The topic is relevant among beginner gardeners and those who have never grown garlic for long-term storage. This material is also suitable for those who can’t keep the crop until the summer. It is known that white and aromatic cloves have healing properties all year round without losing their healing power.
But how to store garlic so that it does not dry out and deteriorate, and also does not germinate prematurely? In fact, there are many ways. In addition, storage options in the apartment and in a private house are still different. Therefore, various nuances will be discussed below. It is very important to know how to distinguish bad from good garlic.
First of all, the type of plant is important.
There are two types of garlic (do not confuse with the variety): winter and spring. The first ripens from mid-July and a maximum until mid-August. It all depends on the time of landing, weather conditions. Spring, however, is ripening by mid-August, and it can be collected until the second or third decade of the month. Be sure to remember these two types, because many are wondering: how to store garlic so that it does not dry in the winter until a new crop? The fact is that some mistresses unknowingly collect winter crops for storage in the hope that it will lie until spring, but with surprise and disappointment they discover a food that is unfit for food.
It turns out that until spring and even before the beginning of summer, only spring garlic can be well preserved , that is, collected at the end of summer. Since it ripens sufficiently, it pours and becomes capable of long-term storage. In contrast, winter garlic is young, without many white and smooth scales. It can be stored for no more than 2-3 months, so it is advisable to eat it immediately, without preliminary drying.
How and when to collect?
Strongly affects the further preservation of garlic during the collection period. Do not dig beds on rainy days. It’s better to wait until the weather is clear. The earth must be absolutely dry! To make sure of this, it is better to dig up the soil on an un sown section of the bed to the depth at which the heads of garlic are supposedly located. If the soil is completely dry, then you can start harvesting. In addition, if you have already planned a day for collecting garlic, then you should not water it and neighboring fruit crops in 2-3 days.
Winter garlic begins to dig when the bottom leaf begins to turn yellow, and spring - if all the leaves turn yellow and begin to roll to the ground.
Before we get down to the topic of how to store garlic so that it does not dry out, we’ll analyze another important point: selection. Before drying, you need to sort through all the heads. They should be:
- solid;
- strong;
- without spots and dents;
- with white scales;
- without any plaque.
If defects are found, such garlic should be eliminated, since it may contain pathogens. It is no longer suitable for food initially.
Where to dry?
When the heads are dug up, they need to be put in a dry and dark place, for example, on a veranda in the shade or in an open barn. But so that there is always an influx of fresh air. Then garlic is peeled of the remnants of the earth. It's okay if the upper flakes fall away. The tops are not yet cut. But here you need to know where and how to store garlic so that it does not dry out.
It should be ensured that there is no dampness. If it is expected to rain, you need to move the crop to a warm and dry place. After about 3-4 days, the slightly dried garlic is again processed: the roots and leaves are trimmed with a secateurs. The latter require leaving small tails (5 cm or more, depending on storage methods).
Storage conditions
When the dried garlic is ready to move to a permanent storage place, you need to prepare the room in advance. There are several rules that will help the crop survive until next summer:
- humidity is about 40-50%;
- optimal storage temperature - from +5 to +17 degrees;
- the room should be dry, clean;
- you can not keep garlic where various insects are found, the appearance of molds is possible;
- containers with harvest should not interfere with those living in the house / apartment.
Here's how to store garlic so that it does not dry out before a new crop. If you observe these conditions, you can be sure that the cloves of the healing product will remain intact.
Storage methods
There are several methods for storing garlic. But you need to know that the container must be "breathable", that is, let air through and not retain moisture. And now let's take a closer look at how to store garlic so that it does not dry out, methods and objects / dishes:
- a glass jar with a nylon toe or gauze instead of a lid;
- wicker basket or dish;
- cardboard box;
- a box of plywood with holes on the sides;
- wooden tubs ;
- string bags (mesh bags);
- nylon stockings ;
- in a bunch.
The latter method implies that even at the pruning stage, after digging, tails should be left about 20-25 cm long.
In this case, garlic can be braided into a braid and made into bundles using thick threads or ribbons. This method is suitable for hanging storage.
Where to store living in a private house?
Those who live in a private house with a plot have much more options for where and how to store garlic so that it does not dry out in winter. You can easily place a large supply of crops. And you can also find several different places at once:
- cellar,
- underground,
- canopy
- barn,
- crib
- terrace,
- cool place in the living room
- on a glazed balcony (if available).
You just need to make sure that there is no dampness, mold, or a lot of dust in the room.
Cellar or Canopy
Since ancient times, when there were more villages than cities in the country, our ancestors kept garlic in the cellars or in the canopies. This is considered the best option, given that winters are snowy, cold and with rare thaws. The peasants knew how to store garlic so that it would not dry out: they hung up bundles in a safe place or placed their heads in baskets, tubs.
It is worth noting that it is permissible to store both onion and garlic together if it is not possible to place them in separate containers.
In the ground in the garden
There is a more complex, but no less effective way of where and how to store garlic so that it does not dry in the winter before a new crop. And it involves digging the crop into the ground. Only pre-dried and prepared garlic should be wrapped in polyethylene, wrapped with unnecessary insulated material, such as an old coat. Then, on the site, you need to dig up the soil so deep that you can fill the top of the crop with 20-40 cm of soil. Do not forget to clearly and precisely mark the boundaries of the garlic burial, so that you can easily find and accidentally not hit the good heads with a shovel.
But this method is more suitable if there are no simpler options. In addition, in our time it is impossible to predict what the winter will be: warm and damp, or dry and cold.
Where to store in the apartment?
In the apartment you can also find a cool place to store garlic. It should only be taken into account that heating appliances (or central heating) are far from the place where the garlic will be stored. In addition, if there are pets in the house, insects can be found, then the crop will need to provide a more reliable storage.
Sometimes people ask themselves: does it make sense to store garlic in a refrigerator or freezer. Answer: it is possible. But in the refrigerator, whole cloves can lie no more than 3 months. If there is a desire to place the crop in the freezer, it is recommended to first clean the garlic, pass the cloves through a press or a meat grinder, then place them in bags or containers for freezing.
Fresh and whole garlic should not be placed in a plastic dish with a lid, as it can suffocate and begin to deteriorate.
Balcony
If the balcony or loggia is glazed, there is no heating in the room, then you can safely store garlic either in boxes (boxes), or hang up bundles. Only need to avoid direct sunlight, warming. Windows should not face south.
Pantry
If there is a pantry in the apartment, as well as a prepared place for garlic, you can place the crop in a cramped room. But provided that all optimal conditions are met. If you wish, you can hang an electronic weather station on the wall, which displays both humidity and temperature in the confined space of the pantry. So you will understand how to store garlic so that it does not dry in the winter. It is especially useful to have this device if there is no experience of storing garlic in this place yet.
If the garlic goes bad
It would seem that the tips are very simple. But unfortunately, no one is immune from disappointment. It happens that closer to spring, the cloves begin to dry out, wrinkle, somewhere, it may even begin to sprout. Slightly sprouted (sprout no more than 5 mm) garlic is not dangerous. It can be eaten. But if traces of parasites and fungi are visible, then you can’t eat!
It is advisable to control the storage process: from time to time (approximately every three to five weeks) check the condition of the crop. If the first signs of defects or illness appear on at least one clove, then the head should be removed and consumed as soon as possible (but only healthy parts of the plant).
Dear friends, you learned how to store garlic so that it does not dry in the winter, what to do so that it does not deteriorate until the next summer arrives. If you follow the above recommendations, you can achieve the fact that almost the entire supply will delight you and your family for three consecutive seasons: autumn, winter and spring.