Preserving garlic in jars

We all now that one person who grows too much garlic? I’m not yet, but I plan to be. That said, I’m definitely one of those that eats a lot of garlic and in any number of ways. If you do grow a lot of garlic, there is a way you can preserve it if you can’t or don’t want to freeze dry it. I think for longevity though, freeze drying would be most beneficial but this post is not about that.

This post is about ensuring you can save the garlic you’ve grown with the methods most easy for you. Preserving it in jars ensures you can use your own freshly grown garlic throughout the year.

You will need:

• 1kg of garlic
• 500ml white wine vinegar
• 2tbps salt
• jars

1. The first step is to skin all the garlic. The easiest way to do this is to break the garlic head into individual cloves, and then place the whole thing into a large bowl. Place a second bowl (the same size) upside down over the top, and then shake the heck out of it for a minute.
2. The papery skins will loosen and fall off some of the cloves, and it will be a lot easier to remove the remainder of the skins. Peel all the cloves.
3. Boil a saucepan of water, and then blanch the peeled garlic for a minute, before running the cloves under cold water, and allowing them to drain. This stops the garlic going a spectacular turquoise blue colour (which is harmless but unattractive).
4. Stuff the cloves into some sterilized jars.
5. Heat the vinegar and salt together, and then pour over the garlic. Seal the jars while the filling is still hot.
6. The garlic will be ready in about a month. Just take them out of the jar and use in cooking in the same way you would use fresh garlic.

So there you have it, a sure fire easy way to preserve all that beautiful garlic from your garden.

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