Preserving the food has always been an important part of various culinary cultures all around the world. From freezing the meat for later consumption to pickling, most countries follow somewhat similar methods when it comes to storage for longer shelf life. Similarly, another common practice witnessed worldwide is storing garlic & onion bulbs in braids.
What is braiding
We must have seen our ancestors who used to do this but lost touch with the practice due to a lack of time in finding the right method. Braiding the roots of vegetables helps in keeping them fresh for longer. It is said garlic & onions can be kept fresh for around 4 to 6 months if preserved/stored properly.
Braiding does not only help to store your produce for a longer time, but it is also helpful to harvest fresh homegrown garlic throughout the year. We cannot disagree that the practice of storing garlic by braiding looks much more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes rather just throwing it in a bag & storing it.
If sustainable storage is in your mind, then here are some points that you need to be considered before braiding the garlic.
Here’s How to Braid Garlic & Preserve it for Months:
Do not pull by Stem
When harvesting garlic for the purpose of braiding, don’t pull the garlic plant by the stem. Instead, use gardening tools to gently lift up from below with some extra mud attached to it. This will ensure bulb & stem are still well connected & strong enough for storage.
Do not wash
Once out of the soil, do not make the mistake of washing or cleaning your garlic bulbs, doing this will moist the garlic, which is not an ideal condition for them to be stored for a longer period. Instead, find yourself a rack & place it away from direct sunlight and in an area with good airflow, place garlic bulbs upside down to dry for 3 to 4 weeks.
Clean only after fully dried
Now, when the garlic bulbs are fully dried, clean lightly with your hands or brush, cut off the access roots & clean the outer muddy layer.
Braiding the Garlic
After when the garlic has been cleaned & trimmed, now it’s time to braid it.
The easy way is to select 3 bulbs & place them crossing on top of each other, place the next bulb in the center aligning the stalk up the middle, and braid from left to right, it obviously helps if you have some prior braiding knowledge or someone who knows how to braid garlic.
