, so that they do not get burned from the scorching sun. Both spring and winter species do not tolerate overexposure in the ground and high temperatures, so try to do everything right, then it will be much easier to save the crop.
After the drying stage, we remove the excess parts – we cut the roots and stems. Now you can consider storage methods that will help keep fragrant bulbs until spring.
Ways of storage
There are several ways to store garlic at home during the winter so that it does not deteriorate. The first thing that comes to mind is the old, so to speak, grandmother’s method – to weave spring garlic into beautiful braids that delight the eye with their appearance until spring. But this is not the only and far from the most reliable storage method.
wooden box
Storing bulbs in a wooden box is one of the most convenient ways. You will need a roomy box with holes in the walls. At its bottom you need to pour a centimeter layer of salt, wood ash or sawdust. Then the bulbs and a new intermediate layer are laid. Repeat these two steps until the box is full. In order for spring garlic to retain all its beneficial properties, we remove the box in a dry, cool place.
Oil
Oil storage is a great option when you have nowhere to put a bulky box, but you want fresh cloves in winter. To do this, the bulbs need to be peeled, and then put the cloves in a jar. Try to pack them tightly, you can even shake the jar a couple of times. You can use any oil – sunflower, olive, corn, in general, what you like. Pour the oil into the jar so that it completely covers the cloves. After that, close the jar with a lid with holes, put it in the refrigerator and enjoy the result for the next 3-4 months. A big plus of this storage method is that you will get not only fresh garlic, but also fragrant oil.
Pouches
A convenient storage method is paper or cloth bags. Mix heads with onion skins, put them in bags, and then hang them in a dry place. Spring garlic is best stored when the temperature is about + 5-7 ° C. However, this will not work for a large number of bulbs, unless you have a spacious cellar, as the bags should be hung up for better ventilation and long-term preservation.
Paraffin
A somewhat exotic, but nevertheless effective way is to dip spring bulbs in paraffin. Melt the paraffin, but follow all safety rules. Holding the bulb by the stem, dip it into the hot mass. When it is completely covered with paraffin, hang it up so that the mass freezes. You need to clean such garlic in a dark, cool place where it will save moisture and useful properties until spring.
spoilage prevention
When spring garlic went to wait in the wings, it is important not to let it go bad. The slightest violation of the conditions, and now it has already begun to rot, become moldy or eaten by insects. It happens that you did not inspect and sent garlic heads infected with nematodes or a fungus for processing, then it will not be possible to save them.
Store garlic in a dark, dry, cool place, otherwise it will spoil and you will lose not only the ingredients used for processing, but also the bulbs themselves.
Ensure that the room where your crops are stored has adequate ventilation. Treat the cellar with fungicides and insecticides, and then ventilate well so that no pest can take root there. When storing garlic in the refrigerator, adjust the temperature and humidity manually.
Video “Proven way to store garlic”
Check out the tried and tested way to store garlic cloves at home, which keeps them all winter long and looks like they’ve just been dug out of the garden in the spring.
