Storing Fresh Garlic
If you read our blog post on harvesting garlic or you have grown your own, you may be wondering how to keep it for months to come. Storing fresh garlic is a very easy process and I’ll show you three different ways to store it in the freezer for up to a year. We will be blanching the garlic which will ever so slightly cook it and mellow the sharpness of the flavor. Having this on hand in the freezer makes for quick access to add to your favorite recipes.
Separate your cloves in a bowl, have a pot of boiling water on the stove and a bowl of ice water near by.
Place garlic cloves in boiling water for 1 minute, it you have a lot you may want to do this is a few small batches.
Remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer and immediately put into ice water to “shock” and stop the cooking process. After about 2 minutes remove from the ice water and place into another bowl or on paper towel.
Depending upon each clove of garlic it should with little effort slip right out of its skin, if not just just trim the top back a tiny bit with your finger nail or small knife.
After all you garlic is peeled you can choose to freeze or refrigerate it whole. If you choose you can chop or mince it and mix it with a little bit of olive oil to coat it, then press it into tiny ice cub trays.
As pictured above I have chosen to to store my garlic three ways. Whole cloves for soups, stews and roasts. Minced in cubes for pre-measured use in sautée or sauces and minced, stored flat in a small snack bag for easy breakage.
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