| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Jul 24 2014 : 11:02:38 AM
Hi Girls –
Recently I decided to make homemade garlic powder. Overzealous yet industrious me, I bought about eight pounds of organic garlic in bulk, thinking it would be so great to do a big huge batch in one fell swoop. Surely it would last for a year or two... LOL! Oh my! What was I thinking? I hadn’t really thought about having to PEEL all of that garlic, let alone what it would smell like!
First thing I did was separate the cloves. I laid each head of garlic, point side up on the counter, centered a small luncheon plate on the point, then slammed it down with the palm of my hand. Voila! Worked like a charm! All the cloves were separated with ease, and none of them were smooshed – they were all still intact! Loved how quick that was! Keep in mind, though, that I have heavy stoneware plates from Salmon Falls Pottery (LOOOVE Salmon Falls Pottery!). I wouldn’t do this with a more delicate dish at all. Perhaps you could use a heavy bowl or pan to do the same thing, but instead of hitting it, you could lean on it and twist until the garlic cloves come loose.
Since my goal was to dehydrate sliced garlic, I didn’t want to do the “mashing the cloves with a knife” thing to remove the peel. I went online and read several blogs touting the joys of using two bowls to remove the skins from many cloves all at once. 'Seemed pretty do-able; should be a big time saver! So I thought I’d give it a whirl. I put probably a head’s worth of garlic in a bowl, placed a similar sized bowl upside down on top of it, and then shook the beegeebies out of them in the effort to loosen the skins. Yeah… Right.. NO! Did not work! Let me tell you, unless you’ve got Herculean arms with the shaking capacity of a high-speed washing machine agitator, forget it. I only got a few done per crazy-shaking session. Not worth the trouble. I could’ve asked my hubby and son to try, but I didn’t want them to scramble their brains in the process… one loss out of three was enough! LOL!
I then found a great suggestion to just soak the garlic for a few minutes in ice water to loosen the skins! I knew the peels would probably stick to my fingers, but it kind of made sense to me. So, I got out a big bowl, filled it with ice and water and then slipped in the individual cloves. I waited about 15 minutes then tried to remove the skins. Eh... It kind of worked, but they needed to soak a lot longer than a few minutes. I waited. And waited. And waited. A couple of hours later, I sat at the table, cursing the garlic gods and all that is holy about garlic, peeling away all the wet skins with my fingers and a paring knife. Four hours later… well, you get the idea…
<Before I go on, though, let me share with you a little trick I figured out about soaking the garlic in ice water… I was making dill pickles yesterday (oh my gosh, they are the best!) and had to peel the dreaded garlic again. After giving it a little thought, I came up with this solution on my very own: if you nip the root end off of the garlic before placing it in the ice water, the peels really will loosen and be easily removed in a matter of minutes. Worked like a charm!>
Once that was all finished, I used my KitchenAid slicer attachment to slice all the garlic. Praise be to the Lord God On High – that task only took a matter of minutes to complete, and clean-up was a breeze! My enthusiasm had returned!
Next I set up my dehydrator and lined the trays with the sliced garlic. I set it on the table near the window in order to help curb the garlic fumigation that was about to unfold. LOL! Well THAT didn’t work very well! Within minutes the entire house was full of garlic aroma. My guys were choking, the neighbors were peeping over the fence to see what in the world I was “up to now…” People driving by our house wiping their eyes from the tears of the fumes! LOL! I placed a fan in the window facing outward to help a little, but me and the neighborhood? We were doomed! Garlic filled the air, not only while dehydrating, but some in these here parts say you could still smell it lingering for three days afterwards! LOL! And oh my gosh – the flies! Our window screen was COVERED with them! It was EPIC! Their little fly mouths must’ve been watering over some imagined Italian delicacy!
When everything was dry and cool, I started grinding up the garlic into a super fine powder in the spice attachment to my coffee grinder. As I poured it into my canning jar, I used a little sieve to shake away any lumps. When all was said and done? I had almost two full pint jars full of the most fragrant, take-your-breath-away STRONG - and yet very delicious - garlic powder I have ever experienced before in my life! This stuff is wonderful! And WELL worth the trouble, believe me. Trust me – one whiff of this will cure whatever ails you, to be sure! The only thing now is that since it is so super strong, I’ve got to figure out adjustments for the amount to use in recipes. Other than that, I’m good to go for a loooong while!
A nod and apology to the garlic gods… I’m just so thrilled, truly. This stuff is the most amazing garlic powder, ever! WELL worth the effort – and suffering! Next time, though, maybe I'll do a smaller batch... LOL!
Have a great day, girls!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| hudsonsinaf |
Posted - Aug 09 2014 : 1:16:29 PM
Oh Nini! I absolutely adore how you write! I was in stitches reading your post! I might have to try making garlic powder, though I assure you it won't be that much ;) How long will it last?
~ Shannon
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
| country treasure |
Posted - Aug 09 2014 : 1:01:45 PM
Nini,
TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO fun! 
Hubby grows a huge garlic crop & I've just never got around to drying some so friend
THANKS for doing the experimenting! My friend says our home is like a research lab gone terribly wrong & sometimes is scared to come inside. She never knows what we'll be trying to do. Way too funny!!!!! LOL
Hugs Judy
country wishes! |
| jenne.f |
Posted - Aug 09 2014 : 12:42:52 PM
Nini,
You are a brave lady. You may have stunk up your neighborhood, but
you persevered and have mastered the art of garlic powder.
~blessings~
Jenne
Farmgirl #4616
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| Ninibini |
Posted - Aug 07 2014 : 07:39:00 AM
LOL! Oh, Anna! I know! I didn't mind the onion smell nearly as much as the garlic, though. My guys, however, were bowled over by both! LOL! Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| PalindromePower |
Posted - Aug 06 2014 : 7:13:14 PM
Reading your post cracked me up! Sounded like the time my husband and I dehydrated onions for onion powder. Those smells will just about knock you over! |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Jul 26 2014 : 6:41:02 PM
Thanks, Denise! Yes... you know, it never looks quite so daunting in the beginning as it does once your knee deep into a project! LOL! Maybe someday I will learn! :) Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| Denise Ann |
Posted - Jul 25 2014 : 8:16:45 PM
Hi Nini,
Sounds like you had quite the time making the garlic powder!! Glad it all turned out well in the end.
It always seems like a good idea until you get started!
Take care
Denise Ann |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Jul 25 2014 : 10:39:36 AM
Thanks, Chris! Actually... I usually DO grow my own, but I missed the planting time last fall... Things happened, time escaped me. I'm on track to plant again this fall, for sure, though! :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| OregonGal |
Posted - Jul 25 2014 : 10:29:54 AM
I think you did a great job at figuring things out and getting it done to your satisfaction
and it can be so gratifying. If you have a spot you can grow your own too...it's one
of they easiest things to grow. Way to go girl! |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Jul 25 2014 : 06:33:14 AM
LOL! Thanks Dawn! Yes... At first it didn't look like much, but once the garlic cloves were broken apart and all the little white papery stuff was floating all over the place... Ugh... Yes, I definitely heard the word "crazy" a few times! LOL! Honestly, I'll never do that much all at once again! And from the looks of things, I may never even HAVE to! LOL!
Have a great day!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| ddmashayekhi |
Posted - Jul 25 2014 : 05:14:24 AM
Quite an adventure in the kitchen with garlic! My word you were brave, possibly crazy too, to buy that much garlic! When I have to use a full bulb of garlic for a recipe, I drop it for several seconds in boiling water, then remove it and the skin peels off beautifully. I've never had a recipe call for more than one head though and can't imagine how much work the peeling must of been for you. Glad it all turned out for you in the end. Enjoy cooking with your fresh, homemade, organic garlic powder!
Dawn in IL |
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