Garlic storage?

I just harvested my first years' crop of garlic, and apparently I waited way too long, because the papery husk that holds the cloves together as a head of garlic was completely gone. All I had was tons of individual cloves, many of which had green shoots coming up.

So. . .I know you are supposed to cure the whole heads by laying them out to dry in a dark place for a month, but will the same process work for individual cloves? They don't have any husk even on the cloves--it is like they are already peeled. Should I just chop them and freeze it in little portions? Is there some other way to preserve this harvest?

I had ordered a sampler pack of garlic varieties from Gourmet Garlic Gardens, so I have about 8 "heads" of 6 different varieties. I'd hate to lose them all through inadequate storage!

Thanks!
Angie

Angie - I've not faced your particular problem, so maybe someone else has better suggestions - but I would take the cloves that are already sprouting and replant them. In your zone you may have to cover them with a thick layer of hay or something similar. Or, as you suggested, just chop and freeze them.

I suspect that the ones that have already sprouted will not store well. Personally, I set cloves around the time daffodils go in the ground, so that might be a good indicator for yourself, too.

I planted them in the fall, according to the instructions from the source, and should have harvested them in late July or early August apparently. I just read some more last night online, and I should have harvested them when the leaves just started to brown, not after they were all gone! LOL

I do want to plant some cloves of each variety again, so I'll have another harvest next year. I'll go with the larger ones that are already sprouting, since they seem to be pretty promising.

Someone else suggested to me that I chop the cloves and store them in olive oil in my refrigerator, but I'm concerned about the botulism risk with that. I thought both garlic and olive oil were high risk for botulism. Hmmmm. Though I have bought those little jars of minced garlic in oil at the store. . .

Angie

Angie - I harvest garlic around the middle of June when the tops start turning brown in my zone, so July/August in your zone sounds about right. I'd be cautious about storing them in oil in the fridge, too.

For now, they are laid out on newspaper in my basement, to cure. I didn't know what else to do with them. I can't hang them, as they are all in separate cloves. Sigh. I need to make a big batch of roasted tomato sauce. I'll probably throw a bunch in there. :)

Angie--you're in a very similar zone to mine, and our garlic matured very early this year (mid-late July). The best indicator is to harvest when the leaves start to brown. I think I remember reading that each leaf provides a layer of the papery covering over the garlic cloves; once all of your leaves are gone, your papery covering has disappeared as well.

I'd try replanting what has sprouted, and freezing the rest. (I'd also be cautious about storing in oil in refrigerator). I just received my new shipment of garlic to plant for this year; I'll probably set it out the end of this month or early October.

Well, I seriously reduced my problem by using up about half of my garlic in a roasted tomato sauce yesterday. I had six 9 x 13 pans heaping full of tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini, and, of course, about 15 cloves of garlic in each pan.

I still have enough tomatoes to do another 3 pans (looks like they all got ripe at the same time! Too bad my peppers didn't cooperate and ripen now, too), and will have more in the weeks to come, so I might not be storing much garlic after all! LOL

Angie

That sounds like a good alternative to me! Nothing better than roasted tomato sauce (I like mine with the extra veggies, too). Enjoy! Be sure to save at least a few cloves to replant for next year. I just received my new order from Gourmet Garlic Gardens for this year--will be planting next year's crop soon. We can never bear to part with enough of our current year's harvest to replant for next year, so start over each year. Gives us an opportunity to try new varieties (I also get the sampler pack).

I still have enough to plant, and am debating whether to plant these, since they are already separated and sprouting, or to go ahead and use them and order more to plant. I'll probably just plant some of these and go back to buying garlic throughout the winter, once these are gone.

This was my first time growing garlic, and I can already tell it's going to be impossible to go back to store-bought, now that I've tried home grown.

Angie

Angie, you are so right about the taste of home-grown garlic being so much better than store-bought.

I set some "mystery garlic" last year, and the taste is beyond description! Hubby and I like garlic with a "bite" to it, and this one fit the bill!

I've saved some (make that hidden from hubby!) to set later this year.

Home grown anything is better than comes off a shelf. Won't even eat tomatoes or cukes that come out of a store. I don't like apples but bought a bushel for Jo when in Berlin, Ohio a couple of years ago, first time I ever ate an apple I liked.

Jim41 - I have a raised bed that's 8' x 4' in which I set some volunteer tomatoes. I think most of them must have come from supermarket cluster tomatoes purchased during last winter and tossed in the compost pile because they "spoiled."

To my amazment, they taste just like "supermarket tomatoes" - which to my way of thinking, means they are bred to produce "clusters" NOT good flavor.

I cook them along with my other tomatoes to make "tomato sauce" so they are not being wasted - once all the seasonings are added, I can't tell the difference.

That's surprizing. I always assumed it was the chemical they sprayed to give them shelve life. Know about that seasoning in Louisiana. Anything that is flavorless we douse with Hot Sauce.

Been without fresh tomatoes for a couple of weeks. A friend brought me a sack of Romas last night. That's what I ate for breakfast with French Toast.

I've been out fighting white flies on my young tomatoe and collards. Those things are running me nuts.

I agree that fresh home-grown garlic is the best--I can't imagine going back to the less-flavorful store-bought variety. Angie--be sure to read through the growing and harvesting information that Gourmet Garlic Gardens sends. Their growing advice is the best! My garlic crop has always been fabulous since I've been purchasing from them and following their growing instructions. I harvested about 70 beautiful heads of garlic this year. If last year is any indication, most will store very well (although we will still run out before next year's harvest is ready).

Jim--white fies have been ferocious this year. They are on everything from my tomatoes to my coleus. Can't seem to get them under control. This is one of the first year's I'm hoping for an early and hard freeze to get rid of all of the garden problems we've had this year due the the odd weather. Do you have any tips for getting rid of these little buggers?

I think I'm with you Mom2. I hate cold weather but find myself wishing for it this year. My wife has severa beds of verebena and the white flies have just about killed it with me spraying everything I can think of. I don't know if it will come back or not. I'll get my collards starting to look good and the white flies storm on it again. The only thing I've had trouble with them on in the past is Texas Rose and crepe myrtle.

Hmm... another Dave's Garden poster who lives near me said they had been plagued with whiteflies too this year. For some reason, I've not seen a single one!

Maybe the little Wrens are dining on them faster than the whiteflies can breed! I have several Wrens that raise their young in my immediate area - a pair of them even nest under my tool shed.

I love birds. I don't even mind sharing my strawberries with them :) Over all they do a wonderful job of keeping pests under control. I've taught my little dog Chloe that it okay to chase the squirrels, but to leave the birds alone.