How to dry garlic

Methods of drying garlic

There are many simple home methods through which garlic fruits can be dried, including the following:

Drying garlic under the sun

Fresh garlic bulbs can be dried after harvesting in the sun in a natural way by following the following steps:^[XNUMX]

• Garlic fruits are harvested after they have grown for 6-8 months, and when their lower leaves dry and begin to wither, using a shovel to dig around the base of the plant and pull it from the ground and harvest it quietly and gently, then remove the dirt and soil stuck around the garlic cloves.
• Get rid of dirt and large blocks of dirt without washing the garlic fruits with water, and trim the roots well using scissors, while leaving the largest possible number of leaves around the stems, and not pruning them with scissors unless they wilt and change their color from green to pale brown.
• Determine a warm, dry and suitable place for drying garlic, such as choosing the front area of ​​the house or near it, provided that the place is exposed to direct sunlight, which is approximately 24-27 degrees Celsius. To ensure it dries quickly, you can also choose the upper areas, rooftops, and boiler rooms, which are a good option for drying as long as they are stable in terms of the temperatures mentioned before, and their temperature does not exceed 32 degrees Celsius. Because this will cause the fruits to rot or new stems to appear. It should be noted that the garlic fruits can be dried in a cold place, but this will last a longer period.
• Garlic bulbs are hung vertically, and they can be left on the surface of the table, as the method of drying them, whether vertical or horizontal, is not important as long as the fruits are placed flat so that the head of garlic is hanging on the edge of the table. A group of 3-5 garlic bulbs can also be wrapped and hung on Hook or plant cage and store vertically.
• Monitor the garlic while it is drying, by leaving it for 10-14 days, not tampering with it, and check it after 10 days if the peel is brittle and the cloves are hard.

Drying garlic into powder

Garlic powder is characterized by its delicious flavor, which gives the food recipes in which it is included a distinctive and different taste. It can be prepared at home instead of buying it from stores, through the following method:^[XNUMX]

• The bulb-shaped heads of garlic are separated from each other, the peel is removed from them, and the cloves are separated separately. You can also use a small number of garlic bulbs or more with them as desired.
• Cut the peeled garlic cloves into thin slices.
• Place the cut slices in a food dehydrator in a single layer. You can also use an oven if a dehydrator is not available, by placing the slices on an oven tray and running it at a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius, and monitoring it until the slices dry and you can easily crush and break them up with your fingers.
• Leave the garlic slices to cool when completely dry, then grind them using a coffee or spice grinder, electric blender, or manual mortar. Until it is completely broken down and the desired consistency is obtained.
• The resulting garlic powder is stored in an airtight container, such as a glass jar, or an empty, clean spice container, then placed in a cool, dry place, where it will last for a few years, especially when frozen.

The correct way to store garlic

There are some things that must be taken into consideration when wanting to store garlic of all kinds, whether fresh or purchased from the market. Correct storage preserves the therapeutic properties of garlic and prevents it from rotting and spoiling. Among these things are the following:^[XNUMX]

• Wet types of garlic that are not completely dry, and seasonal ones that are freshly harvested and not completely ripe, are stored in the refrigerator and used within a week or more of storage. It should be noted that this garlic has a distinctive taste that may differ from dried garlic, in addition to its ease of digestion compared to the first.
• Local garlic must be dried before storing it. To preserve it for a longer period, this is done by the methods mentioned before, where it can then be stored in exposed items, such as a wire mesh basket placed inside the cupboard, or by placing its dried heads under a small upside-down clay pot, or inside a paper bag, or an empty and clean egg carton, and do not forget the necessity of checking. From the presence of air around it and a little light to prevent its growth or damage due to moisture.

Health benefits of garlic

There are many health benefits of garlic that were discovered after conducting many experiments and research on many people, including the following:^[XNUMX]

• Garlic cloves contain an abundant amount of compounds with medicinal properties that are beneficial to the body, most notably sulfur, which is extracted from crushed cloves, and the compound allicin, as these compounds enter the digestive system and are transported to various parts of the body after absorption to perform biological actions that enhance its health. .
• Garlic contains many beneficial elements such as: potassium, calcium, manganese, and a small number of calories, in addition to vitamins C, B6, and other valuable elements that the body needs.
• Reducing the incidence of colds by 62% compared to some other medications and prescriptions. In the event of infection, garlic helps to recover from it quickly.
• Reducing blood pressure for those suffering from high blood pressure diseases, preventing heart and blood vessel diseases, such as heart attacks and fatal strokes, in addition to improving the level of cholesterol in the blood, the accumulation of which may cause the previously mentioned heart diseases.

What is garlic

Garlic belongs to the family of flowering plants, which includes several different types, including: garlic, leeks, green onions, white and purple onions, small Chinese onions, and other types. On the other hand, garlic is famous for its strong and pungent smell, and is used as a type of spice that gives... Food has a distinctive and delicious flavor that is preferred by many, although there is another group that does not like it very much. Throughout history, garlic has been used as a therapeutic ingredient and a valuable and effective medicine to treat many different diseases, whether the garlic is fresh, cooked, or dried.^[XNUMX]