How do you cure your Garlic?

gssgarden · June 13, 2016

Garlic was pulled this weekend. I usually hang it in the garage for a couple weeks.

Do you guys trim the tops off? Leave them on?

Is garage to warm?

Bring inside into the pantry?

Thanks guys!!

Greg

jhp · June 13, 2016

I leave the tops on until the garlic is dried. Once dried, I trim the tops and store in the kitchen. I used to hang it in on clothes line with clothes pins in my garage to dry. Last year we were in the middle of a kitchen reno and couldnt't do that as our garage was filled with building materials so I just propped it up against a piece of fencing under the overhang of my house. If rain was expected, I covered it. This worked and my lazy side is thinking I may do that again as it was much easier than hanging it up.

Jen

kath · June 13, 2016

I keep the tops on and place them them in a shallow oblong wooden basket in a single layer and hang them up in our mini barn/shed for a couple weeks. The ventilation in there is pretty good. Then I carefully remove the rest of the soil from the roots and move them to the basement, which has a dehumidifier running constantly, and cut the tops off only when completely dried up.

kath

Worth1 · June 13, 2016

I have never had my garlic get sick.

Worth

Patihum · June 13, 2016

I think air circulation is key for well cured garlic. I've hung them out in the shop with a fan blowing before and that worked well but had a problem with the odd beasty taking a taste or two. Now I hang them in the house in the stone surround opening of the wood stove.

No they don't make the house smell like garlic! which I wouldn't care about anyhow. LOL

brownrexx · June 13, 2016

I leave the tops on until completely dry in about 2-3 weeks then I trim the tops and store the bulbs in my cool basement in wood baskets.

Dry them with plenty of air circulation and out of the sun which affect their flavor negatively (or so I have read).

jmsieglaff · June 13, 2016

Tops on, I tie 8-9 bulbs together and then tie them to cattle panel along the garage wall. They sit for about 3 weeks then get trimmed (tops and leave 1/4-1/2" roots). I keep the largest bulbs for planting cloves. I store in a paper bags in single layers on the basement floor (ranges from low 50s to low 60s). Mine keep til about April.

AlittleSalt · June 13, 2016

I do two different things for two different types of garlic. The Elephant garlic, I save for planting out and do what most if not all of you have written - except I keep them in our house (Around 74F)

The other garlic came from a feed store years ago. It grows like weeds and produces small heads of really strong garlic. The cloves are about the size of the tip of a 3-year-old child's finger...tiny. They are not easy to peel because they are so small, but they sure add a lot of garlic flavor.

On those, I cut the stem an inch or so from the head and put them in a single layer in a plastic* basket out of the sun and they dry quick - just a couple weeks. I have no clue as to how long they keep because everyone eats them too fast. * I'm sure any other type of basket would work as long as they get airflow.

Ozark · June 14, 2016

I'm real glad this question and replies were posted as I was wondering the same thing. Growing some garlic this year for the first time, and I've asked a couple of questions about it here before.

What I've got is about 3 dozen plants of hardneck garlic, variety unknown. I removed the scapes and we used some of those in stir fry and sandwiches and I pickled the rest. Best I can tell, the bulbs are close to 2" in diameter now so probably full size, and each plant has only about one leaf at the bottom that's turned brown - they still look pretty green and vigorous.

From what I've read I was going to wait until July 1 to pull these, but since NC has about the same climate as here maybe it's time now???? Thanks again for the good info posted here - now I know how to handle the garlic bulbs after I pull them.

bjbebs · June 14, 2016

I market garlic to a few chefs so the dry down process is more important to me than curing, since the crop is sold off rather quickly.

I dry outside in the shade on wire racks. The racks are held off the ground and covered loosely with cardboard and then tarped.

It's important to pull the crop during a dry period. If given the chance it is better to dig early during dry conditions rather than later when wet.

The cleaned garlic I keep for myself is cured in a basement room that stays about 65.

The garlic is planted in a couple different locations. Cloves are planted late Sept. thru mid Oct. No supplemental water or food, yet the crop produces consistently year in and year out.

Worth1 · June 14, 2016

If I would have pulled my garlic during the dry period this year it would have been ruined and starting to divide.

It was so damp I put in it the clothes drier on a rack on low and dried it out some.

Then I cut the tops off about 2 inches long brushed and trimmed the roots and was done with it.
The very most importing thing about garlic is to treat it gently and not bruise it.

guruofgardens · June 14, 2016

Wait to dig up until 1/3 to 1/2 of the plant's leaves are brown.

guruofgardens · June 14, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patihum

I think air circulation is key for well cured garlic.

No they don't make the house smell like garlic! which I wouldn't care about anyhow. LOL

I hang mine in the garage in groups of 10 and the garage DOES smell like garlic. No vampires, though.

Tormato · June 14, 2016

I wait until there are basically two leaves NOT brown. If the weather is predicted to be heavy rain, I might pull them just a bit earlier than that.

brownrexx · June 14, 2016

Speaking of "pulling" them. Do not pull them like onions but dig them to avoid injury to the heads and in dry soil you can break the stem right off by trying to pull the plant.

June 13, 2016	#1
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	How do you cure your Garlic? Garlic was pulled this weekend. I usually hang it in the garage for a couple weeks. Do you guys trim the tops off? Leave them on? Is garage to warm? Bring inside into the pantry? Thanks guys!! Greg

June 13, 2016	#2
jhp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Danbury, CT Posts: 492	I leave the tops on until the garlic is dried. Once dried, I trim the tops and store in the kitchen. I used to hang it in on clothes line with clothes pins in my garage to dry. Last year we were in the middle of a kitchen reno and couldnt't do that as our garage was filled with building materials so I just propped it up against a piece of fencing under the overhang of my house. If rain was expected, I covered it. This worked and my lazy side is thinking I may do that again as it was much easier than hanging it up. Jen Last edited by jhp; June 13, 2016 at 07:45 PM.

June 13, 2016	#3
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	I keep the tops on and place them them in a shallow oblong wooden basket in a single layer and hang them up in our mini barn/shed for a couple weeks. The ventilation in there is pretty good. Then I carefully remove the rest of the soil from the roots and move them to the basement, which has a dehumidifier running constantly, and cut the tops off only when completely dried up. kath

June 13, 2016	#4
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I have never had my garlic get sick. Worth

June 13, 2016	#5
Patihum Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Southeast Kansas Posts: 878	I think air circulation is key for well cured garlic. I've hung them out in the shop with a fan blowing before and that worked well but had a problem with the odd beasty taking a taste or two. Now I hang them in the house in the stone surround opening of the wood stove. No they don't make the house smell like garlic! which I wouldn't care about anyhow. LOL

June 13, 2016	#6
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	I leave the tops on until completely dry in about 2-3 weeks then I trim the tops and store the bulbs in my cool basement in wood baskets. Dry them with plenty of air circulation and out of the sun which affect their flavor negatively (or so I have read).

June 13, 2016	#7
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Tops on, I tie 8-9 bulbs together and then tie them to cattle panel along the garage wall. They sit for about 3 weeks then get trimmed (tops and leave 1/4-1/2" roots). I keep the largest bulbs for planting cloves. I store in a paper bags in single layers on the basement floor (ranges from low 50s to low 60s). Mine keep til about April.

June 13, 2016	#8
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I do two different things for two different types of garlic. The Elephant garlic, I save for planting out and do what most if not all of you have written - except I keep them in our house (Around 74F) The other garlic came from a feed store years ago. It grows like weeds and produces small heads of really strong garlic. The cloves are about the size of the tip of a 3-year-old child's finger...tiny. They are not easy to peel because they are so small, but they sure add a lot of garlic flavor. On those, I cut the stem an inch or so from the head and put them in a single layer in a plastic* basket out of the sun and they dry quick - just a couple weeks. I have no clue as to how long they keep because everyone eats them too fast. * I'm sure any other type of basket would work as long as they get airflow.

June 14, 2016	#9
Ozark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ozark, Mo. Posts: 201	I'm real glad this question and replies were posted as I was wondering the same thing. Growing some garlic this year for the first time, and I've asked a couple of questions about it here before. What I've got is about 3 dozen plants of hardneck garlic, variety unknown. I removed the scapes and we used some of those in stir fry and sandwiches and I pickled the rest. Best I can tell, the bulbs are close to 2" in diameter now so probably full size, and each plant has only about one leaf at the bottom that's turned brown - they still look pretty green and vigorous. From what I've read I was going to wait until July 1 to pull these, but since NC has about the same climate as here maybe it's time now???? Thanks again for the good info posted here - now I know how to handle the garlic bulbs after I pull them.

June 14, 2016	#10
bjbebs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: illinois Posts: 281	I market garlic to a few chefs so the dry down process is more important to me than curing, since the crop is sold off rather quickly. I dry outside in the shade on wire racks. The racks are held off the ground and covered loosely with cardboard and then tarped. It's important to pull the crop during a dry period. If given the chance it is better to dig early during dry conditions rather than later when wet. The cleaned garlic I keep for myself is cured in a basement room that stays about 65. The garlic is planted in a couple different locations. Cloves are planted late Sept. thru mid Oct. No supplemental water or food, yet the crop produces consistently year in and year out.

June 14, 2016	#12
guruofgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: zone 5 Colorado Posts: 942	Wait to dig up until 1/3 to 1/2 of the plant's leaves are brown.

June 14, 2016	#14
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	I wait until there are basically two leaves NOT brown. If the weather is predicted to be heavy rain, I might pull them just a bit earlier than that.