Can You Still Eat Garlic That Has Sprouted? A Detailed Guide to Sprout-Prevention Storage and Container Growing
Garlic, also called garlic bulb, garlic head, hu garlic, hu, single garlic, single-clove garlic, is the collective name for plants of the garlic genus. It is harvested in spring and summer, has anti-cancer properties, and is widely loved as a food. So can you still eat garlic that has sprouted? How do you prevent garlic from sprouting? What storage methods are there? How do you grow it in a container? It is said that as long as the garlic has not changed color, grown moldy or rotted, it can still be eaten even if it has sprouted, and eating it does no harm. However, sprouted garlic has given its nutrients to the “new life,” so its food value is greatly reduced.
How do you prevent garlic from sprouting? What storage methods are there?
The signs that garlic is mature are: most of the plant's leaves have dried up, the tips of the upper leaves have dried and droop, and the lower part of the plant is soft. At this point it should be harvested and stored promptly. Here are a few tips for preventing sprouting during garlic storage:
1. Low-temperature, low-humidity storage. Well-dried garlic stays dormant under low temperature and dry conditions. The suitable storage temperature is -2.5°C, with relative humidity of 70%-75%. Be sure to ventilate and exchange the air.
2. Gas regulation. Lower the oxygen content of the air in the storage room and raise the carbon dioxide content to inhibit garlic respiration and the occurrence of disease.
3. Spray with maleic hydrazide (sprout inhibitor). Spraying a 0.2% maleic hydrazide solution 1-3 weeks before harvest can effectively inhibit sprouting after harvest.
4. If you have an oven at home that can control and adjust temperature, using the oven for high-temperature sprout inhibition is the very best option. Set the temperature to about 45°C and bake in the oven for about fifteen minutes. After this high-temperature treatment, the garlic generally will not sprout easily even if left casually in the kitchen for ten days to half a month.
5. Some garlic bulbs are already about to sprout when you buy them, so neither low nor high temperature can easily inhibit their sprouting. For garlic like this, we can peel off the outer skin and cut off the embryo of the clove; for those that have already sprouted, remove the sprout tips as well, so the garlic can no longer send out shoots and grow seedlings. Finally, put the cloves with the embryos removed in the refrigerator to chill, or simply leave them anywhere, though over time they may lose water and shrivel.
How do you grow sprouted garlic in a container?
1. Season
From late September to the Spring Festival of the following year, with October to December being the best time.
2. Container
Any kind of container will do; plates and bowls are both suitable, but a clay flower pot is best because it has good breathability. For a more attractive look, you can choose a transparent container such as glass.
3. Method and steps
(1) Taking the garlic
Choosing sprouted garlic makes it easier to grow as a container plant. Peel off the cloves and arrange them in a small container; you can also peel off the outermost skin of the garlic head to expose the cloves directly and place it in a larger container.
(2) Changing the water
Right after planting, simply add water just up to covering the bottom of the garlic, which helps it root. After that, generally change the water once every 1-2 days to keep it fresh; in the early stage you can go 3 days in a row without changing the water to help it stay in place. Once it has rooted and is fixed in place, you can change the water more frequently.
Generally after water culture, it can root the same day, and green can be seen after 2-4 days.