Quote:
Originally Posted by TomNJ
I peel and chop the garlic and put it into one-quart freezer bags, press it flat to about 1/4" thick, zip and freeze. To use you just break off the amount you need (breaks easily) and re-zip the bag. The texture is softened and the flavor slightly less sharp, but just use more. The softer texture makes it ideal for mixing in sour cream to make a great chip dip!
I freeze at least a hundred bulbs each year and average about six bulbs per bag. Peeling is much easier by shaking about 50 cloves at a time vigorously for 30 seconds inside two large metal bowls, one inverted over the other. Knocks off over 80% of the skins and loosens the rest. Bruising is not important since they will be chopped.
Regarding wrappers, commercial growers need more layers, usually 5 or 6, as they lose some in handling, shipping, and displaying. It is their harvest practices that are most often quoted on the Internet. Home growers only need 2 or 3 wrapper layers for good storage, so three mostly green leaves works for most varieties I've tried.
TomNJVA
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TomNJ, I really appreciate the information in this post. As I've posted elsewhere I'm growing garlic for the first time this season - about 30 starts were given to me last year of an unknown variety that has been growing and reseeding itself on a Missouri farm here since sometime in the 1800's. About half the leaves are yellow now, so I'll be digging the bulbs up before long.
I'm going to put aside and dry the cloves I'll use for replanting in October, but I'm certainly going to chop, bag, and freeze the garlic we're going to eat according to your method. That sounds REAL handy - thanks!