Sprouted, dried garlic - do not throw away! There are three application options

You've probably also noticed this paradox: if you buy one head of garlic, at the most unexpected moment it turns out that it was eaten long ago. And if you take it in reserve, then everyone ignores this vegetable, and sooner or later it begins to deteriorate, sprout or dry out.

Of course, moldy or rotten cloves cannot be used; all that remains is to throw them in the trash. But I don’t allow those that are quite suitable for consumption, but have lost their presentation, to disappear completely.

Garlic + oil

I peel teeth that are just beginning to deteriorate and pass them through a press. This produces a lot of garlic juice and pulp, suitable for making garlic butter. Moreover, you can take any oil - both vegetable (sunflower, olive, corn) and butter.

If I need a salad dressing, I put some crushed garlic in a glass jar and add vegetable oil. I like the taste of the unrefined one - it is richer and more intense, but the refined one also produces excellent results. True, you can use this oil only after 3-4 days, when it has infused and absorbed the garlic aroma.

Please note: before adding oil to the garlic, it must be chopped. If you don’t have a press, this can be easily done by crushing the cloves with the flat side of a knife and then finely chopping them.Whole cloves will not impart original flavor and aromatic notes to the oil.

The second option - with butter - is suitable for sandwiches. And also as an addition to hot, crumbly freshly boiled potatoes. Just put a piece of butter in a plate with potatoes and wait a few seconds for it to melt.

This fantastically tasty mixture is prepared as follows:

1. Remove the butter from the refrigerator in advance (in the amount you plan to “garlic”) and wait until it becomes soft.
2. Add grated garlic to the oil and mix everything well with a fork.
3. Transfer to a clean jar with a lid or a zip-lock plastic bag, then place back in the refrigerator. If you have a lot of garlic butter and you realize that you won’t eat it all in the next couple of days, put it in the freezer.

Greenery on the windowsill

I never throw away sprouted garlic. In its original form, it is no longer tasty, but young greens are excellent as an addition to vegetable salads and as an appetizer for meat dishes, including soups.

Garlic is unpretentious - it grows in any soil and goes well with indoor plants. Therefore, I simply stick the cloves into those pots where there is a lot of free space, and the plant itself does not shade the “lower tier”. In my house, an impromptu vegetable garden is located next to palm trees and standard hibiscus.

Green feathers grow quickly, so it is important not to miss the moment when they begin to become hard: in this condition, few people will want to chew them.

Fragrance powder

In stores on spice shelves you can find dried garlic in powder form. I used to buy it to add to cutlets and homemade bread, to sprinkle on meat and fish before baking.And now I make this seasoning myself from slightly spoiled garlic:

1. First of all, I remove the husks from the cloves.
2. Then I cut out the damaged parts and small green sprouts, if any.
3. I cut the garlic into slices 2-3 mm thick and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment.
4. I dry it in the open air (for example, near a radiator) or in the oven, at a temperature not exceeding 30°C.
5. I grind it using a spice grinder and then store it in either a Ziploc bag or a small glass jar.

This is how I save my budget (garlic doesn’t cost three pennies) and delight my family with unusual, tasty, aromatic dishes. Try it too - I'm sure you'll like it!