# Storing Fresh Garlic



## mittshel

I don't have good luck with search on this forum, so here is a new post.  How do you guys (and dolls) store your fresh garlic?  Mine has not been staying fresh very long.  Appreciate all replies.  Betsy.


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## GhettoRacingKid

are you mincing it? or leaving it as whole cloves?

I susualyl leave my heads of garlic in the fridge.

if you are mincing it.
put it in a air tight container in some olive oil in the FRIDGE!!

I wouldnt keep it for more then a few days just becuase of bacteria and botulism.

Best Bet is to leave the head in a cool dry place or in the fridge and us as needed then toss the left overs.

I ususally buy the cloves already peeled in that plastic container and use it as needed.


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## justplainbill

We keep garlic in unpeeled head form in a well ventilated terra cotta container at room temperature.


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## GB

A dry cool dark area with plenty of air circulation is ideal. I store mine in a basket in the kitchen or sometimes even on the kitchen counter. It is not dark, but it is dry and usually cool with lots of air circulation.


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## middie

I stash mine in the fridge.


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## jennyema

Cool dry place.

Garlic will sprout faster in the fridge.  People say that storing in the fridge also affects taste.

IMO, storing garlic in oil is never a good idea because of the threat of botulism.  If you do, make sure it's kept refrigerated and disposed of after a week or 10 days at the most.

Personally, I think a lot of the garlic we see in the stores is pretty crappy even before you get it home.

If I see some good, unsprouted garlic I often buy A LOT of it and freeze it.  Thawed garlic is mushy, but tastes fine and is easy to use in a lot of different things.


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## pacanis

I use one of those terra cotta garlic cellars, but it only holds a few heads, so the stuff I just bought in the store, which came in a mesh bag, will get tied to a cupboard handle. As I use it I will throw the unused cloves in the garlic cellar. And my kitchen doesn't have windows, so sunlight isn't a problem.
I used to keep it in the fridge, and now I know why it always sprouted more quickly.


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## GB

jennyema said:


> Personally, I think a lot of the garlic we see in the stores is pretty crappy even before you get it home.


I could not agree more. 9 out of 10 times I have to dig and dig through the garlic bin at the store just to find one head that is not molding or falling apart or rotten already. That drives me crazy.


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## GhettoRacingKid

edited post above


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## GrillingFool

Hey I get to be first!

Be careful about storing garlic in oil... it can be a botulism danger.
Even refrigerated, the source I read said more than 3 weeks could be dangerous.

I toss mine in a wire basket hanging in a corner of my kitchen, out of direct sunlight.
Does pretty well there.

So, if one were to stick the sprouting garlic into a window pot of soil, would it grow?


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## mittshel

*Thanks for Lots of Good Info*

Well, I am on the right track.   Have been keeping it in a basket that slides under the counter.  Dark, maybe not so cool.  I think I'll try putting it in my garlic cellar, then in the basket.   You're right about it being old.  That is probably the main problem.  Thanks again.  Betsy.


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## Jeekinz

I just throw mine in a drawer with the onions.  Had one or two sprout before, none went bad though.


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## larry_stewart

The problem with the supermarket garlic is that they keep it in a cold , controlled storage to allow for shipping and all that.  Being a bulb, once it hits room temperature ( assuming it is warm) will think its spring time, and start to sprout as any bulb will.  So a cool dry place is ideal.


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## mittshel

GRK - I leave the bulb whole, taking off a clove (or two or three) at a time as needed.  Most of my recipes use minced garlic.  Thanks.  Betsy.


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## Jcas

I use the unsprouted cloves and plant the sprouting ones. Got some of my best garlic this way!!!

I store my garlic in a net bag hanging in the pantry, dark, cool and seems to keep really well.


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## dragontaboo

Does any one know how to keep garlic from making the fridge smelling bad?

Would a jar work? Maybe a pickle jar.


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## GB

Just keep it in a sealed container. No need to keep it in the fridge though. You can keep it out on the counter if you want.


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## Leolady

I peel the cloves, put them in a zip lock bag, and toss the bag in the freezer.  When I need a clove or two, I take them out and use them.


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## dragontaboo

In the past I kept it in the dark. Does not keep that long that way. I was thinking in a cold climate, like in the fridge. Tried that too. Makes the fridge smell horrible. Another idea was in a jar were the smell could not escape.


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## Scotch

justplainbill said:


> We keep garlic in unpeeled head form in a well ventilated terra cotta container at room temperature.


Same here, like this from Amazon.com: 







Garlic will keep for a week or two in such containers, depending on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen. After that, it may begin to sprout or develop brown spots, and it's then time to toss it. 

Best bet is not to buy too much at one time.


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## jennyema

Leolady said:


> I peel the cloves, put them in a zip lock bag, and toss the bag in the freezer. When I need a clove or two, I take them out and use them.


 
I freeze garlic too.  Just froze 6 heads yesterday.

But I don't peel them first anymore, as the peel comes right off the frozen cloves.


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## marigeorge

I keep a small amount in the freezer, but the majority is in a basket on the counter with the shallots.


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## tanya

I just store mine in a cupboard... It seems to be doing okay?


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## Callisto in NC

Scotch said:


> Same here, like this from Amazon.com:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Garlic will keep for a week or two in such containers, depending on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen. After that, it may begin to sprout or develop brown spots, and it's then time to toss it.
> 
> Best bet is not to buy too much at one time.


Did you mean to say a week or a month?  I have garlic bought at the Ren Faire in November that is still fresh, hasn't sprouted, and still very flavorful, you buy it in a sleeve of about 20 bulbs.  

I've put garlic alone on the counter and its lasted longer than a week.  

Mine is in the back of a cupboard right now because it's cool and dark but not freezing.  It's still beautiful.


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## CharlieD

GB said:


> A dry cool dark area with plenty of air circulation is ideal. I store mine in a basket in the kitchen or sometimes even on the kitchen counter. It is not dark, but it is dry and usually cool with lots of air circulation.


 

It's cool in your kitchen?  What have you been doing? You quite cooking? What's happening? My kitchen is always hot. Unless I sit here rather than in the kitchen.  

I keep garlic stored in refrigerator.


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## GB

My kitchen is next to my breeze way which is aptly named. Our breeze way is FREEZING. We do not have a storm door and it is very very draft. The cold air pours into the kitchen even when I am cooking full throttle. At least at this time of year.


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## Glorie

CharlieD said:


> I keep garlic stored in refrigerator.


 
Doesn't it mold in the refrigerator?


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## Scotch

Callisto in NC said:


> Did you mean to say a week or a month?  I have garlic bought at the Ren Faire in November that is still fresh, hasn't sprouted, and still very flavorful, you buy it in a sleeve of about 20 bulbs.
> 
> I've put garlic alone on the counter and its lasted longer than a week.
> 
> Mine is in the back of a cupboard right now because it's cool and dark but not freezing.  It's still beautiful.


Depends on how old it is when you buy it. Most of the garlic consumed in this country now comes from China, not the fields of Gilroy, which are now mostly tract homes. And I did mean a week -- I can't speak to longer periods as a head of garlic never survives more than a week in my kitchen.


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## Callisto in NC

CharlieD said:


> It's cool in your kitchen?  What have you been doing? You quite cooking? What's happening? My kitchen is always hot. Unless I sit here rather than in the kitchen.
> 
> I keep garlic stored in refrigerator.


My kitchen has no heater so it's only warm if I run the oven which is rarely.  It's also adjacent to my alcove which is open to the elements and where I do laundry.  If I want to do dishes on a winter morning, I have to turn the oven on so a cupboard in the kitchen is perfect in my house.


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## Callisto in NC

Scotch said:


> Depends on how old it is when you buy it. Most of the garlic consumed in this country now comes from China, not the fields of Gilroy, which are now mostly tract homes. And I did mean a week -- I can't speak to longer periods as a head of garlic never survives more than a week in my kitchen.


Do you have any statistics that back your China claim up?  Gilroy is not the only producer of garlic in this country but I promise you China is not where my garlic is coming from.  I even bothered to google your claim and there is no foundation for such a statement.


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## jennyema

Callisto in NC said:


> Do you have any statistics that back your China claim up? Gilroy is not the only producer of garlic in this country but I promise you China is not where my garlic is coming from. I even bothered to google your claim and there is no foundation for such a statement.


 
There is a very good chance that if your garlic does not specifiy that it comes from CA or somewhere else, that it indeed comes from China.

China produces 75% of the world's garlic and a large majority of the garlic sold in the US.

Garlic grown in California is generally ridiculously expensive, when you can find it at all.]

Here's a Washington Post article detailing it all: Cause for Concern In Chinese Bulbs? - washingtonpost.com


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## Callisto in NC

jennyema said:


> There is a very good chance that if your garlic does not specifiy that it comes from CA or somewhere else, that it indeed comes from China.
> 
> China produces 75% of the world's garlic and a large majority of the garlic sold in the US.
> 
> Garlic grown in California is generally ridiculously expensive, when you can find it at all.]
> 
> Here's a Washington Post article detailing it all: Cause for Concern In Chinese Bulbs? - washingtonpost.com


Mine says California on it.  The sleeve I bought at the Faire was Gilroy Garlic guaranteed.


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## jennyema

If it says that then you're good.  It's very hard to find here.  And wicked expensive.

I'd venture to say that most unsleeved garlic comes from China.  As does most of the sleeved bulbs, which are labeled with the country of origin (or should be).


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## Callisto in NC

jennyema said:


> If it says that then you're good.  It's very hard to find here.  And wicked expensive.
> 
> I'd venture to say that most unsleeved garlic comes from China.  As does most of the sleeved bulbs, which are labeled with the country of origin (or should be).


I bought mine from here: Garlic Festival Foods when they came out for Ren.  They do it every year and every year I buy a sleeve. 

Interestingly, by the picture in the article, the stuff I saw at Walmart looks like what the article deemed "locally grown" so I googled it.  Garlic Home  ~ seems I'm in a state where we can get locally grown garlic, which is great because I prefer to support local growers than a country I'll never go to.


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## jennyema

Callisto in NC said:


> I bought mine from here: Garlic Festival Foods when they came out for Ren. They do it every year and every year I buy a sleeve.
> 
> Interestingly, by the picture in the article, the stuff I saw at Walmart looks like what the article deemed "locally grown" so I googled it. Garlic Home ~ seems I'm in a state where we can get locally grown garlic, which is great because I prefer to support local growers than a country I'll never go to.


 
I wholeheartedly agree!  But there's nothing growing up here during the winter and there's really no place to buy garlic but farmer's markets in the summer.


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## CharlieD

Glorie said:


> Doesn't it mold in the refrigerator?


 

Mold? Mold in refrigerator? You must be kidding? Never. It may dry out or stat sprauting in a couple of month or more, but never mold. Even if it is pilled it doesn't. And then usualy I use a lots of garlic when I cook. But never the less i do have garlic I bought couple of month ago, becaus eof this thread I went and checked on it. It started to spraut. But for sure no mold.


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## Callisto in NC

jennyema said:


> I wholeheartedly agree!  But there's nothing growing up here during the winter and there's really no place to buy garlic but farmer's markets in the summer.


I asked the guy at Walmart today and he said that their garlic is not from China and that most of the time it is locally grown but when it isn't it's from the US.  They actually label it as "grown in the USA" right next to the price.


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## Asmodean

justplainbill said:


> We keep garlic in unpeeled head form in a well ventilated terra cotta container at room temperature.



That's exactly what we do too


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## Dellasue

I just was given fresh, out of the garden garlic, with stalks intact.  How long would you all let them dry out before they are ready to use in cooking?


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## NZDoug

Here in NZ, locally grown garlic is 4x the cost of Chinese garlic so supermarkets sell the Chinese.
The Chinese looks white and the local is white/ purpley cloves.
If growing garlic at home, the NZ garlic does better in its natural environment
And we just past the shortest day, so its garlic planting time.


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## sparrowgrass

Della Sue, you can use your garlic right now.  Fresh is good.


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