# Anybody vac seal garlic???



## fpnmf (Nov 13, 2012)

I just got my new sealer from Lisa and while I was registering the warranty I also read some of the helpful hints..

They say dont seal garlic or mushrooms because some chemical that happens when the air is gone may make you sick..

OK ... who knows about this??

  Craig


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## davidhef88 (Nov 13, 2012)

I vac sealed some quite a few years ago. A few days later the bags were blown up like balloons. Lol. Threw it out. 


David


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## fpnmf (Nov 13, 2012)

I have some I got from Dave over a year ago....

I froze them before I vac packed them..

They still look like new..

I did read about  this..

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-anaerobic-bacteria.htm


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## davidhef88 (Nov 13, 2012)

I didn't freeze. 


David


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## venture (Nov 13, 2012)

We buy ours "fresh".  Fresh depends on the time of year.  Good times and not so good times to buy garlic.

Always have to be aware of buying this year's crop or the leftovers from last year's crop.

Also be aware that even in CA where a lot of garlic is grown?  Some of our better known garlic suppliers are selling China garlic under the CA brand name.

Go figger.  Caveat emptor!

Having said that, fresher is better.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## linguica (Nov 13, 2012)

Most major supermarkets sell sell garlic from China because it's cheaper than garlic from Gilroy. The Chinese garlic is smaller and has a purplish skin. Gilroy garlic has a far better flavor. When in doubt, ask the produce worker to find out where it came from.


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## venture (Nov 13, 2012)

Very little garlic is being grown in the Gilroy area as they have some soil problems there.  Most of the CA garlic comes out of the southwest side of the San Joaquin Valley now.  Gilroy is just the processing center.  Read "dehydration" and "packaging".

This does not even start to address the Chinese garlic that is being sold by firms with a Gilroy address and a well known name!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## rabbithutch (Nov 13, 2012)

I don't vac seal garlic but I have found a way to keep it that seems to work - but be advised that I'm no food or health expert.

I buy horseradish in little jars about  1-1/4" in diameter and about 3-1/2" tall.  I has a good seal under the cap the jar is glass.  I save these jars when I use up the horseradish (mostly in remoulade for prime rib roast.

Anyway, I finely chopped way to much garlic one day using up some cloves that were about to sprout and I needed to store or toss the extra.  I spotted one of my horseradish jars and packed it full of finely minced garlic.  I screwed the top on tight and set it on the shelf.  I kept for a month or 2 before I used it up.  Never had a problem.  Come to think about it, I probably should have put the jar in the reefer.

Worked for me.  YMMV.

FWIW


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## chef jimmyj (Nov 14, 2012)

rabbithutch said:


> I don't vac seal garlic but I have found a way to keep it that seems to work - but be advised that I'm no food or health expert.
> I buy horseradish in little jars about 1-1/4" in diameter and about 3-1/2" tall. I has a good seal under the cap the jar is glass. I save these jars when I use up the horseradish (mostly in remoulade for prime rib roast.
> Anyway, I finely chopped way to much garlic one day using up some cloves that were about to sprout and I needed to store or toss the extra. I spotted one of my horseradish jars and packed it full of finely minced garlic*. I screwed the top on tight and set it on the shelf. I kept for a month or 2 before I used it up. Never had a problem. Come to think about it, I probably should have put the jar in the reefer.*
> Worked for me. YMMV.
> FWIW


 Garlic is Notorious for carrying Clostridium Botulinum Spores, several forms of E-Coli and Salmonella . The Oxygen free environment in the bottle, with or without added oil, the Moisture of the garlic and the Temperature of that nice warm kitchen is the Perfect conditions for the Bacteria to grow. Please NEVER do that again, it is Extremely Dangerous. What you are doing is perfectly fine IF you store it in the Refrigerator...JJ


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## daveomak (Nov 14, 2012)

I vac seal it.....  Freeze the cloves first for a day or so.... Then vac pack..... and put back in the freezer......  Have kept it for 2+ years and comes out of the freezer like fresh cloves....   Maybe I have been lucky...


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## linguica (Nov 14, 2012)

Instead of trying to preserve it, my garlic is just hanging on the fence under a roof in a cool shady area. Nothing seems to bother it.


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## fpnmf (Nov 14, 2012)

DaveOmak said:


> I vac seal it.....  Freeze the cloves first for a day or so.... Then vac pack..... and put back in the freezer......  Have kept it for 2+ years and comes out of the freezer like fresh cloves....   Maybe I have been lucky...


I did it just like you told me to..it looks fine..

I thawed some a few months ago .. it was a little mushy..but tasted great.

I planted some too last week....the dang squirrels seem to like it....Grrrrrrrr...the good thing is the local owls love to eat squirrel carcasses.

I have read about not putting them in oil... But the no vac packing was news...


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## linguica (Nov 14, 2012)

They can be stored in oil if cooked in the oil first.


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## fpnmf (Nov 14, 2012)

Linguica said:


> They can be stored in oil if cooked in the oil first.


I knew that...

I saw an article somewhere....that was about how quick the baddies show up if ya just put the oil and garlic on a shelf..no cooking..


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## roadkill cafe (Nov 14, 2012)

From FoodSaver's website:
[h1]FAQ's: Top 10 Food Science & Safety Questions[/h1][h3]Are there any foods that I should not vacuum package?[/h3]
*Yes, do not vacuum package soft cheese, mushrooms, or garlic.*

Not saying it's right or wrong...


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## linguica (Nov 14, 2012)

I did fresh herbs in oil once. In three days it looked like a tide pool aquarium.


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## roller (Nov 14, 2012)

Well I am in trouble because I did some soft cheese a month ago but have not checked it..I used to live a few miles North Of Gilroy and certain times of the year was pretty rough outside for the overpowering smell of Garlic...Garlic grows wild everywhere around here...Along with wild onions...


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## rabbithutch (Nov 15, 2012)

Thank you, JJ !!

I will toss out what I have and will store it in the reefer from now on.

Thumbs Up


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## linguica (Nov 15, 2012)

Roller said:


> Well I am in trouble because I did some soft cheese a month ago but have not checked it..I used to live a few miles North Of Gilroy and certain times of the year was pretty rough outside for the overpowering smell of Garlic...Garlic grows wild everywhere around here...Along with wild onions...


If you remember that, then what about the smell of the fields of drying onions in Vacaville in the mid '60s, A smell to this day i still recall.


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## daveomak (Nov 15, 2012)

> Garlic is Notorious for carrying Clostridium Botulinum Spores, several forms of E-Coli and Salmonella . The Oxygen free environment in the bottle, with or without added oil, the Moisture of the garlic and the Temperature of that nice warm kitchen is the Perfect conditions for the Bacteria to grow. Please NEVER do that again, it is Extremely Dangerous.* What you are doing is perfectly fine IF you store it in the Refrigerator...JJ*


JJ, evening.....  OK, Is vacuum packed garlic safe to store in the freezer ??   Then Immediately upon removing, open the bag, remove what you need and reseal and put back in the freezer ???    Is that a good plan ???    We all need to know how to store the "Stinking Rose" because it is so good for you.....  

Thanks..... Dave


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## linguica (Nov 15, 2012)

The Korean grocery store near my home sells jars of peeled and refrigerated garlic. The jar labels say the garlic will stay fresh for 1 month. At home we do the same thing, peel a cup of garlic cloves and put them into a ziploc bag. If not used in 2 to 3 weeks they will grow roots. When they root, the garlic is then planted in the yard. So far we have a never ending supply of the "Stinking Rose".

Could this be a better solution than trying to preserve it?


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## venture (Nov 15, 2012)

For the love of all that is sacred, follow JJ's advice!

Way too many people have been poisoned doing their garlic oil on the counter.  Get it in the fridge and keep it there for a reasonable time only.  Or pasteurize it. Or sufficiently acidify it. 

Proceed with caution!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## daveomak (Nov 16, 2012)

OK.... Here is the deal about Garlic from UC Davis.........

Interesting notes.... You can store garlic cloves submerged in oil in the freezer or wrap tightly in plastic and store in the freezer ....  So I guess vacuum packing frozen cloves and storing in the freezer is OK as far as I can tell....  However, they note.... do not store at room temp or fridge temp in a low oxygen environment....   Commercial garlic is stored at 32 deg.. or store your fresh garlic at 60 deg in the dark in a mesh bag....  

Read the file for clarity and safety.....  Dave 

http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/7231.pdf


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## daveomak (Nov 16, 2012)

OK, now I am confused..... Read the certification of the processing plant ..... HAACP, FDA etc and look at the amount of garlic they have vac-packed.......  In an open store room.....   
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  .... 

http://www.weiku.com/products/13443460/vacuum_packed_peeled_garlic_cloves.html


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## venture (Nov 16, 2012)

The problem here is room temp in an anaerobic environment.

Submerging garlic in oil creates an anaerobic environment.  Room temp is now a problem for botulism in particular, and sometimes with other things in general. We often see removing oxygen as a partial fix, but that is not always the case.

I will be vacu packing and freezing some garlic as a test.  I don't foresee problems freezing other than changes in the texture of the garlic, but if I see any gas forming in the bags?  You know where it will go. I haven't heard of problems with garlic in oil at fridge temps,  assuming reasonable timelines have been followed. Still, I take my garlic oil up to temp and hold it there before placing it in the fridge.

With fresh garlic so readily available in our country these days?  I just don't see the need for jumping through all these hoops? 

Interesting info from our friends in Canada:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/garlic-ail-eng.php


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## roller (Nov 17, 2012)

Linguica said:


> If you remember that, then what about the smell of the fields of drying onions in Vacaville in the mid '60s, A smell to this day i still recall.


Mid 60`s I was smelling Napalm...


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## big casino (Nov 17, 2012)

wow never realized this about garlic or mushrooms, we have always kept mushrooms in the fridge, and have always kept garlic the same as we keep our onions,

is the reason for not vac sealing soft cheeses the same? and by soft do they mean soft like american, muenster? or do they mean soft like cottage or ricotta, or feta?


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## chef jimmyj (Nov 18, 2012)

Sorry I am getting back to this late but yes Dave, Freezing Garlic is no issue. I get 5Lb Plastic Jars of Whole Peeled Garlic from the Hotel my wife works for. It sits happily in our Refer and lasts 4-6 weeks. Like Venture, if I find the cloves are starting to get soft, they go in a food processor and then into a Pan of Oil, Veg/Olive Blend, and is heated to 200*F, cooled and goes in jars and back in the Refer to be used as needed...JJ


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