This simple recipe for preserved garlic in oil is very much a French tradition an extremely useful thing to have around the kitchen for making all sorts of dishes and that's what I love about it is being able to use the Oil and The Garlic all at once. It makes a great gift for Yule ,Christmas, Winter Solstice too, perfect for those Yule hampers.
For me Harvesting A years worth of Garlic, I had to discover a way of preserving it.. I was taught to Traditionally Plant Garlic at Winter Solstice and harvest at Summer Solstice, simple Magic right their, from The Shortest Day to The Longest .. I planted mine at Samhain, All hallowed eve, and harvested an abundance at Summer Solstice..
Then it was a case of drying it out, traditionally it is bunched and dried in the eves beside the front door..
Garlic Superstitions and Garlic Folklore
Dreaming about having garlic in your house will supposedly bring you good luck (hopefully actually having garlic in your house is even luckier). Dreaming about eating garlic means that you will uncover a hidden secret or two.
Garlic braids over your doors bring good luck while repelling thieves and envious people (random modern mismatch of old beliefs)
Hanging garlic in a room can protect newborns from evil spirits (Greek folklore).
Garlic will rid you of bloodsucking vampires, devils, werewolves and the 'evil eye' (European folklore).
I dried ours out beside the front door, wove together some simple magic, as I loosely platted it, and allowed it to run its course... The first week the house was infused with Garlic as all the oils were drawn into the Bulbs.. Hanging it by the front door felt good, and knowing it was planted during the darkest part of the year and harvested at the lightest is a part of that Magic!!
Around two weeks of drying, it was now all about how to preserve a years worth of Garlic..
Having Generations of Wisdom around me, I was taught This simple recipe for preserved garlic in oil an extremely useful thing to have around the kitchen for making all sorts of dishes. So here is how...
I am cooking the garlic first, cooling it and then adding it to the oil. It isn’t just chucked in there raw.
There is very little to this recipe, all you need is garlic, olive oil, pepper corns, pickling spice mix and sea salt. The cooking part takes approximately 2 minutes, you are just going to put the garlic cloves (peeled but whole) in water and boil for 2 minutes. Then it is just a case of letting the garlic cool completely then packing it into sterilised jars and adding your spices.
Pop on the lid and set aside in a cool cupboard for 2 months (make it now for Christmas gifting) to allow everything to come together flavour wise.
This preserved garlic in oil is easy to use, just mash the cloves and stir into mashed potatoes, slice and use in any cooking that requires garlic, slice for salads and of course use that oil for everything from salad dressings to cooking
Instructions
Peel the garlic cloves and boil in salted water for 2 mins
Remove from water, dry on kitchen paper and set aside to cool
Sterilise small jars and fill with the garlic and add the oil and the spices
Seal the jars and store in a dark place for 2 months before using
The garlic will be crisp for 3 months then soften
Use on salads, mashed potatoes, soup, pasta etc
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