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Oklahoma Gardening

Preserving or Pickling Garlic

scarlettfourseasonsrv

13 years ago

I've been stingily dipping into my harvested garlic for a few cooking treats, because I wanted to save most of it for replanting.

But the other day I was thinking about the medicinal effects of garlic and starting browsing this link I'd saved. You know how one thing leads to another..so the next thing was, I found myself peeling a couple nice bulbs of garlic and using the refrigerator method of pickling them.

Just raw apple cider vinegar to cover and a little sea salt. Give it a shake, bottle and cap it and it's done.

Nice!

Now I may have to buy some silverskins at the store and do a couple quarts in order to start "aging" it. Since apparently the longer it's pickled the more "some" of the medicinal effects take place.

Another type of preservation I will need to try is dehydration, which it says this method preserves all the allicin component of the garlic.

I need this! I've had two sinus infections this year, and two rounds of antibiotics. After the recent rains I could feel another one coming on. So, this time I mashed up a fresh big garlic clove and let it set for 15 min to develop the medicinal allicin. Then I spread all of it on a piece of fritatta and ate the whold thing.

My lips and mouth began to burn and I thought, "oh no, this is going to set my stomach on fire too!"..But it didn't! What did happen next was my sinuses opened up, and cleared.

Then last night I just popped a small whole one like you would a vitamin capsule. Today, no sign of infection or sinus congestion. Oh blessed relief! I've suffered with these things for years.

This could get to be a habit. I'm only going to do this at night when I don't have to "waft" on anyone if I have company or go shopping. Good thing I'm single or I couldn't get away with this, LOL!

Barbara

Here is a link that might be useful: Preserving & Pickling Garlic

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Comments (2)

elkwc
13 years ago
Barbara,
There are many benefits of eating garlic and also onions, shallots, ect. A few weeks ago I when I was giving away some of the onions I thinned out as green onions my aunts were talking. They said when growing up they always had onions(either fresh of dried) with at least one and usually two meals a day. Said they thought everyone quit eating them because of the breath they leave. But said for the conditions they grew up in they remember the whole family being healthier and going to the doctor less than many of us do now. I also have severe sinus infections. And have noticed over the last year they have been better. Maybe my increased intake of garlic and onions has helped. That is a very informative site you linked too. I have used it for information for some time. Jay
scarlettfourseasonsrv
Original Author
13 years ago
Jay,
After my recent experience with the "garlic cure", I'm convinced there is something to it.

Also, now, come to think of it, my parents never grew garlic, but when we lived in the country grew a lot of veggies and ate a lot of green onions and I can never remember them or me being sick with colds or flu, or having to go to the doctor.

It's an old Okie tradition to have a plate of green onions on the supper table, and then set one,(or more), on the side of your plate with a little salt on it. Some good memories :)

I think raw works better than cooked tho for medicinal purposes.

Barbara
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Hello, Joanfreed. Last november I had the same experience. Although not in exactly the same circumstances. I had simply chopped garlic loves, put them in a small jar and poured olive-oil on top till the garlic was submerged. No previous soaking in vinegar. Yet, after roughly 48 hours, the whole lot turned in a kind of bluish green. We preferred to stay on the safe side and so, we threw it in the dustbin. I haven't a clue what was going on. The garlic was a rocambole cultivar, a leftover from planting garlic which I had ordered a few weeks earlier. I don't think there was something wrong with the garlic. I rather tend to believe there must have been a kind of reaction with acid components in the olive-oil. I also thought of a colouring which might have been caused by the green shoots which had developed in the garlic cloves. On the other hand, since then, I have prepared several batches of minced garlic in olive-oil and the phenomenon has not repeated itself. The mystery is still there.
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