A good harvest of garlic is a great joy for a gardener, but not every one of them knows how to freeze garlic for the winter. Winter species can produce a fairly large number of heads, which are used in the process of pickling vegetables and preparing many dishes. Housewives have always faced the problem of storage, because closer to winter the heads begin to dry out, deteriorate, and rot. The fruits of this plant are almost never kept fresh until next summer.
To preserve the harvest, experienced housewives use the freezing method. I don't necessarily freeze the entire crop at once.For some time it can be stored in the traditional way - in the cellar or in the refrigerator, and closer to winter, when the heads begin to dry out, they will need to be frozen.
It is important that it is better not to freeze the spice in cloves and heads, since after defrosting the garlic turns into mush and loses all its taste. The best option is to mix the spice with herbs, aromatic vegetable oil and herbs.
Using frozen garlic
All cuisines in the world use garlic as a spice. Particularly relevant garlic in Chinese and Mediterranean cuisines. Both the arrows and the bulbs of the plant are used for food. They are used to prepare a wide variety of dishes: soups, marinades, vegetable stews and desserts (in some cases).
The main properties of garlic are as follows:
- enhancing the taste and aroma of the prepared dish;
- benefits for the body thanks to a set of vitamins;
- prebiotic - has the ability to increase the amount of prebiotics in the body, preventing the possibility of their destruction by harmful microorganisms.
Garlic arrows are popular among gourmets: they complement the taste of various salads, vinaigrettes, sauces, light snacks and sandwiches.
Frozen garlic is used to create first courses, sauces, and as a spice. During the roasting process, the clove gives the same aroma as fresh.
Vegetable oil perfectly absorbs the aroma of previously frozen cloves. When baking donuts, the spice from the freezer demonstrates its best qualities.
Advantages and disadvantages of freezing
Storage problems are easily solved by freezing. This method has both advantages and obvious disadvantages. You need to be familiar with the peculiarities of such preparation of vegetables for the winter before freezing the entire harvest or part of it at home.
Advantages of the method:
- preservation of antibacterial properties;
- preservation of vitamin composition;
- increasing shelf life;
- instant readiness for use.
Disadvantages of this method:
- slight loss of aroma;
- less pronounced taste compared to fresh cloves;
- loss of appearance after defrosting.
These advantages and disadvantages easily compensate for each other. Each housewife must independently determine the advisability of freezing garlic cloves. As an alternative, a preparation method such as drying or pickling can be chosen.
Freezing methods
Prepare garlic as follows:
- Entirely. For this type of freezing, it is customary to use unpeeled heads. This option is used quite rarely, because when defrosting, the shape of the clove will be lost and cleansing will become impossible. If you still decide on this method of freezing, the heads must be put in bags and put in the freezer.
- Slices, previously peeled. Once removed from the freezer, this garlic does not need to be peeled and is ready to be used as a seasoning.
- Ground mass. This option is considered the most optimal. To preserve the spice, you need to grind the garlic and put it in containers. Small bags with clips are also suitable, where you can put one portion of the workpiece. If you use a container, you will have to remove the required portion of the garlic mass using a sharp knife.
It is important that when freezing garlic in a container, you cannot completely defrost the product. The mushy mass formed during the thawing process cannot be re-frozen.
How to freeze garlic
To freeze aromatic heads for the winter, you should prepare:
- garlic;
- greenery;
- plastic bags;
- freezer;
- plastic containers;
- paper napkins or towels.
The procedure should be as follows:
- Select cloves suitable for freezing. There should be no traces of rot or dark spots on them.
- Peel the cloves, rinse and dry well with paper towels.
- Cut into small slices. It is possible to add dill, basil or parsley.
- Place the chopped slices into pre-prepared plastic bags or plastic containers. When packing, you should leave a little space because the garlic will expand slightly as it freezes.
- Take into account the fact that re-freezing garlic is impossible, so it is better to use a small package.
- Place tags on bags or containers indicating the freezing date.
- Line the bags with the material prepared for freezing. After this, it will be more convenient to use the spice frozen. It is necessary to give the frozen bag the desired shape.
- Place in the freezer on a tray or baking sheet. The smoother the bags are, the better.
- Transfer to any other container after freezing if this makes the process of using garlic more convenient.
- Start using spices for their intended purpose: as an ingredient in soups, marinades, sauces, meat dishes. Garlic can be grated or finely chopped with a knife.
You can store garlic in the freezer for six months: after this period, the taste will only become worse, and the aroma may disappear completely.
Freeze garlic arrows
Gourmets resort to freezing not only cloves, but also arrows.Gardeners often do not know whether it is possible to freeze such garlic in the freezer for the winter. Fragrant greens will complement the flavors of dishes and add variety to the diet. Thawed garlic mass can be used to flavor hot dishes.
Before preparing the greens, they should be washed in cold water and dried, then cut into small strips with a knife: each should be 4–5 centimeters long. At the first stage, the arrow blank must be boiled for 5 minutes, after which the process is stopped by moving the greens into a bowl with cold water.
After blanching, the arrows are individually packaged and frozen. If desired, you can grind the material even further: after thawing, the result will be garlic paste.
