What do I do with all this garlic?

I bought two lbs of fresh garlic at Sam's club a couple of days ago - what is a good way to preserve it? Can I peel it and freeze it? Should I mince it first?
Better question. Why would I do a thing like this?

That is a smurf load of garlic!!! You can roast it. Mince it and can it. Take a few solid cloves and add them to a bottle if olive oil for your own garlic infused oil.

Make necklacea for your child(ren) to ward off the vampires.

You could mince it and add a little lemon juice then put it in an ice tray with as much as you would use in each cube! Once it's frozen they store easy in a freezer bag! When you need garlic pull out a cube. Easy as pie!

FREEZING GARLIC


Perhaps the easiest way to preserve garlic is to freeze it. Just peel the cloves and place them in freezer bags in the freezer. Easier yet, simply place the unpeeled garlic in freezer bags and remove as needed. With both these methods, the cloves become a little mushy when they are thawed, but their flavor remains good.
Another method for freezing garlic is to chop it and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. With this method, you can simply grate or break off small amounts of chopped garlic as needed, which is helpful for cooks who often must quickly throw a meal together.
You can also freeze garlic that has been pureed in oil. This is nice because the oil keeps the mixture from freezing solid and it can be spooned out as needed, another help for busy cooks. To make frozen garlic oil puree, place one part peeled garlic cloves in a blender or food processor along with two parts olive oil. Puree the mixture, then immediately transfer it to a freezer container. Cover the container and place it in the freezer. Do not store the garlic oil puree at room temperature or in the refrigerator because the mixture can support the growth of Clostridium botulism bacteria.
DRYING GARLIC


Peel the garlic, making sure to discard any bruised or damaged cloves. Cut the cloves in half lengthwise, place them in an electric food dehydrator, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for drying.
If you do not have a food dehydrator, you can dry the garlic in your oven. Make drying racks by stretching cheesecloth over the oven racks and securing it with toothpicks. Place the garlic on the racks and turn the oven to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours, then lower it to 130 degrees until the garlic is completely dry and crisp.
GARLIC VINEGAR


To make garlic vinegar, take a bottle of white or red wine vinegar and drop in either whole or chopped garlic. Use as much garlic as you wish, as long as it is completely submerged in the vinegar. Store your garlic vinegar in the refrigerator and use both the vinegar and the garlic in salad dressings or any dish that calls for both vinegar and garlic. Garlic vinegar will keep, refrigerated, for about four months. If mold develops, discard the mixture.
GARLIC SALT


Place dried garlic in a blender and process it until it turns to powder. Add four parts sea salt for each one part garlic powder and process for just a second or two to combine the two ingredients. Do not process the garlic salt too long because it will cake. Store the garlic salt in an airtight glass jar.
GARLIC OIL


Fresh garlic and oil are a dangerous combination if left at room temperature. Because of garlic’s low acidity and oil’s lack of oxygen, they can cause botulism toxin to develop. However, peeled cloves of garlic can be added to oil and stored in the freezer for several months.
Commercially prepared garlic in oil contains a preservative to increase the acidity of the mixture and keep it safe. To make garlic-flavored oil at home, add dehydrated garlic to olive oil in a wide mouth jar, screw on the lid, and place the jar in the refrigerator. If the olive oil turns solid, just spoon it out. Be careful, however, to always use a dry spoon.
REFRIGERATOR GARLIC PICKLES


Loosely fill a glass jar with peeled garlic cloves. Add enough red or white wine vinegar to cover the garlic and then add about one tablespoon of sea salt per cup of vinegar. Dried (not fresh) herbs such as red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and oregano may be added to taste. Cover the jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to distribute the salt and herbs. Refrigerator garlic pickles will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator, as long as the garlic remains submerged in the vinegar.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Mrs. Weasley [tech probz]:</b>" Make necklacea for your child(ren) to ward off the vampires."</blockquote>




lol! that's hilarious.

Quoting Mrs. Weasley [tech probz]:" Make necklacea for your child(ren) to ward off the vampires."

Good idea!  

Quoting Aribean:" FREEZING GARLIC Perhaps the easiest way to preserve garlic is to freeze it. Just peel the cloves and ... [snip!] ... garlic pickles will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator, as long as the garlic remains submerged in the vinegar."

Ooh! I *loooovvvveee* pickled garlic! I'll try that! Maybe I'll have to go get another bag!

You could also just mail some to me!!

These might help:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/how-to-plant-and-store-garlic3.htm

http://butterbeliever.com/2011/11/08/making-garlic-easy-peeled-minced-stored-ready/


You can roast some of it and freeze it. Roasted garlic is amazing on bread or in pasta sauces!

I would roast it and make roasted garlic butter, portion it and freeze it. Pickled garlic is the smurf SO and I have been wanting to try our own forever

Quoting SmashleynSmallyPants:" I would roast it and make roasted garlic butter, portion it and freeze it. Pickled garlic is the smurf SO and I have been wanting to try our own forever"

They sell it at our local grocery store in this little pickle and olive kiosk they have. It has these big chunks of some kind of red pepper that is about 1" in diameter and it is sooooo good. BUT nobody buys the peppers, so they keep leaving them in there and now the mix is about 95% pepper. I keep wondering when they are going to get the hint. But I could eat that stuff all day long.

Quoting Mombom:" Ooh! I *loooovvvveee* pickled garlic! I'll try that! Maybe I'll have to go get another bag!"

Yeah seems pretty easy to do..just go out and buy some mason jars,vinegar,sea salt and herbs and your good to go..i like the fact that the vinegar will preserve it indefinitely...so, no wasted money, thats the bet part!

Quoting LittleTiger:" These might help: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/how-to-plant-and-store-garlic3.htm ht ... [snip!] ... You can roast some of it and freeze it. Roasted garlic is amazing on bread or in pasta sauces!"

Ooh! Are you a real foodie too? Do you recognize these initials? WAPF?

Thanks everyone! I found out how to peel them more easily. I broke them off into individul pieces, then soaked them in cold water for a while (half an hour). Peeled them all individually.
I am lacto-fermenting a quart of them, and the rest I just stuck in a ziploc in the freezer, whole. They broke apart very easily, I didn't even have to dry them or anything.
I just used some of the frozen ones, ran them under warm water for a few seconds and they squished so much more easily than fresh ones! The flavor is still awesome.