Cosmo Spring Garden 2022

[Branching Out]

Out of the food processor and dehydrator and into the freezer:

View attachment 53889
First time for doing this but we just had so many that it seemed like it was worth a try.

Looking good there!

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

Out of the food processor and dehydrator and into the freezer:

View attachment 53889
First time for doing this but we just had so many that it seemed like it was worth a try.

It is so handy for so many things. I sprinkle some on popcorn, eggs, salads, ect.

 

[flowerbug]

May I please inquire as to how much apple cider vinegar one would use? Just a splash?? And does the acid environment cause the minced garlic to change colour? I read that the garlic can turn blue or green, which would not be my personal preference. I would like to be able to freeze minced garlic in small glass canning jars perhaps. (Next summer I am hoping to make garlic powder when I can put the garlic in the dehydrator outdoors-- but I don't want to try that now, indoors, lest the whole house begin to smell of garlic).

i just use enough to make sure it is enough but not floating. note, this is for freezing and is not canning or pressure canning. it will also likely keep a while in the refridgerator but i don't normally keep this in the fridge.

i use lemon juice almost all the time. once in a great while lime juice. i haven't really done apple cider vinegar for freezing, i usually instead use ACV when i'm making pickled things or relishes and the amount varies by recipe.

it isn't pickled for freezing, it isn't even heated up or cooked, i just grind it up and then dowse it with juice and mix it a bit and then put it in small jars. i wipe the rim of the jar, warm up the lid and then put a ring on and tighten it down. i don't overfill because things expand when freezing so some space is needed to allow them to expand.

i use pretty small jars (half a cup) which is about the smallest amount we use for recipes. i don't worry about adding too much (we love garlic and onions and eat a lot of them in many things we cook). i like the suggestions i've seen of using a separator of some kind (wax paper or perhaps a cut up lid from yogurt or something).

 

[flowerbug]

... Whole cloves sounds even easier though, and I have a lot of singles floating around that were left over from when I planted a couple of weeks ago. I will give that a try for sure. Thank you!

whole cloves i leave alone as much as possible until i need them. once peeled they can be refridgerated but they may start growing roots (no problem since you can just cut that off). my garlic that i have in storage here doesn't usually start seriously sprouting until Jan-Feb and at that time if there's much left i'll peel, grind, give it a shot of juice and then freeze it.

 

[Branching Out]

whole cloves i leave alone as much as possible until i need them. once peeled they can be refridgerated but they may start growing roots (no problem since you can just cut that off). my garlic that i have in storage here doesn't usually start seriously sprouting until Jan-Feb and at that time if there's much left i'll peel, grind, give it a shot of juice and then freeze it.

Well you are all an inspirational bunch. I acted on a couple of the suggestions yesterday, thinly slicing most of the cloves and placing them on a tray in the oven on the 'proofing' setting, which about 100F. I was a bit concerned that the aroma was going to force the family outdoors, but it turns out that everyone thought it 'smelled good'-- and they taste pretty good too! It has been almost 24 hours, and the slices are getting nice and dry. They may be more like lightly toasted garlic, and that is okay with me. Will likely have to invest in a good quality dehydrator next spring, to make this process more efficient.
All of the smallest cloves were frozen whole on a tray, and then popped into a small glass canning jar. It will be so easy to add them to braised dishes or stews. And like Flowerbug I will revisit the remaining garlic in the coming months, to catch the rest of it before it sprouts or dries out. Will try grinding the next batch, and freezing it with lemon juice; very curious to see how it tastes after being frozen with juice. I am entering year 3 of an experiment growing different garlic cultivars, and in order to see which ones store the best for me I have to keep one bulb of each for observing how and when they deteriorate.

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

I made and canned grapefruit honey marmalade using the recipe from pomonas pectin. It looks beautiful and has set nicely. I'm curious to see what it tastes like. I had grapefruits wr purchased from a school fundraiser and I needed to use them up.

 

[baymule]

Grapefruit marmalade! That sounds yummy!

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

Grapefruit marmalade! That sounds yummy!

Maybe it needs to sit for awhile because the small amount I had in the fridge tastes like grapefruit jello with lumpy stuff. I'll try it again in a week or two. It looks beautiful tho.

 

[ducks4you]

Ya know, I have found that simple grape jelly is better if it sits in the pantry for a month, so why not?

 

[baymule]

I tried lemon marmalade one time. Failure. I’m stuck buying orange marmalade.