Freezing Garlic

[pdswife]

My neighbor brought me a huge bag of garlic yesterday...
can I peel and then freeze some of it. I love Garlic but, it'll take me quite a long time to use 30 heads of it.

Also, some of it is slightly green... doesn't that mean anything?

Thanks!!
Trish

 

[jennyema]

You can freeze it but it won't taste as good as fresh. And the texture may be mushy.

If it's green, it is probably sprouting, which means it's not very fresh. The sprout makes it bitter.

I never buy garlic in quantity because it's often hard to find good FRESH garlic recently.

 

[pdswife]

Thanks Jennyema!

 

[choclatechef]

You can freeze it but it won't taste as good as fresh. And the texture may be mushy.

If it's green, it is probably sprouting, which means it's not very fresh. The sprout makes it bitter.

I never buy garlic in quantity because it's often hard to find good FRESH garlic recently.

Remove the sprout, and freeze the cloves!

You are going to use them in cooked dishes, so the texture doesn't matter, just the flavor!

 

[pdswife]

There's no sprout... the cloves themselves have green patches....

 

[choclatechef]

Then just cut the green part off, and put them in a zip lock bag!

I chop or mince, or slice my cloves while still frozen, and throw them into soups, stews, casseroles, etc.

 

[pdswife]

Cool! Thanks, that's what I needed to know.

 

[Constance]

The green part won't hurt anything. As long as the heads are firm, it's OK.

Suggestion: Why not roast some of the garlic? Cut a slice off the top of the head, sprinkle with olive oil, wrap in foil and roast in oven or on grill at 350 for about an hour. Remove, let cool just enough to handle, then just squeeze the cloves out of their shells. Mash with fork or give it a whirl in the food processor and mix with a little butter or olive oil, then freeze in small packages to use as a spread for bread or to add to vegies, sauces, etc.

 

[pdswife]

Roasted garlic is so good! I might just roast some up Constance. Thanks!!

 

[marmalady]

If its' just green spots at the top of the head, and not sprouts, I think that happens when the top of the head is a little above ground as it's growing.

 

[ticoterry-EXPAT]

You might consider seperating some of the cloves from the heads and replanting them (root end down) 3" to 4" down in the soil and 3 or 4" apart...
The green sprouts make very tasty chives and the cloves will develop into heads for later seperating and use as needed...If I find that I have some sprouting, out they go to the garden..Good Luck

 

[pdswife]

cool! That's a great ideal Thanks!

 

[Sara]

If you still need ideas on using it up, you could make some garlic flavoured oils to use in your food or dressings.

Sara

 

[cats]

Thanks Constance, that's a great idea for freezing the garlic. I always use garlic when cooking and, for the first time, my husband has planted two rows of the stuff. He has begun pulling it and is drying it in his shed/workshop. Boy, does it smell garlicky (sic?) in there and I'm glad it's not being dried in the attached garage or, horrors, in my laundry room. I'm definitely going to try your idea, especially with the smaller heads and/or any that might begin to sprout. We understand it keeps well, just hanging around, but your method should be super for excess so it doesn't go to waste.