canning garlic

[Itoero]

I found a nice recipe for canning garlic.
You boil garlic cloves in sweet sherry, honey, vine vinegar and soy sauce...and you keep it in the fridge.
I haven't tasted it yet.
Any idea how long I can preserve this?

Does anyone else have a nice recipe to pickle or marinate garlic?

[coronabarb]

Here is a tried and tested recipe that many seem to love for canned marinated garlic, sliced or minced.

http://www.sbcanning.com/2013/01/can...minced-or.html

[Itoero]

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice 3/4 cup garlic - either minced or sliced

That's weird, oil and vinegar do not mix well.

[coronabarb]

Here is another option from SB Canning that uses vinegar, sugar and spices for pickled garlic.

http://www.sbcanning.com/2012/02/sec...of-garlic.html

And here is a photo of both recipes...the marinated garlic (with oil and vinegar) is in the small jar. SB Canning has 52,000 fans on her Facebook page and is the person we get referred to by the canning group I am in if they can't answer a question. Many people have made both of these recipes and love them.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by coronabarb

Here is a tried and tested recipe that many seem to love for canned marinated garlic, sliced or minced.

http://www.sbcanning.com/2013/01/can...minced-or.html

Thanks for posting the link! I'm not a fan of pickled garlic, so this will be a great alternative for using up my overstock before it starts rotting or drying out. I grow about 140 heads of garlic each year primarily to keep us well supplied with scape pesto throughout the year, but then I end up with more garlic than I need.

[coronabarb]

Tell me more about scape pesto!! And garlic is in such demand now...can you sell some or barter?

[Douglas_OW]

Barb,

Garlic scape pesto is great and it couldn't be simpler.

Here are two links:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garlic-scape-pesto/

http://onlinedigeditions.com/display....php?id=909815

Once the pesto is prepared, it freezes really well, either in a plastic container or in ice cube trays. You can then store the frozen cubes in a freezer bag and thaw as needed.
If the pesto is stronger than you care for, mix a couple of spoonfuls into cream cheese, yogurt, or sour cream to make great dip.

Jim

[TomNJ]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Thanks for posting the link! I'm not a fan of pickled garlic, so this will be a great alternative for using up my overstock before it starts rotting or drying out. I grow about 140 heads of garlic each year primarily to keep us well supplied with scape pesto throughout the year, but then I end up with more garlic than I need.

Garlic is easy to over plant - I grew 400 bulbs this year for just two of us. Most of my excess I chop and freeze in one quart zip-lock bags, about 1/4 inch thick. I call them "garlic books" and I can just break off chunks as needed for cooking and zip the bag back up. I also dry some in the oven at the lowest sustainable setting and grind it into garlic powder, and roast some in olive oil and freeze.

This year I made "garlic ice cubes" - pack chopped garlic into ice cube trays and slowly fill each cell with EV olive oil and freeze. When frozen, pop the cubes out into zip-lock bags and store in the freezer. Drop a cube in a frying pan and you are ready to cook your favorite dish.

Of course the best way to deal with excess garlic is plant less. For next year I cut back to only 360 bulbs!

TomNJ/VA

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by coronabarb

Tell me more about scape pesto!! And garlic is in such demand now...can you sell some or barter?

Here is the recipe I use, except I make it with toasted walnuts instead of almonds - http://www.doriegreenspan.com/2009/0...-to-be-on.html

I freeze it in one cup plastic containers, and once it's solid I pop it out, wrap it in plastic and store it in a ziplock freezer bag. Each disk of pesto is enough for a pound of pasta, or you can slice off however much you need. I've been known to thaw out a disk and keep it in the fridge to slather on toasted sourdough bread for breakfast...

I supply my son and his wife, although they don't use a lot of it. Another friend who often passes along goodies or bottles of homemade wine gets some. Some is gifted at Christmas to those who appreciate it. And I now have two friends who are growing garlic from seed stock I provided. I always think I'll be able to easily use what's left, but that's sometimes not the case.

I have definitely considered selling some, and if I ever expand the garden to be able to grow a lot more, that's what I would like to do.

[coronabarb]

Garlic is very trendy now and for good reason. I have never grown it so don't how the different varieties taste. Any recommendations? And Tom, I *love* the idea of garlic ice cubes...the EVOO freezes solid?

[Itoero]

I planrted 80 cloves, 8 different types...including Elephant garlic.
I've cannned the cloves of 3 big bulbs in white vinegar and sugar.

You boil garlic cloves in sweet sherry, honey, vine vinegar and soy sauce...and you keep it in the fridge.
I haven't tasted it yet

It started to ferment and it made a little explosion
The recipe came from the website of a cooking program on tv.

[Father'sDaughter]

I'm in the northeast and I stick with hardneck varieties because I know they grow well here and I prefer heads with a single ring of larger cloves around the center stem. And they do pack a good punch! I find that a single clove of my homegrown hardneck is equivalent to the flavor/heat of two or three cloves of typical supermarket garlic. My four are German White, Music, Spanish Roja and German Red. I'll confess to never having done a side-by-side tasting on all four, so I can't say how they differ. I do know the GW and Music tend to outlast the reds when I store them in my basement, but the reds are super easy to peel.

My mother, on the other hand, simply buys heads of garlic at the supermarket and randomly stick cloves in the ground. She's been successful in harvesting a good crop this way. I guess that's the beauty of garlic--as long as you plant it in the right conditions at the right time and keep it sufficiently watered but not over-watered, it's super easy to grow. Other than pulling the scapes, the plants really don't need much attention.

Unless you're looking for specific varieties, keep an eye out for fresh heads of garlic at local farm stands (preferably stuff they've grown themselves as I know stands around here often have bowls of store bought stuff on hand), ask what variety it is, buy a bunch, and stick some cloves in the ground at whatever time is recommended for your area.