How Long Does Garlic Last? Tips For Storage..

How long does garlic last — everything you need to know:

Out of all the herbs/ vegetables you have stocked in your pantry, the most versatile staple is the one heavenly smelling bunch of cloves arranged concentrically around the stalk.

Got it right? Yes. It’s garlic.

Being related to the plant family Allium, this plant is rich in various compounds that have many health and other benefits. One vital element of garlic is Allicin, which is a compound having anti fungal and antibacterial properties.

You would be wondering what is so versatile about garlic? Well, your cuisine is not the only thing in which it adds it’s magic. Garlic has uncountable other uses and benefits too.

What are the health benefits of garlic:

The aroma and flavor that it adds to the foods and cuisines are indeed unmatchable. You can find a variety of forms available in the market like garlic paste, powder, raw, peeled, fresh, unpeeled, processed and jarred garlic.

Despite the varying forms, all are added to the food in one way or another to enhance the taste of your meals. When it comes to savoring, it is surely a treat for the taste buds.

But the uses are not confined to food only. It has some surprising other health benefits too.

Get your immune system jacked up:
Garlic is an immune system booster if you get that common cold or flu very frequently. Try eating a clove of raw garlic every day and see your flu haste away. Besides flu it also prevents bacterial infections to occur.

Extend the life of your heart:
It works wonders in controlling your blood pressure, decreasing the chances of strokes and attacks. It is also beneficial for people with hypertension. Eating a considerable amount of garlic on a daily basis can prevent all these issues effectively.

Knock that bad cholesterol out of your body: High levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) can cause severe health issues in the body. Lower your LDL levels by incorporating garlic in your diet.

Increase the antioxidant surge in the body:
It is an excellent antioxidant which means it can boost your brain functioning by promoting free radical formation. Antioxidants also promote healthy skin and strength your skin cells while giving your skin the glow.

The list of advantages can go on and on as garlic has too many benefits that occur to be so difficult to record.

But one crucial question here is how to decide what kind of garlic should be consumed and how long does the garlic last?

How long does garlic last:

In case of preventing your garlic from spoiling for a more extended period, the key is the storage conditions you provide to your stock. You can’t judge your garlic’s expiry date because obviously, it is not a canned or jarred food item that has an expiry date mentioned on it.

But to estimate the amount of time by which you can consume garlic, you will have to understand that it can be consumed in many different forms and each form has a different lasting period. For example, if you talk about unpeeled, it has a more lengthy shelf life as compared to peeled. And then comes the processed, powdered and paste. All have different shelf lives and last until different periods.

How long does unpeeled garlic last?

Talking about fresh garlic, if you have just bought a whole fresh bulb. And you have stored it in your kitchen at the standard room temperature. The chances are your intact garlic can last a good 5 to 6 months period. But once you break the bulb and get some cloves out, your garlic’s life is going to deteriorate very quickly.

Once broken the cloves tend to go bad very quickly. The anticipated life expectancy of unpeeled garlic cloves detached from the bulb is about 7 to 10 days at normal room temperature conditions.

How long can you store peeled garlic?

Another form of garlic that is available in the market is fresh peeled garlic. Freshly peeled is super handy when it comes to convenience. You don’t have to spend hours to peel it and then finally use it. You can store it in two ways, either in your fridge to keep up fresh or you can freeze it in the freezer.

If you have kept your garlic in the refrigerator, your peeled cloves will last for about 5 to 7 days. And if you have kept it in the freezer, your garlic will last one good year, i.e. 12 months approximately.

How long does processed canned or jarred garlic last?

Processed or canned food items have gone through a whole cycle of conservation. A lot of preservatives and chemicals are added to broaden the life of these products. So the chances are quite high, canned will last a considerable amount of time.

Having said that, a jar of minced or chopped that has been prepared commercially can last up to 24 months if kept in a refrigerator, and the lid is sealed properly after every usage.

Now it may seem to be a great idea to stack upon canned for your everyday use. It will avoid all the mess and the smell you get in your hands while mincing. But one thing to note here is that jarred has too many cons.

Jarred can have many hazardous chemicals, bleaching agents and sometimes phosphoric acid too, which can pose serious health problems. The real goodness and flavor of fresh are nowhere to be found in the jarred garlic. And it is not as healthy as compared to the fresh one.

What kind of garlic is best to consume as food or as folk remedies/medicines:

There is no doubt that fresh is the best to use for everyday purposes. Like making your favorite food in the kitchen or preparing a meal for your family. In the present time, there are almost 600 kinds of garlic cultivated throughout the world but mostly used are the hard neck and the soft neck garlic. Garden k garlic is the most flavorful and tasty one, so it is widely used for cooking objectives. While soft neck is the most long-lasting one and stays fresh for a longer duration. Hence any fresh, unpeeled can be used for day to day usage.

How to spot a rotting or spoiling garlic?

Although garlic lasts much longer than other vegetables, still it is a vegetable and has a shelf life after which it starts to go bad. Spotting it going bad is not a troublesome task.

You can check the texture, smell and feel of it to point out if something is wrong. You can also see sprout formation on it to check if the garlic is still considerable or not. Here are the ways by which you can spot outdated or expired garlic.

Color and texture: Garlic is usually off-whitish or cream-colored. You can suspect the signs of it rotting when yellow or brown colored patches start to appear on the cloves. This is a sign that it has begun to go stale. Other than the color, if it seems to be watery and fluffy to touch. It also indicates rotten garlic.

Smell: Although some people might find the smell of it unpleasant and stinky, the truth is garlic smells like heaven. When the spicy and pungent smell it turns into a sour and stale odor, it’s time to get rid of your existing stock.

What conditions can help you keep your garlic fresh for a longer duration:

No matter what favorable conditions you provide, it is anyways a vegetable/herb that will go bad after a certain amount of time. But with proper storage conditions, you can make sure to get the most out of your garlic store. Some of the tips and tricks that can foster your garlic shelf life are:

Store it at room temperature, higher or lower both temperatures can damage the garlic.

Keep away from light and moisture, as they can promote mold growth in your stock.

Avoid sprout formation by keeping it away from the refrigerator.

Allow proper air passage to keep it aerated, fresh and dry.

In case of minced or chopped, dip them in olive oil and restrain it in a sealed container.

A word from the very well:

Garlic, due to its fabulous flavor and its boundless health benefits, is ruling the households in almost all parts of the world. And explicitly it is ruling the kitchens, so it is essential to take notes of the essential aspects regarding the shelf life of this miracle herb.

The extended shelf life of it makes it extremely suitable to pile it up in your pantry to use from time to time. Just provide your garlic with the perfect surrounding conditions and see it last for a reasonable period.