Hello, I hope you can help me learn and get better at preserving my excess food. We grew garlic this year, and had a great harvest. I followed an instruction set for preserving garlic in oil ( [https://countrylivinginacariboovalley.com/how-to-preserve-garlic-in-oil/](https://countrylivinginacariboovalley.com/how-to-preserve-garlic-in-oil/) ), basically placing the garlic in a jar and covering it in olive oil. I placed it in the refrigerator, but noticed some “popping” when I would open it. I moved it to the freezer, to hopefully avoid any further spoiling issue, but when I pulled out the frozen jar it still had a significant pop, which has me very worried.
I know the adage “when in doubt, throw it out”. I’m hoping I can get some answers so I can be better next time.
1. Can botulism grow in the freezer, or was that popping something else?
2. Is there something obviously wrong with that preservation method, completely covering the garlic with oil and putting it in the freezer? Is it better to use a heated method?
Thank you in advance for the help. I’m hoping I can be better equipped for future garlic harvests.
by indelicatow
6 Comments
Broadly speaking, covering food in oil is not canning, so this particular forum will not have a lot of feedback on the particular food preservation method you are asking about.
Botulism goes dormant at freezing temperatures, but that is not true of all microorganisms that may contribute to spoilage of food. Freezing chopped garlic is a common way people choose to preserve it, if you are freezing it the oil isn’t needed. There are debates back and forth regarding the safety of garlic suspended in oil, but they’re outside the expertise of this forum.
You can pickle it! I pickled minced garlic this year and it is great!
I’ve read sketchy things about garlic in oil.
Fermenting is a great way to preserve garlic. It doesn’t keep as long as canned but it’s really good, lasts for months or even a year or two depending. Worth a look into. It’s very simple.
I do a LOT of garlic confit (butter, not oil, and slow cooked) and always freeze it. I don’t freeze it in jars because I don’t have that many plastic lids, but zip lock bags work well. Plastic containers will smell like garlic for the rest of time.
I’m happy to be corrected on this, but I don’t believe that popping or anything like that is a reliable indicator for botulism.
I preserve at least a quart in honey(submerged), is totally shelf stable that way.
I chop garlic, add some oil, put it in smaller condiment cups and freeze. As needed, I move a cup from the freezer to the refrigerator. Here is a good article on safety with garlic.
[https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/garden-to-table/can-you-freeze-garlic-cloves](https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/garden-to-table/can-you-freeze-garlic-cloves)