Preserved Fresh Garlic

Hi all:

As the long days of summer are winding down, it is now time to preserve all those fresh fruits and vegetables we have gathered over the past few months.

My friend Margaret, who is Polish, is very like-minded to me:  we both love to cook, try new recipes and make things from scratch. I come by those traits honestly as well, having an Austrian background. Growing up, my mother made most things from scratch, including bread and strudel; no wonder I love baked items so much!  Margaret and I can spend hours chatting all summer long about dumplings and soups and cheeses and goulashes so when she said she was going to "put up" her Russian garlic, I just had to get the scoop and try it myself.

She enlightened me a few weeks back, about the nasty garlic showing up in our supermarkets.  I had realized myself a couple of years ago, that "Gee, why is garlic so cheap right now?" I shrugged and carried on and used the garlic I had always used.  Well, Margaret schooled, that garlic is sometimes grown in very nebulous conditions, thus the low cost. She elaborated and let's just say that the growing conditions and untreated fertilizers used, would be more suited to that found in a barnyard. Aghast, I did some research and sure enough, there was enough information out there to change my garlic habits forever. Moral of the story:  use fresh, local garlic when you can and avoid the white, cheap garlic grown elsewhere, that is readily available.

Up at the cottage, where it is hot and dry, there grows an abundance of local Russian garlic (the red kind) and Margaret now preserves this garlic for future use. It is quite expensive to buy fresh (between $9.99-$12.99/ pound) but if you preserve it like this, you can ensure you have garlic all year long. No more running to the store in a panic, to pick up "that other garlic".

I tried Margaret's method for the first time and here is what I did.  I will let you know how it turns out although she swears by it and often gives it away as gifts to friends and neighbours as well.  It is quite simple really: chop the garlic, add oil, then freeze.

Smash each clove with the flat side of your knife, to remove the peel.  Be careful here!

Margaret's Preserved Garlic Method

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Fresh local garlic

Good quality olive oil

Canning jars with lids - any size (I used the smallest I could find)

I washed then sterilized 4 small Mason canning jars and lids for about 15-20 minutes. While they were boiling, I peeled and chopped 4 large heads of Russian garlic. I used 1 whole head of garlic for each small Mason jar. I chopped the garlic medium fine and added it to the sterilized jar. I then added enough olive oil to cover the garlic completely and then added the sterilized lids and rings.  Cool for several hours, then put into the freezer for future use.  I believe Margaret said it should last for about 1-2 months in the fridge, once opened.

That's it!!  So simple. I look forward to no longer running out of garlic or finding my last clove is dried out. How many times has that happened? You are sure you have garlic in the fridge, but when you reach for it, you realize it is drier than a witch's toenail!?

Let me know if anyone tries this and what you think.  I will pass on the comments to Margaret.

Happy canning,

Rosie