We’ve all experienced buying a head of garlic, and sooner or later those little sprouts pop out and we need to use it up as quickly as we can. Or perhaps you’re lucky enough to grow it yourself, or simply find yourself with entirely too much garlic on your hands from a deal at the farmer’s market or a Costco bag of organic garlic that was too good to pass up.
Well, I’m actually a believer that there’s no such thing as “too much garlic”, because there’s always a way to use it up, if it’s turning too quickly for adding fresh to dishes.
Garlic is such an awesome flavor to use in cooking, but it’s also highly medicinal, so it’s great to preserve and use up as much as you can, because you’ll essentially never run out of uses for it! Here are some of my favorite ways to preserve it:
In Honey
I wrote an article awhile back about how to make garlic-infused honey, and this still tops my list of not only best and easiest home remedies for a cold, but also one of the easiest and coolest ways to preserve garlic. You can check out that article for directions on how to make this wonder remedy, but the basic idea is that you preserve garlic cloves in honey, which makes it not only easy to consume garlic if you feel a cold coming on, but also blends the amazing healing power of these two great superfoods-raw honey and garlic-together.
Garlic Infused Olive Oil
This is a very simple way to preserve garlic, and very gourmet as well! Simply pack your freshly peeled garlic cloves in a jar and cover in oil. Cover with the lid and keep in a cool, dry place. You will probably want to wait a week or so before using the oil and/or the cloves inside, so that the oil can get nicely infused. This will keep garlic for at least a year, especially in a cool, dark cellar or pantry. Make in some fancy bottles for a wonderful gift, too!
Garlic Powder
Another very easy and handy way to preserve garlic is to make your own garlic powder. You can throw this in all kinds of dishes, or even blend with some raw honey if you can’t wait to infuse it. All you do is simply dehydrate your freshly peeled garlic according to your dehydrator’s directions (you can also mince it to dehydrate faster, but this requires more work), then run through a blender or food processor to make the powder. This is another excellent option for gifts, for your homestead farmer’s market stand (if you’ve got enough!), or to keep the delicious flavor of garlic on hand in your kitchen year-round.
In Pesto
If you’ve also got entirely too much basil on hand, you can kill two birds with one stone and make lots of pesto with your garlic and basil. All you really need is salt, olive oil, and of course your basil and garlic; you can add in pine nuts or cheese each time you use the pesto.
Simply make a large batch of pesto by putting the ingredients togeter in a food processor until you have a nice smooth paste. At this point, you can pack into ice cube trays and freeze, then store in zip lock bags in the freezer, or you can pack into jars and cover with more olive oil, and store in the refrigerator or freezer this way.
However, there’s an even simpler way, if you’ve got the right equipment. You may have seen this floating around Pinterest, but some blender blades will actually attach to a pint-sized mason jar so you can quickly and easily blend anything up in the jar it’s stored in. This is a great option for bulk smoothie prep, and it works for pesto too.
Simply back your ingredients into several pint-sized jars, store in the fridge or freezer, and each time you want to make a small batch of pesto, pop that jar on your blender lid (you’ll definitely want to make sure it fits before preparing these jars) and you’ve got fresh pesto ready for pizza night! How cool is that? This is definitely one of my favorite ways to keep garlic stored and ready to use.
Roasted Garlic Butter
Now, this is probably the most decadent way to preserve butter on this list, but man, you certainly won’t regret it. Roasted garlic butter is for sure a gourmet delicacy, and it’s a breeze to make at home. If you have a cow and make your own butter, this is a wonderful idea for something to sell, and once your customers taste it, they’re sure to come back for more.
Simply roast your garlic heads in the oven, then mash the soft cloves into a paste, and run through a blender or food processor with softened butter, salt, and any herbs you like (optional). Throw this on some freshly baked bread, biscuits, or toss into anything you’re cooking, and you’ve got a wonderfully delicious, garlic-rich addition to any meal.
Garlic is one of the best plants around. It’s medicinal, delicious, and, as we can see here, really fun and easy to preserve! Don’t shy away from buying lots of garlic next time you see a good deal and try any one of these fun recipes. You’re sure to be hooked!
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