As I understand,there may be some issues with garlic stored in oil and botulism.
I find garlic keeps at room temp in a paper bag or a mesh bag...
Linda c

Freeze them in tin foil!!!

Freezing works for me, too....

I asked the produce manager at a local grocery one time what those jars of garlic were stored in, he said just plain water.

I keep a small jar in my fridge, I peel the garlic and store it in water. I don't buy a large amount at a time, but found they stay fresh for quite awhile.

Storing garlic in oil is a huge no-no. As stated above, it creates the perfect climate for bottulism growth. When you buy jars of farlic in oil, it has a commercial anti-bacertial agent added that isn't available to the home cook.

How many did you buy? How long will it take you to use them? Stored in a cool, dry place, garlic keeps quite well for quite a while. I keep mine in a terra cotta garlic crock. Okay, so it's not really one of those pricey garlic crocks from an expensive cookware store--I just use a terra cotta flower pot, turned upside down over a terra cotta saucer. But my garlic keeps well for weeks that way.

I freeze the cloves, too!

It's best to store them in braids with the leaves/stems attached and in a cool, dry place. I store them in a hanging wire basket, but I go through them very quickly.

Lars

"In the past I had broken them apart and put them into an airtight jar and covered them in olive oil and stored in the fridge."

NO NO NO NO NO!

You run the risk of botulism!

OK, I see others have already clued you in on that. Good.

I should read the entire thread before I start to reply. :-)

What Lars said !

If they start growing, buy new ones.
LOU

thanks for all the responses...I must say that I had that garlic in a jar with olive oil for a good long time stored in the fridge, and it never went rancid??? oh well, God was looking out for me then...

I will just keep it at room temp maybe in a cupboard, I also like the terra cotta pot idea, it's now in the mesh little sack with a twistie tie....I have also stored in Fridge in the past, but they seem to almost always sprout quicker. We go through it at record speed..I'll try room temp (we keep our house cool) almost always low 70's year round....

re: the minced garlic from the store...I heard once that it was preserved with fermaldahide or something similiar...I used to use it all the time, and stopped. it did always seem to have a strong chemical taste, nothing even close to the real deal...it's more effort but well worth it, I'm a BIG garlic fan...I think I need to start growing some

I never run out of garlic storing in the terracotta jug. I haven't seen one of these for umpteen years but the flower pot is a great idea. You could store quite a bit in a flower pot. Mine occasionally dries out but this only happens when I've bought them out of season.

Rancidity isn't the issue. Botulism can't be detected by taste or smell, so you won't know until after consumption if there's a problem.

It used to be two weeks was the limit for garlic stored in oil and even then only refrigerated, not at room temp. Now they've ratcheted the recommended time down to fewer than 10 days.

Realistically, for safety it's best to infuse garlic in oil shortly before using and then discard what's or keep in the refrigerator for under a week.

Carol

My dearly departed mother always stored her garlic in a certain ceramic garlic pot for as long as I can remember. It is in my Dad's kitchen still today (he's 93 1/2yrs young)(he insists on saying 93 1/2 that it really makes a difference at his age) and he uses lots of garlic and cooks every day. The garlic jar was shaped like garlic with a Mr. Garlic stinky look face and a clothespin pinching the nose of Mr. Garlic. I apologize for digressing, but this is a fond, life long memory of mine.

I store my garlic in a ceramic jar shaped like a garlic, just like Mom. My daughter has such a jar, also. I use enough garlic that one or two heads of garlic at a time stays fresh very nicely. Three generations of garlic storage satisfaction. Who can argue with success?

Great story, Twinkle! And garlic must add to longevity!

Here is a good website on storing Garlic....http://www.garlic-central.com/storing.html

Today I bought a large jar of Christopher Ranch peeled garlic cloves at Costco. I like the convenience but was concerned that many of the peeled cloves come from China. Since Christopher Ranch is in Calif I figured I was okay. I can freeze these cloves in small quantities, can't I? They're refrigerated, but I won't possibly use this many in a short time.

80% of our garlic is now grown in China. I was fortunate to find a local family-owned farm that grows garlic :)

Has anyone here ever grown garlic themselves? I'm going to explore the garden forum and see if it's doable in GA!! That would be next to heaven to be able to get my own fresh when I want it. That and basil and other herbs!!! I love my garden and I love growing things, I've just got to adjust to this weather here (originally from sunny San Diego, where you could just throw a seed or a plant in the ground, water it and go pick it's harvest, no worries about heat, bugs, molds, fungus, etc etc)....ahhhh I miss San Diego.....BUT I'm determined to figure out gardening here and conquer!!!!!

I am in Zone 7 in Alabama and I grow garlic year round.

Can I freeze the individual peeled cloves?

Garlic is very easy to grow! I would check the Allium forum in the Garden forums on this site. I am in MT, so garlic is done differently than in GA. I store the harvest in a root cellar or unheated room. These are unpeeled, and still in braids.

If you grow your own you can use the green garlic [looks sort of like a green onion] same as the cloves. If you want to try green garlic, this fall plant whole heads of garlic about 3-4 inches deep [anywhere, even in your flower area] and next Spring you'll get several stalks coming up in a bunch [as many plants as there was cloves]. As you need them, dig down beside the bunch and pull the plants away and recover hole with soil.

Green garlic tastes the same as regular garlic cloves, just milder. You folks in the milder areas should have it ready for harvest this winter. You'll never regret growing green garlic. Soft neck [like at the store] or hard neck will work.

Here is a good website on growing "GARLIC" http://www.garlicfarm.ca/growing-garlic.htm

My MIL freezes the redi-peeled cloves (purchased at Costco) and they seem to perform as garlic should. Well enough that I'm thinking of getting some to keep on hand for garlic emergencies.

No matter what I do to my garlic it sprouts so I just tend to keep a couple of heads out on the counter and use as needed. The garlic keeper just seemed to make it sprout fatser (though my mother would always just plant it & use the green shoots...very nice in salad dressings).

I think that the already chopped garlic tastes funny so I stick with buying the bulbs.

Nina