It’s late winter and your garlic bulbs are starting to shrivel and not look quite their best. Even though you stored in a cool dark place, they will only last so long. Here are a few ways to prolong their life and enjoy garlic until next year’s harvest.

  1. Dehydrate

Peel and wash garlic, then slice into chips or mince in food processor. Dry on low heat in your oven or food dehydrater. It is important that the garlic chips are completely dry before you store them. They will crack and break when folded when they are completely dry. Either reconstitute by adding to your favorite dish or grind up into garlic powder.

2. Freeze

Peel and wash garlic, then mince in food processor. Place on parchment paper or in a resealable freezer bag, roll flat, close and freeze flat. When you need fresh garlic, just break off the amount you need .. easy peasy!

3. Toum

Toum, or Lebanese Garlic Sauce is bold, creamy, garlicky and good on darn near anything.  This little gem has quickly became a staple in our fridge.  It only requires four ingredients. 

  • 1 cup peeled garlic cloves (we use 2 cups because we love garlic)

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 2 cups neutral oil such as avocado or grapeseed

  • ½ cup lemon juice

Slice the garlic cloves in half lengthwise and remove the germ (the greenish center sprout).  Put the cloves into a food processor and add salt. Process for a minute until the garlic is finely minced, scrape down the sides of the processor.

With the processor running, in a thin stream slowly pour one to two tablespoons of oil, then stop and scrape down the bowl. Continue adding another tablespoon or two until the garlic starts looking creamy.

With processor running, continue slowly pouring the oil in a thin stream, alternating with the ½ cup of lemon juice until all the oil and lemon juice are incorporated. This will take a good 15 minutes to complete.

Put in whatever size of glass jars you like and refrigerate for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

4. Spring Garlic

Plant it! Any garlic that still looks viable can be planted in the spring, harvested in the fall. They will be a little smaller than garlic planted the previous fall, the up side is they store longer.

  Fertilizing Garlic

Remember to fertilize garlic after you plant in the fall. We are often asked to recommend a good garlic fertilizer … our “go to” is Frankia Fertilizers. They are local, very knowledgeable, love what they do and an absolute treat to deal with! We sell their products here on the farm.

“Frankia Fertilizers manufactures and distributes organic fertilizer and soil amendment products for building soil health and growing healthy plants. They are based in Grand Forks, BC on a rural farm property that has been organically managed for over thirty years, most of those years operating as a certified organic farm.”