21 Reasons Why I Store Garlic
Do you love garlic as much as I do? I decided to write down the 21 reasons why I store garlic. I’m sure there are more reasons, but I will start with this number today.
If you have some more ideas, please tell me and I will add them to my list. One of my favorite ways to use garlic is when my son-in-law, Nate chops it really fine then spreads it with olive oil on pita or French bread and bakes it.
He puts a lot on the bread, oh my goodness it is fabulous! Can’t you just smell it? Who loves garlic, I sure do!
21 Reasons Why I Store Garlic:
1. doesn’t everything taste better with garlic in it?
2. you can smash a clove and put one peeled clove inside your mouth/cheek near a toothache until you can get to the dentist
3. to make garlic bread drizzle olive oil over the minced garlic on the bread and bake
4. make garlic soup with chicken broth for colds and sinus infections
5. helps with athlete’s foot-rub a few cloves on your sore feet or soak your feet in a warm bath with a few cloves
6. add some chopped or minced to your favorite salsa recipe
7. peel and drizzle with olive oil then bake
8. helps reduce risks of certain cancers like colorectal, stomach, pancreas, and breast cancer to name a few
9. great addition to lasagna sauce
10. boosts our immune system
11. can reduce high blood pressure
12. it can lower your LDL cholesterol
13. it’s a great antioxidant
14. for thousands of years it has been used for medicinal purposes (I love natural remedies)
15. helps with osteoarthritis
16. fights infectious diseases
17. it’s highly nutritious and low in calories (Magnesium, Vitamin C, and B6 to name a few)
18. smash some and rub the cloves into your hair to help prevent hair loss (I don’t think I could personally do this one…just saying)
19. rub a clove on acne to help clear the blemishes
20. soothes psoriasis, it has some anti-inflammatory properties, just rub some on to help with the itch
21. mosquitoes do not like it, use it as a natural bug repellant. Mix some minced cloves with Vaseline or beeswax and rub it on your skin
Have you ever planted garlic? That is one of my goals this year, to try my hand at growing it. I will keep you posted on how it goes.
I guess it’s pretty easy to grow. You can store garlic in your kitchen for up to three months, depending on the temperature of the room.
Do not store it in plastic bags or near potatoes. Store in a cool dark place if possible. Garlic should not be stored in the refrigerator since it can make the garlic moister and possibly lead to early mold forming.
Garlic is actually a species within the onion genus known as Allium Sativum. It’s a close relative of the leek, shallots, onions, and chives. Garlic is a popular item to add to so many meals because of its fragrance and taste.
I have heard of people who eat so much garlic that their skin smells like garlic. I love love love garlic in just about every meal. My daughter gave me a little container to bake a whole bulb in the microwave or conventional oven. Fabulous!
How To Peel A Lot Of Garlic Fast:
If you need to peel a lot of garlic cloves, take two stainless steel bowls (exact same size) and place the separated cloves in one of the bowls. Place the second bowl on top and hold it tightly and shake and shake them.
It’s like magic, remove the top bowl and you can pull the peeled cloves out and they are ready to cook, chop, or mince. Easy peasy!
You can also peel just a few by breaking apart the bulb and laying the clove with the flat side down and the curved side up. Use a spoon to smack it or use a large knife (flat side).
It’s awkward at first, but before long you will get the hang of it. I like to place the cloves on a wood chopping board, then start smacking with the flat side of the knife. This is easy if you only need a few cloves.
How To Store Freshly Peeled Ones:
Peel the cloves as instructed above and place them in a jar and cover them with white vinegar. Place in the refrigerator for two full days. Next, drain the vinegar and use it in a salad dressing later.
Leave the cloves in the jar and cover with olive oil, then return to the refrigerator. They will store for weeks ready to use at any time. The reason you must use vinegar first is to “pickle” the cloves before storing them in the olive oil.
Final Word
Please think about growing some garlic, it’s really easy to grow and store. The health benefits are awesome! Thanks for prepping my friends, you will be glad you prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world. Linda
Planting garlic is easy just stick the cloves into the ground pointed end up and forget it. When you come to harvest it you may find the bulbs are smaller but oh boy the flavour is sweet and subtle, gorgeous..
Hi Jim, oh this is good news to hear!!! It’s okay if the bulbs are smaller. Yay! Thank you! Linda
I learned the tricks to planting garlic from a guy who grows tons. Well not really tons but a lot.
He told me to take a 1 + inch dowel and mark it at the 4 inch mark. He said planting the bulbs that deep gives a good root system. When planting, jam the dowel in the soil to the mark. He also said to put a teaspoon if a good bulb food in the holes. He also said to pick the largest cloves as that will result in larger bulbs.
Always clip off the scapes when they appear. Use the scapes, chopped in any dish that you use garlic cloves in or stir fry the scapes. I’ve made a mild garlic soup using scapes as well.
Hi Leanne, I love making garlic soup in the winter, the scrapes would work really well!! I’m going to get myself a dowel as you described. Happy Holidays, girlfriend! Linda
Merry Christmas to you, Linda and your family.
Hi Leanne, thank you, my friend! Merry Christmas to you and your family! Hugs, Linda
You can even use the little seeds (bulbils) in the scape at the top of the garlic plant to get a lot of garlic plants going and have them better adapted to your garden. It takes longer, you need to plant, harvest small bulbs and replant those. I did that with some a couple of years ago and got a year’s worth of garlic easily. I dehydrate garlic by slicing it in a little device to make even pieces. I also made garlic butter logs to store in the freezer. https://www.organicgarlicbc.com/Organic_Garlic_BC/How_To_Grow_Garlic_From_Bulbils.html
https://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t–856/how-to-make-flavored-butter.asp
Hi Alice, I want to try and make that garlic butter!! I am going to dehydrate some as well. Outside of course! LOL! Thanks for the tips, Linda
Hi, Linda, you forgot the most important reason…scaring off the vampires and the zombies at the end of the world as we know it! Love your blog. I have saved so many items from it that I have a special file just for them!
I buy jars of minced garlic at the grocery. I have some in my food storage and one opened in the fridge. It lasts forever as long as you close it up tightly after using. We use it almost every day in our meals. We all love garlic. It is so convenient this way and your hands do not smell of garlic all day!
Hi Nancy, scaring off the vampires and zombies! Love it! LOL! I am so glad you have a file for my posts, that is the best compliment anyone could give me. Thank you!!! Linda
If you have pets, a garlic spray keeps the fleas away.
Hi Les, I did not know that. Great tip! Linda
Love garlic, I use it just in about every thing I cook! It helps keep fleas away on pets and you if you eat enough! We just planted some in our organic garden for the first time this year here in Central Texas! The stems are all tall. Can’t wait for spring harvest! Appreciate your resource Linda! I take a lot of your recipes and hack them gluten/wheat free! Merry Christmas and blessings for a new year to you all!
Gluten Free Lady
Hi Sue, oh my gosh, I’m glad you are hacking my recipe to make them gluten-free! Planting garlic is the best!!! I love Texas, my sister lives in Austin!! The people are so kind, sharing, and happy!!! Love your comment! Linda
15 years or so ago (how time flies) my husband and I grew 12 varieties of hard neck garlic in our garden and successfully sold them at an upscale farmers market for $15/pound. We’ve stopped doing the markets but it’s so easy to grow almost everywhere. It’s especially easy for retired folks as we plant by Halloween, side dress fertilize only twice (once when we plant and one in the spring), weed by hand as necessary and give them 1″ of water a week once they poke up their little stems. (Don’t use blood meal as fertilizer as it attracts critters that dig up the cloves. Any bulb fertilizer will do.) Garlic grows from the bottom instead of like other plants that put up growth from the tops of their stems so it doesn’t matter if they get a freeze once the stem has started above ground. The leaves are perfectly shaped to catch rain or overhead water and send it down to the bulb. When the 3-4 leaves start to yellow, stop watering and dig a week or so later. Treat those bulbs like eggs as they will sunburn and bruise if you bang them together. Put them in a shady place either hanging or on a table and let them ‘cure’ until the outsides ‘paper up’ and then clip off the leaves and clean off the dirt by hand with a tooth brush. That’s a very pleasant exercise as we sit in lawn chair with scissors to clip off the roots and a tooth brush to clean with the radio on in the background and maybe a glass of wine. Each year we still grow a couple of hardneck varieties in 3 raised beds for our own use. We dig them in mid-summer and can use the same beds to grow a later ripening vegetable crop in the fall. You can try to grow grocery store garlic that has sprouted if the timing is right but then you’ll just have softneck garlic from China, plus there are so many flavors of garlic from hot spicy to very mild so it’s fun to try a variety. Can you tell I’m crazy for garlic? There’s so much to discover about this miracle plant. No one was more surprised than me to find out how well it grows in my zone 5 garden and once I got started planting it, I haven’t stopped. I’m sure you’ll be successful, too.
Hi Debbie, oh my gosh, I love your timely tips on growing garlic. We can use all the tips we can get our hands on. There is something magical to me when I plant bulbs, seeds or seedlings. I LOVE to work with my hands in the soil (with gloves). Linda
Hi Debbie, I love your techniques on growing garlic!! I love the tips because we all learn from each other!!! Linda
My mother used to use a lot of onion and garlic powder to season most of our food. They’re very complimentary and act as a great substitute for salt, which most people tend to rely on too much. Salt enhances flavor (It affects our taste buds) but it doesn’t really add flavor and then of course you become insensitive and keep increasing your use and can even become nearly addicted to it. Seasonings are harmless and even good for us (particularly those herbs). In addition to peppers (Green, red, yellow) Spanish or Latin people have included these foods in their diets as a way to promote good health. I know I tend to feel really good after eating these foods be it a Chinese or Latin dish or some good steak smothered in onions and garlic.
I personally love to saute veggies with chopped onions and minced garlic. It makes for a great stir fry dish and you can add broccoli, celery, green onions, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, peas, green peppers or whatever you like and cook it with some broth. Good late night dish or way to use whatever is in the fridge. I’m by no means a vegetarian, but I like to eat vegetables cooked this way with or even without meat.
Hi Frank, oh my gosh my mouth is watering right now!! You and I cook quite a bit alike! I love onions, garlic, meat, and veggies. I love stir fry dishes, and I grew up with garlic powder and onion powder!!! Linda