does garlic need to be cured for immediate consumption

i want to eat my first bulb right away. does it need to be cured, or is that only for bulbs to be stored more than a week?

thanks!
donna

donna, some of the best garlic you'll ever eat is fresh-dug. They are full of juice, flavor and wonderful.

No need to cure it at all. And if you like minced garlic, give it a go, you'll be surprised at all the juice/flavor coming out of one single clove.

Shoe- garlic freak.

This message was edited Jun 23, 2011 6:45 PM

Greetings from fellow garlic lover here in Houston. First time gardener wondering if it will grow here?

I plant my garlic in the fall and it winters over . Now its june and its close to being dug.

flyinglocksmith, i think you can grow vampire deterrent in TX, but obviously i am new! check out
http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/

i think they sell garlic for the southern climes, and they will certainly have that info.

hey shoe, do you ever make minced garlic to put up for the winter? I don't really have much space to store my garlic and I am afraid it will sprout before I can use it all as I don't have a cold storage. It would be nice to have some jars of minced garlic standing by!

lorvan, I don't tend to make minced garlic but have pickled it before, which is fairly easy. I've also fried it in olive oil then drained the cloves and jarred them for cooking. And the oil was also saved for great garlic oil for stir-fry and such.

Shoe

Thanx 6A - willl check it out

I was away this weekend, just catching up on my emails now...

shoe - you make pickled garlic? Someone had a can of it last year (store-bought) and I LOVED it.... do you have a recipe?

lorvan, yep, I've made it before, several years ago. The recipe I have in my files is as follows:

1 cup garlic cloves
1 1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 TBS pickling spice

Peel garlic and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain.
In a small enamel or stainless steel saucepan, combine the vinegar and pickling spices and bring to a boil.

Pack the garlic in 2 hot, scalded half-pint jars. Pour the hot liquid over the garlic, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
....

I got this from a book called "Preserving Summer's Bounty". This is a great book covering all ranges of preserving all kinds of food that one can grow. It's one of the few books I've never loaned out and I've had it since 1995. :>)

Hope this helps!
Shoe

Thanks so much, shoe! It sounds nice and simple - just the way I like preserves :). I will definitely try out your recipe this summer. I'm hoping my garlic is ready for harvesting in the next couple weeks.. they've just started to die back.

Yep, that's what caught my eye, too, sweet and simple. Plus those little half-pint jars you can water bath in one of your bigger pots and not have to pull out the big water bath canner pot. It takes a lot less water and less time. You still need to cover those jars with water so use a deep pot.

And if it were me, I'd throw in a cayenne pepper in one of those garlic jars, just for extra flavor!!

Shoe

Sounds so good - can almost taste it.

Beans and rice (the 15 bean mix, takes me 2 days to finish 'em - has everything including the kitchen sink in there) fresh sliced tomatoes from my first time garden, cornbread, & some of those pickled garlic. I have that regularly except the pickled garlic. Only pickeled garlic I have seen is a long way from my house.

Dang near makes me want to try learning how to do that canning. Is that basically all you have to do for canning - prepare whatever food it is, put in those jars and boil a few minutes?

yep, canning is pretty simple. You have to follow some guidelines to ensure the food will be safe (no bacteria). Things to keep in mind are boiling times, amount of acid, etc. Any reliable recipe will ensure your food will be safe - they will spell out those details. I would suggest checking out a canning book, or even if you buy a canning kit, they usually come with a DVD or booklet on how to can safely. After that, it's pretty much just a matter of finding some great recipes, having a huge canning pot, some food to preserve, and some mason jars! I love canning - it's very rewarding. And no matter who it is, if you give someone a jar of homemade preserves, you'll be in their good books :)

these sites for food preservation look promising:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/healthnutrition/food/preservation/resources.htm
(compiles other sites)

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html

i think i might do a bit of canning this summer. my mom will laugh at me because how i moaned about helping her can!!