"Natural antibiotic" garlic has sprouted, can you still eat it? How to store it so it won't sprout? Four old-fashioned tricks let you eat fresh garlic every day!

Garlic is a very common vegetable for us, and many people who love it even eat a few raw cloves every day, treating it like a treasure. Garlic is indeed widely used, but it doesn't keep well, especially when you buy a lot, as it easily sprouts. So can you still eat garlic after it has sprouted? How to store it so it won't sprout?

1. Can you still eat garlic after it has sprouted?

In fact, garlic sprouting is very common. Some people think that sprouted garlic has gone bad and is no longer fresh, so they choose to throw it away. Actually, this is wrong; sprouted garlic is even better than ordinary garlic.

2. Why does garlic sprout?

Many people don't know that garlic itself is a seed, so when it is in a suitable environment, it will continue to grow, and after a certain time, it will naturally sprout. This is a very normal phenomenon. Garlic matures in June every year, goes dormant throughout the summer, and when autumn comes, it continues to sprout and grow. This is also why some people find that their garlic has sprouted after a long time and think it has gone bad from being stored too long.

3. How to store garlic so it won't sprout?

1. For growers

(1) Cold storage

Growers who often plant garlic, whether one household or several, will have cold storage. First, when the garlic harvest comes, it won't sell that quickly, so to keep it from sprouting, it must be transported to cold storage to extend the time before sprouting; second, it can be sold out of season, and the profit will be somewhat higher. The temperature of cold storage is generally around 0 degrees, but pay attention: the humidity should not be too high, around 70% is fine. Once the humidity is too high, it will also sprout.

(2) Sun-drying

Drying freshly harvested wet garlic in the sun can effectively delay the time before sprouting. For example, some time ago, when garlic was being harvested, this year's garlic market was not optimistic, and some growers' garlic did not sell well. What to do? First dry it, then store it in a dry, ventilated place, and it can be kept from sprouting for several months.

(3) Hanging

Weave the dried garlic into “braids” and hang them in a ventilated, dry place. For example, some growers build sheds specifically for hanging garlic, or hang it on roof beams, and so on. You have probably seen such scenes in your mind. The premise is to make sure it does not get rained on.

2. For households

(1) Sun-drying

If you bought wet garlic and can't finish it for a while, you can dry it in the sun and then put it in a ventilated, dry place. That's enough, and it is guaranteed not to sprout before you finish eating it.

(2) Refrigerator

Putting it in the refrigerator is also a method, but it should be placed in the fresh-keeping area (not recommended in the freezing area). It is also recommended to dry it first. Under normal circumstances, it can be kept from sprouting for several months.

(3) Sealing

Seal it with a plastic bag. When eating, take some out, then seal it again, and when eating again, take some more out. This method must ensure there are no “bad garlic” inside. If you find any, take it out promptly so it does not affect the other good garlic.

(4) Put it wherever you like

This suits friends who buy just a little garlic each time, for example, buying a few heads or a dozen heads at a time, the kind that can be finished in two or three days. Put it wherever you like; before it even sprouts, it will have been eaten.