Garlic Paste - A Recipe for Preserving Garlic

My husband grows lots and lots of things in his garden and gives them to me.  Last week’s harvest was garlic…a whole bowl of tiny garlic (no fertilizers or chemicals in his garden!).

It took me over an hour to peel all the cloves (at this point I will declare my love for hulu.com).  There were 9.5 ounces when all was said and done.  There was also a distinct smell of garlic in the air.

Now…what to do with it?  First, let’s read this fun and informative blurb from UC Davis:

“As with all low-acid vegetables, garlic will support the growth and subsequent toxin production of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum when given the right conditions.  These conditions include improper

home canning and improper preparation and storage of fresh herb and garlic-in-oil mixtures.  Moisture, room temperature, lack of oxygen,

and low-acid conditions all favor the growth of Clostridium botulinum. When growing, this bacterium produces an extremely potent toxin that causes the illness botulism.”

Translation:  Don’t put your garlic cloves in oil and assume that’s good enough.  Got that?  Good.   I really don’t have room in my fridge for jars of garlic oil, anyhow.  My solution is to make paste and freeze it.

Toss garlic into the food processor.  Add maybe a tablespoon of olive oil, and a scattering of kosher salt.  Process until it looks like paste (definitely not rocket science!)

Next, take the 2 tsp. scoop (oh how I love my scoops!) and make balls on a cookie sheet (parchment or waxed paper would have been better than foil, but I was out).  Freeze for a few hours, and drop into a quart sized zip top bag.

My batch made about 30 balls (1.25 cups) of garlic paste.  I used them in the artichoke chicken and garlic mashed potatoes over the weekend, and it was amazing – none of that chemical off taste that the commercial jarred garlic has. 

Did you know that you reap more benefits from garlic if you let it sit for 10 minutes after you have chopped it?  It takes that long for the chemical reaction to complete its cycle.  Read all about it at The World’s Healthiest Foods.