Dere fellow ronket scientists

[Bill]

I have a GOB of garlic in my garden that is just starting to make the curly little thingy at the top.

WAAAAY too much for eating fresh.

Does anyone know how to dry them into garlic flakes / make garlic powder? I estimate that I have well over 100 pounds of garlic out there and I can't possibly replant it all (no space) or eat it all (I work around other humans) or even sell it all (I refuse to let gourment garlic go for Calif. white prices ... and my neighbors probably aren't willing to pay gourmet prices for organic, boutique, garlic) before it starts to re-sprout or otherwise go to waste.

I have a hunch that making flakes involves peeling and dicing fresh garlic and then drying it on pastry parchment and that powder simply means passing the dried flakes through the blender. But I want to hear from those who have done this and reap the benefit of their experience if I can.

Does anyone know if there is a market for gourmet garlic prepared this way?

Sign me, "Too much garlic and trying to make a buck here Bill"

[simy1]

for personal consumption, you can freeze the scapes and eat them throughout the year.

[Bill]

Thanks ... that's useful information for a guy who has never eaten them before and now is facing the probability of having a LOT of them to eat! :-)

I just wish all my problems were so simple!

Now ... does anyone have a clue to drying and powdering this stuff?

[aj]

Hello I bought some garlic from a Greek couple. I suppose I would call them pickled (the garlic, not the Greek couple). The cloves were left whole, uncooked, and I think they were in a mixture of vinegar, lemon juice and a few chillies. They keep for ages, and I reckon they taste better than the dried garlic.

They had them in a big tub, and spooned out what I wanted, but you could put them into jars. Might sell better than powder. They're good whole, with salad, hummus etc. I've also sliced them for pasta sauce. Lovely.

(I've also had pickled, smoked garlic. That was great, but of course, you would need access to a smoker.)

Just an Idea AJ, England.

[Dan Mazerolle]

I dried several pounds last year. Cut the cloves 1/4" thick and the peels will fall off. Place them in a dehydrator until dry (12-18 hrs). Let them cool and pulverize in a blender.

The method produces a fine powder which is not bad in stews and sauces but I much prefer it fresh. I think that I will try pickling any excess this year.

[simy1]

You are welcome. I did understand you have more than you can possibly eat in one year, but they are good so why waste them. And dried is never as good as fresh-frozen, specially for scapes. They are best minced in the blender with olive oil and used instead of butter on potatoes, bt they will go well (also minced) in most stews, soups, or meat marinades. They are good on good bread and goat cheese, they are good in summer tomato chowders, they are good for sauteeing fish, they are good for sauteeing mushrooms... need I continue?

[Ray Drouillard]

Eat 'em all! It'll keep the mosquitoes off of you.

Anyhow, you don't have to do anything special to preserve them. They'll keep much the same way onions keep. If you have a root cellar, you should be able to keep them until spring -- after which they will start to grow.

Ray