Is it possible to freeze garlic in the freezer for the winter
A good harvest of garlic is a huge joy for the 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 used in the process of salting vegetables and preparing many dishes. The problem of storage has always faced the hostesses, because closer to winter, the heads begin to dry, deteriorate, and rot. The fruits of this plant are almost never kept fresh until the next summer.
To preserve the harvest, experienced housewives use the freezing method. I don't necessarily freeze the whole 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 with cloves and heads, because after defrosting, the garlic turns into gruel and loses all its taste. The best option is to mix the spice with herbs, aromatic vegetable oil and herbs.
Applying frozen garlic
All the world's cuisines use garlic as a spice. Especially relevant garlic in chinese and Mediterranean cuisines. Both arrows and plant bulbs 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 due 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 destructive microorganisms.
Garlic arrows are popular with gourmets: they set off the taste of various salads, vinaigrettes, sauces, snacks and sandwiches.
Frozen garlic is used to create first courses, sauces, as a spice. During the roasting process, the clove gives off the same flavor 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. It is necessary to be familiar with the peculiarities of such harvesting of vegetables for the winter before freezing the entire crop or part of it at home.
The advantages of the method:
- preservation of antibacterial properties;
- preservation of the vitamin composition;
- increased shelf life;
- instant readiness for use.
Disadvantages of the method:
- slight loss of aroma;
- less pronounced taste compared to fresh cloves;
- loss of appearance after thawing.
These advantages and disadvantages easily compensate for each other. Each housewife must independently determine the appropriateness of freezing garlic cloves. Alternatively, a preparation method such as drying or pickling can be selected.
Freezing methods
Garlic is harvested as follows:
- Entirely. For this type of freezing, it is customary to use uncleaned heads. The option is used quite rarely, because when defrosting, the shape of the clove will be lost, cleaning will become impossible. If, nevertheless, a decision is made on this method of freezing, the heads must be folded into bags and put into the freezer.
- Slices, previously cleaned. Once removed from the freezer, this garlic does not need peeling and is ready to use as a seasoning.
- Ground mass. This option is considered the most optimal. To preserve the spice, you need to grind the garlic and place in containers. Small bags with clips are also suitable, where you can fold one portion of the blank. If a container is used, 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 workpiece. The gruel-like mass formed during thawing cannot be re-frozen.
How to freeze garlic
To freeze fragrant 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. They should be free of rot and dark spots.
- Clean the cloves, rinse and dry well with paper towels.
- Cut into small slices. Possible option with the addition of dill, basil or parsley.
- Arrange the cut slices in pre-prepared plastic bags or plastic containers. When packing, you should leave a little space, because the garlic will slightly increase in volume during the freezing process.
- Consider the fact that re-freezing of garlic is not possible, therefore it is better to use a small package.
- Stick the freeze date tags on bags or containers.
- Align the bags with the material prepared for freezing. After that, it will be more convenient to use the spice frozen. It is necessary to shape the bag to be frozen.
- Place in the freezer on a tray or baking sheet. The smoother the sachets, the better.
- Transfer to any other container after freezing, if this makes the process of using the 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 get worse, and the aroma may disappear altogether.
Freeze Garlic Arrows
Gourmets resort to freezing not only cloves, but also arrows. Whether it is possible to freeze such garlic for the winter in the freezer, gardeners often do not know. Fragrant greens will complement the flavors of dishes and bring variety to the diet. The thawed garlic mass can be used to flavor hot dishes.
Before preparing the greens, they should be washed in cold water and dried, and then cut into small strips with a knife: the length of each should be 4 - 5 centimeters. At the first stage, the boom blanks must be boiled for 5 minutes, after which the process is stopped by moving the herbs into a bowl with cold water.
After blanching, the arrows are packed in individual bags and frozen. If desired, you can grind the material even more: after thawing, the result will be a garlic paste.
Wow, this method is new for me, I always kept the garlic in its entirety, or just in the refrigerator, or in the cellar, but it still partially deteriorated, and freezing is clearly an ideal option.