WineLovers Discussion Group

Anyone have experience with minced fresh garlic in jars (not the freeze dried kind)? I have been very tempted, especially when planning on making a dish that calls for a lot of fresh garlic, to buy this instead of getting out the cutting board.

I love chopping garlic, so I always use fresh. Someone told me how convenient the chopped garlic in a jar was for them, so my next trip to the market I grabbed a jar and read the ingredients. That was it, I went back to chopping my own. I think of the jarred garlic like the grated cheese that comes in those plastic containers....they loose a lot.
You might looks around for garlic that does not have all the chemical junk in them, if there are any.

Jon Peterson wrote:Anyone have experience with minced fresh garlic in jars (not the freeze dried kind)? I have been very tempted, especially when planning on making a dish that calls for a lot of fresh garlic, to buy this instead of getting out the cutting board.

A friend of mine bought some once, and I sniffed at her jar. FAIL. Very old and metallic to my nose, probably the result of preservatives and whatever cooking is required to stabilize/process it. And that kind of garlic is probably the reason I can't stand garlic mashed potatoes in most restaurants (it's a staple side dish at the Anthony's Seafood chain here in the Pac NW) where they would use a convenience product like that due to the volume of mashed potatoes they go through in a night--the potatoes have a metallic and slightly fishy taste that certainly isn't coming from the potatoes!

I have used chopped garlic in a jar. I'm not worried about the couple of chemicals in there (mostly to preserve color) and, of course, ya can't beat the convenience. But, ultimately, what's wrong with them is that they lack pungency. Flavor trumps convenience for me now. So, I buy a couple heads of garlic and peel the cloves all at once, put them in an airtight container in the fridge and use them over the course of the week. (Yes, I know there are peeled whole cloves in the store but they come from China and I am minimizing my exposure to people who don't know what species to collect and don't know what a carcinogen is. If that means I pay more or do without, then that is what happens.)

Thanks, everyone. I am pleased to be sharpening my knife as soon as I hit the "Submit" button!

It's a shame that all the best *looking* garlic in our supermarkets, peeled or not, comes from China and I happily walk right on by. At least during farm market season here in Ohio I have great locally grown organic garlic available. The big, beautiful hard-stem stuff.

Jon Peterson wrote:Thanks, everyone. I am pleased to be sharpening my knife as soon as I hit the "Submit" button!

Just to chime in, Jon, that stuff in the jars doesn't smell the least bit like garlic to me. As Bourdain once quipped about the output of garlic mashers, "I don't know what that stuff is, but it isn't garlic."

Mark Lipton

We keep a jar in the fridge and use it a. when in a real hurry, and b. when the garlic in the dish isn't that important. It usually lasts a couple of years.

No! I find that it just doesn't have the potency of freshly peeled and minced garlic. The only garlic in a jar I use is a head or two that I have roasted and preserved in olive oil. Great addition to mashed potatoes, atop a roll with cream cheese, etc.

Fred Sipe wrote:It's a shame that all the best *looking* garlic in our supermarkets, peeled or not, comes from China and I happily walk right on by. At least during farm market season here in Ohio I have great locally grown organic garlic available. The big, beautiful hard-stem stuff.

In California, we have a huge garlic growing industry, and I buy my garlic from them in my local super market. Farmer's Market also has garlic, but it does not compare to the large cloves grown in CA which are easily separated and chopped. I really dislike those small cloves. I keep at least 4 to 5 heads in my pantry at all times.

Mark Lipton wrote:

Jon Peterson wrote:Thanks, everyone. I am pleased to be sharpening my knife as soon as I hit the "Submit" button!

Just to chime in, Jon, that stuff in the jars doesn't smell the least bit like garlic to me. As Bourdain once quipped about the output of garlic mashers, "I don't know what that stuff is, but it isn't garlic."

Mark Lipton

Agree. Vile, vile stuff.

I've used the jarred stuff sparingly (in a pinch) up until perhaps 10 years ago when we started growing our own. Usually we have so much of the real stuff we wind up giving much of it away.

After this thread, Liz and I have decided to grow our own. We plant in October and see what takes root.

Fred Sipe wrote: The big, beautiful hard-stem stuff.

There's nothing like it when it's freshly grown, is there? I just bought some huge bulbs of red garlic last week, and am already feeling sad about the day I'll run out. Another local grower does beautiful braids of fresh garlic, and I usually buy one to get me through the winter, but it's a rather plain white variety and I do wish he'd grow/make braids out of some bolder varieties.

I could never understand why anyone would use that product.

Anyone with any knife skills need spend only 30 seconds to have fresh, or less if they stick a clove in a press and squeeze, so it isn't like we'd be saving a huge amount of time - certainly not enough to warrant giving up any of the flavour of fresh garlic.

Lazy man's (or woman's) product - right up there with packaged sauces or curry powder - fine, if you are a Mom feeding a horde of children (of any age, including husband) at the end of a long day, but not something any self respecting cook would use - and if you are eating out and paying for the privilege, the cooks damn well better be self respecting!

Jenise wrote:There's nothing like it when it's freshly grown, is there? I just bought some huge bulbs of red garlic last week, and am already feeling sad about the day I'll run out. Another local grower does beautiful braids of fresh garlic, and I usually buy one to get me through the winter, but it's a rather plain white variety and I do wish he'd grow/make braids out of some bolder varieties.

Jenise, the problem with finding more interesting garlic in braid form is that almost all are hardnecked varieties and are not braidable by virtue of (you guessed it ) their hard necks. You might want to consider growing your own. Few crops are easier to grow. In this climate, watering is mostly unnecessary. Pests don't mess with it. Key for me, not even deer or rabbits are interested. If you'd like to give it a try I can suggest a few varieties.

Mark, oh that stiff thing on the red garlic I bought at the Mt. Vernon co-op last week, that's a 'hard neck'? I never put two and two together! Duh! But re growing garlic, I have in the past stuck a few garlic starts in the ground but they didn't do very well. I presumed that I don't get enough sun for them on the north side of the house where I grow--or try to grow--everything else. What are the right conditions?

I grew elephant garlic for a few years because an elderly neighbor gave me starts and he would check each year to make sure I had it planted again. When he passed away I got rid of it all. I actually love chopping garlic, add a bit of coarse salt to help it hold together better and chop away. I love the smell and the action. My all time favorite garlic is from Christopher Ranch in CA. The heads have uniform cloves and they are large. I hate messing with all the little ones that are all clumped together.

Karen/NoCA wrote:...add a bit of coarse salt to help it hold together better and chop away.

Really; I'll have to try this.

Nine times out of ten, I reach for the garlic press instead of chopping fresh garlic. Are you guys 'pressers' or 'choppers'?

Jenise wrote:re growing garlic, I have in the past stuck a few garlic starts in the ground but they didn't do very well. I presumed that I don't get enough sun for them on the north side of the house where I grow--or try to grow--everything else. What are the right conditions?

Full sun would be best so the shady side of the house would not be optimal but garlic isn't that picky. I have big trees to the south, so the spot I have it in sees sun most of the day during the summer but hardly at all during winter. I've grown garlic in the SF Bay Area (I figured Gilroy was close by, so why not) starting with supermarket garlic, in a mostly shady garden in England, in CA's Central Valley and now here and never had a problem. Are you successfully growing other vegies on your north side? If so, I would think garlic should be happy, too. Garlic is supposed to like well-drained soil with high organic content (what doesn't?) but the soils I've had have been nothing special. One thing to watch for in this part of the world since garlic is planted in the fall: drainage. You don't want to plant in a low spot that might be really wet for long periods in the winter. Damp is good, actually swimming in water is bad. Like other bulbs, under those conditions the clove can rot before it gets going. When you said "starts", did you mean that in the sense of something already rooted and with a green top or just a garlic clove?

I've been told to leave the papery skins intact, it helps prevent the clove from rotting. Do you any of you do this? I just planted a huge pot this afternoon. Can't wait to see if it takes root.

Karen/NoCA wrote:I've been told to leave the papery skins intact, it helps prevent the clove from rotting. Do you any of you do this? I just planted a huge pot this afternoon. Can't wait to see if it takes root.

Karen, whether leaving the skins on helps prevent rotting or not I have no idea but there's absolutely no reason to go to the extra effort of peeling the cloves, so I can't imagine why anyone would plant other than with the skins on. I would be very surprised if your garlic does not take root. In my experience, success is very close to 100%. After all, old garlic gets sprouty even without planting!

Mark Willstatter wrote:

Jenise wrote:re growing garlic, I have in the past stuck a few garlic starts in the ground but they didn't do very well. I presumed that I don't get enough sun for them on the north side of the house where I grow--or try to grow--everything else. What are the right conditions?

Full sun would be best so the shady side of the house would not be optimal but garlic isn't that picky. I have big trees to the south, so the spot I have it in sees sun most of the day during the summer but hardly at all during winter. I've grown garlic in the SF Bay Area (I figured Gilroy was close by, so why not) starting with supermarket garlic, in a mostly shady garden in England, in CA's Central Valley and now here and never had a problem. Are you successfully growing other vegies on your north side? If so, I would think garlic should be happy, too. Garlic is supposed to like well-drained soil with high organic content (what doesn't?) but the soils I've had have been nothing special. One thing to watch for in this part of the world since garlic is planted in the fall: drainage. You don't want to plant in a low spot that might be really wet for long periods in the winter. Damp is good, actually swimming in water is bad. Like other bulbs, under those conditions the clove can rot before it gets going. When you said "starts", did you mean that in the sense of something already rooted and with a green top or just a garlic clove?

The northwest end of my courtyard gets enough sun to grow tomatoes, blueberries and grapes, and metal fencing provides enough protection to keep a sensitive bay laurel tree happy. Damp we can do, have no areas that swim. Thing is, I don't have any extra space over there unless I take something else out. COULD dedicate a half wine barrel to garlic, though--would that work? The all-day sun side of the house gets whipped by north bound winter storms--summer-only crops over there, I think.