Any good ideas for storing garlic?

Question

Soooo...I went to Sam's Club and found a great deal on garlic. I ended up with 5lbs for $3. There's no way to use 5lbs of garlic before it starts to grow without owning your own Italian resteraunt. I now have baggies and baggies of peeled garlic that is still growing in it's baggies. Can I freeze it?

Answer 1

first take sharp paring knice and remove stem from clove
next boil some h2o and drop cloves into water for 30 seconds
remove from water and shake dry
toss in olive oil and place on sheet tray
put into 300 degree over till garlic is roasted
take the roasted cloves and place in food processor and make paste
place paste in ziplock bags and freeze some then give the rest to your friends

Answer 2

I don't know about freezing. You can put it in the olive oil, with some spices, and keep it that way. Later you can use that garlic-oil for cooking, and it's delicious. Other option is to put some garlic in vinegar, I have heard for that dish - it's Iranian I think. You just put garlic in some good vinegar and leave it for some time. People say it's delicious, and you can use it for salads. If you are interested in making this, try to find some recipes on the Internet. It's easy, actually, to do it. Bon apettit!

Answer 3

Garlic long ago earned a starring role in kitchens throughout the world. Now it¿s gaining fame in medical circles for its ability to boost blood circulation, lower cholesterol, clear lung congestion, fight viruses and bacteria ¿ and even reduce the risk of stomach cancer.

Steps:
1. Begin cutting leaves as soon as they're large enough and use them the way you would chives or scallion tops. They're great in salads, soups and stir-fries. (Cut no more than 1/4 of a plant's greenery or you'll reduce the bulb's food supply and, hence, its size.)

2. Harvest bulbs when the foliage starts to wither in the fall.

3. Dig one or two bulbs as a readiness test. The cloves should be well-defined and easy to separate; if they're not, give your crop a few more days in the ground and test again.

4. Keeping the foliage intact, tie the bulbs into bundles of four or five, braiding the still-pliant green tops into ropes.

5. Hang the bundles in a spot that's warm, dry, well-ventilated and away from sunlight. Leave them there until the outer wrappers turn crisp and paper-like - usually two to three weeks.

6. Shake off any dirt, cut off roots and all but about an inch of the tops.

7. Store garlic in one of three ways: Place the bulbs, intact, in mesh bags and keep them in a cool, dry place (40 to 50 degrees F); peel and chop the cloves and put them in a sealed plastic bag in your freezer; or put whole, peeled cloves in a glass jar filled with olive oil and keep it in your refrigerator.

Tips:
When they're intact, garlic cloves are virtually odor-free. Once you've crushed or chopped them, keep them in sealed plastic bags or they'll share their aroma with everything else in the fridge.

If your hanging space is limited, you can dry garlic (with tops and roots intact) in a single layer on a screen or a sheet of paper.

If you find yourself using a lot of garlic greens, consider planting two patches: one for the tops, one for the bulbs.


Warnings:
When you're digging the bulbs, take care not to nick or bruise them; damaged garlic rots quickly in storage.

Garlic stored in oil must be kept at temperatures lower than 50 degrees F to thwart potentially lethal bacteria.


Tips from eHow Users:
Garlic in olive oil in a jar by eHow Friend
Garlic cloves should never be placed in a jar with olive oil (or any other oils) and stored in a refrigerator, as that can cause serious illness from bacteria.

Answer 4

Storing

First a word of caution: NEVER allow garlic in oil to sit at room temperature. It is a hotbed for botulism. Keep it refrigerated or frozen at all times.

Fresh garlic kept in a dry, dark, cool place will keep for a long time. Some use special containers for storing garlic. A pretty garlic keeper in your kitchen is a cheerful decorating item, but garlic can also be kept in something as simple as a brown paper bag. Just never keep your garlic in your refrigerator. It will sprout and become bitter. If you don't use that much garlic and know that the bulb will be sitting there for a long time, it is better to freeze it or store it by one of the many methods described below.

There are lots of other ways to store garlic. What some people do in order to make them last is cutting them up into thin slices and then drying them. You can get food driers at places like K-Mart or Wal-mart. The sliced garlic can be reconstituted by adding them to a pot or casserole. You may also grind the dried slices into powder. Pureeing is another good method to preserve garlic and always have fresh garlic at hand. Puree in a blender or food processor and freeze. Personally, I prefer the garlic not as a puree, but in small pieces. Using a food processor, I simply pulse until the garlic pieces are the size I want, making sure that I don't place too much garlic in the processor at a time in order to avoid too great variation in the size of the pieces or the garlic turning to mush. Some then wrap the chopped garlic in small packets of plastic and freeze them. You can also add oil to the garlic mixture, 1 part garlic to 2 parts oil, and freeze it in a container or - as I prefer - in ice cube trays. That makes it easy to pop out the garlic you need. Some microwave unpeeled cloves for about 30 seconds and freeze them in plastic wrap or a freezer bag. Some freeze whole heads and tear off cloves as needed, but personally I find that this alters the flavor too much. I prefer storing peeled garlic cloves in oil and keeping them in the freezer, as freezing raw, unprotected garlic greatly changes its flavor and texture. If you prefer to keep your garlic in the refrigerator, submerge the garlic cloves in wine instead of oil. Dr. George York, University of California at Davis has provided this method for acidifying garlic in order to make it safe: Cover peeled garlic cloves with vinegar and soak the cloves for 12 to 24 hours. Drain off the vinegar. It may be reused as garlic-flavored vinegar. Cover the garlic cloves with oil. Refrigerate the garlic/oil and use within 3 months. You may also mix pureed or minced garlic with butter (about 5-6 cloves per stick of butter), shape the mixture into a log rolled in wax paper and freeze, tightly wrapped in plastic. You can then cut off pieces as needed to enhance a steak, drop it into a soup or sauce, or use for sautéing. Just make sure that you use it before the butter goes rancid.

Answer 5

Peel and liquiefy in oster, place in bottle and keep in fridge - lasts a very long time.

Answer 6

best way is to chop and store in small zip lock packs, so that you can use as per requirement.

Answer 7

yes freeze it

Answer 8

chop and freeze