Country Living in a Cariboo Valley

Homesteading in BC

How to Store Fresh Eggs

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Here’s how to store fresh eggs so they last!

Do you have chickens in your own backyard or you are lucky enough to have a friend that likes to share their overabundance of farm-fresh eggs? Then, you will need to know how to store them properly to get the most from your eggs.

Storing them can range from leaving on the counter for a few days to keeping them more long-term through common food preservation methods.

Farm fresh eggs in a woven basket on the counter.
Learn how to store fresh eggs so they will last longer.

How to Store Fresh Eggs

Learning how to store farm fresh eggs is easy and means you never have to worry about waste. Eggs will last a long time if they are stored properly.

Read on to learn all about egg storage, washing eggs or not washing eggs, storing eggs at room temperature, ways to avoid any contamination, shelf life of fresh eggs, and lots more!

How fresh farm eggs are different than the ones from the store

Farm fresh eggs that have not been washed still have the bloom that is a natural protective layer around the outside of the egg. This bloom helps to prevent bacteria from entering the egg and starting the decomposition process. Store-bought eggs from the store have been washed removing the bloom. This actually allows bacteria to enter into the pores of the eggshell.

Farm fresh eggs are new and have not been sitting off to the side for a long time. The eggs that are laid by your home chickens or fresh from this past week at the local farm are truly fresh. The eggs from the grocery store can be weeks and even months old. This means they will not last as long before they go bad.

Storing your eggs on the counter

Farm fresh eggs that have not been washed do not need refrigeration. Unwashed fresh eggs can easily last on your counter for about 2 weeks. This means that if you know you can use them up fairly quickly you do not even have to think about moving your eggs to the refrigerator.

Cardboard egg box on wooden table
You can store fresh eggs in an egg carton on your kitchen counter.

To store on your counter, make a point to only store eggs that appear clean without having to wash them. Some dirt and mess is fine as long as you are not storing in an area where you eat or do meal prep.

Be sure to rotate your eggs using the oldest before you use the newer ones. This will help to ensure that your eggs are not sitting for long periods of time. You can find egg holders designed to make it easy to rotate your eggs.

 

Refrigerating farm fresh eggs

While you do not have to store unwashed farm-fresh eggs in your refrigerator, this is an option for storage. If you plan to use your eggs within the next three months and have the room to keep them in your refrigerator you can store them there.

Eggs stored in door of fridge
Don’t store eggs in your fridge door!

This is the best way to store farm fresh eggs that were not clean enough for on the counter. If you need to wash an egg it should always go right into the refrigerator. This will prevent bacteria from entering the shell and growing.

Like with eggs on your counter, you want to be sure to rotate the eggs that you store in the refrigerator. Rotating will ensure that your older eggs get used before you have to worry about them going bad.

Do not store eggs in the door compartment of your fridge because of temperature fluctuations every time you open the fridge door. Instead, keep your eggs in a carton on a shelf in the fridge.

 

Storing farm-fresh eggs in the freezer

If you want your eggs to last for a long time and have the freezer space you can freeze fresh eggs. You can freeze eggs by placing them into ice cube trays or silicone cupcake molds. Freeze them before moving to an air-tight container. The trick here is to always make sure that you have no air in your container. Vacuum sealing will give you the best result. Air can lead to freezer burn which makes eggs rubbery.

A bowl of beaten eggs with a whisk.
Beat eggs well before putting in ice cube trays for freezing.

You can freeze as is after removing the eggs from the shell or scramble them up to make it easier to use later. If you need separated eggs you will need to split the yolks and whites before freezing. Yolks will soften when they thaw and can not be easily separated.

 

Water glassing eggs

Water glassing has become a popular new way to store fresh unwashed eggs but it originates from generations ago. It is a simple process done by taking unwashed farm fresh eggs and placing them in a thick mixture of lime and water.

Sodium silicate used to be used for this, but now most people use lime instead.

 

Basket of fresh eggs on a counter
Safe ways to store farm fresh eggs.

The lime in the water then fills in the pores of your eggs helping the bloom to fully seal your eggs. This keeps them fresh for up to 18 months for long-term storage in your pantry.

Learn more about water glassing eggs here.

 

Dehydrating eggs

If you do not have a lot of space and you find that you get a lot of eggs in the summer but almost none in the winter because there is simply not enough sunlight where you live, you can benefit from storing eggs for the long term. One great way to store a lot of eggs in a small amount of space is to make dehydrated eggs.

A bowl of dehydrated egg powder.
Powdered Eggs after being dehydrated.

This can be done using raw eggs that are scrambled and placed onto a silicone sheet in your dehydrator so you can make scrambled eggs with only water to turn into egg powder. This tends to dry faster and turn into powder more easily.

After drying your eggs completely and conditioning them in a jar to ensure that no moisture is left, you can run them through a coffee grinder to make a powder. Dehydrated eggs can be stored for years in an air-tight container. These powdered eggs can be used for everything from baking to making scrambled eggs and take up only a small fraction of the space.

 

Make Pickled Eggs

You can make pickled eggs, as well, as another way to keep your eggs fresh for a long time. Pickled eggs will last for many months in a refrigerator – plus, they make a fast and healthy snack or lunch!

We store our pickled eggs in quart sized mason jars – here is the recipe for Pickled Eggs.

 

How to tell if farm fresh eggs have gone bad

When storing your eggs you may lose track of how old eggs are from time to time. This is okay because you can test your eggs to see if they have gone bad or are becoming old enough to need to use up right away.

Egg freshness test infographic
Use this egg freshness test to determine how old eggs are.

This is done through the float test. Place your eggs in a glass or bowl of ice-cold water. If the egg sinks it is still fresh. If one end of the egg is up they are getting old and need to be used up. if the entire egg is floating your egg should be disposed of because it has gone bad.

Learn How to Store Fresh Eggs

Now you know the different ways to store fresh eggs. If you’re lucky enough to have backyard chickens, be sure to regularly gather any eggs from the chicken coop. Then, choose your egg preservation method from the various ways explained above and store the chicken eggs from your backyard flock.

For us, keeping chickens for eggs from the hen is an important party of homesteading self sufficiency – we get to enjoy the awesome flavor of free range chicken eggs to use in cooking and baking.

 

 

Want to start raising chickens for eggs? Here’s Chicken Farming 101!

Lots of common chicken questions and answers from our readers.

The top 10 reasons I love keeping chickens!

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Cranberry Banana Bread – Recipe

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Pumpkin Cranberry Banana Bread is a sweet and comforting treat that’s so hearty and perfect for extra pumpkin and overripe bananas!

Earlier this week I made a pumpkin pie, but only used half of the large can of pumpkin filling I had bought. Since I already had some over ripe bananas and some dried cranberries, I thought I would give this loaf a try.

I love using my home made Pumpkin Pie Spice in this recipe!

Pumpkin Cranberry bread with a light glaze sits on a wood serving tray.
Save this Cranberry Pumpkin bread recipe to your Pinterest board.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Cranberry Banana Loaf

Here’s a Pumpkin Cranberry Banana Loaf Recipe for you that’s healthy and filling. It’s easy to make, healthy and filling and is perfect for a fast snack or even breakfast on the go!

You can use your stand mixer or just mix this loaf up by hand.

 

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cranberry Banana Bread

  • mashed bananas – because this is banana bread, the riper the better!
  • eggs
  • olive oil
  • pumpkin puree – I used some that I had leftover from making a pie; this gives your loaf a hearty pumpkin flavor!
  • honey – a delicious natural sweetener.
  • sugar – helps the honey do its job.
  • flour – you can use whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
  • baking powder and baking soda
  • salt
  • pumpkin pie spice – brings out the taste of the pumpkin and adds a new kind of flavor to your banana loaf.
  • cinnamon – works great with the pie spice.
  • dried cranberries – add extra sweetness and a little bit of nutrition as well! You could use fresh cranberries instead.

 

Pumpkin Quick Bread Recipe Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, then grease and flour two loaf pans (or use cooking spray).

Mashed Bananas to make bread
Use very ripe bananas to make this yummy loaf.

Grab a medium bowl to prepare the banana the wet ingredients. Mash your overripe bananas well, using a fork. You can also use a potato masher if that works better for you.

Pumpkin, bananas and other wet ingredients being blended together.
Mix these well together.

Stir together the mashed bananas, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Mixing dry ingredients for Pumpkin Banana Bread
Mix together dry ingredients.

In another large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. I like to use a whisk for mixing this flour mixture, but a large wooden spoon works too.

Mixing dry ingredients well with wet ingredients.
Mix dry ingredients into the pumpkin banana mixture.

Stir the dry ingredients into the banana pumpkin mixture, mixing thoroughly and then fold in the dried fruit.

Pumpkin Banana Cranberry Bread ready to be cut in slices.
Let the baked Pumpkin Banana bread cool before slicing.

Pour batter into your prepared pans and bake for about 45 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. Pull it out.

The pumpkin bread is done when the toothpick comes out clean, with no batter on it. Remove from the oven; I like to wait 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. 

Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes until slicing and serving!

Serving Suggestions and Variations

  • Spread with some butter if you like and enjoy this banana loaf with some hot coffee!
  • Add more spice such as ginger or nutmeg.
  • Use a muffin tin or these mini loaves tins to make individual servings of this quick bread or pumpkin cranberry muffins.
  • For some extra crunch, add chopped up walnuts, pecans, or any kind of nut you like to the batter.
  • If you don’t like dried cranberries, any kind of dried fruit will work for this bread. Raisins or dried cherries or apricots cut into smaller pieces would be delicious!
  • This banana loaf would also be delicious with a light glaze over top. Check out this great recipe from The Spruce Eats for how to make a simple glaze out of powdered sugar.
  • To make this recipe vegan, omit the honey and replace the egg with either a half cup of applesauce or 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds or flax seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons of water.
Pumpkin Banana Bread on a white plate on blue cloth
Click to save for later on your Pinterest board.

More Dessert Recipes

Our entire Country Living in a Cariboo Valley Recipe Collection can be found here, and check out some of these other delicious desserts!

 

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

If you like this delicious banana bread recipe, be sure to rate it 5 stars below!

Thanks for checking out this recipe. For more, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!

 

Baked Pumpkin Cranberry Bread on a table with coffee

Pumpkin Cranberry Banana Bread Recipe

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

This loaf combines three Fall favourites - Pumpkin, Cranberry and Bananas. Perfect with a cup of coffee for an afternoon snack.

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe mashed bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 c olive oil
  • 1 1/3 c pureed pumpkin
  • 1/2 c honey
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsps. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 c raisins, I used cranberries
  • 1/2 c walnut pieces, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour two cake loaf pans.
  2. In large bowl, stir the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey and sugar.
  3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon.
  4. Stir it into the banana mixture, then fold in the raisins and walnuts.
  5. Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaves in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 inch slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 336Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 258mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 3gSugar: 31gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Annie
Cuisine: American
Pumpkin Cranberry loaf on a plate
Click to save to your favourite Pinterest board!

 

 

 

First Published November 2013; latest update Dec 2024

 

How to Preserve Garlic in Oil – and Other Ways to Store Garlic

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Here’s how to preserve garlic in oil – store it in the fridge or freezer.

Garlic is one of the easiest things to grow in your food garden. You can grow quite a few heads of garlic in a fairly small space. If you grow a lot of garlic, you may want to find ways to store garlic cloves long term.

I want to show you how to preserve garlic in oil. Plus, other ways to store garlic safely!

Want more articles about preserving food? Check out all of our Preserving Food posts here.

Preserving garlic in oil is one way to store these beautiful cured bulbs.
Preserving garlic in oil is one way to store these beautiful cured bulbs.

Garlic doesn’t mind growing in the garden or in containers or pots on your deck. You can also buy garlic at the farmer’s market.

We grow a lot of garlic bulbs here; we have always loved eating it and every year I just kept planting more and more.

There is no such thing as too much garlic in our house! We use it in all kinds of marinades and sauces.

Normally, we store whole garlic bulbs and whole cloves on the kitchen counter in an open weave basket (these work great) for ventilation.

For us this works great for long-term storage. 

However, in some climates, this won’t really work long term, so we’ve included other ways to preserve garlic.

Storing bulbs in a terracotta or ceramic garlic jar (dishwasher safe) like this one works well too and pretty garlic keepers look nice on the counter.

But as the year (and the shelf life of garlic) goes by, you may find your clove of garlic getting softer. It’s at this point that you want to consider preserving garlic – here are several ways.

How to Preserve Garlic in Oil

Here are instructions to preserve garlic in oil.

A jar full of garlic cloves
Fill the clean jar with peeled garlic cloves

 

Here’s how to store garlic cloves in oil:

  • Fill a clean quart mason jar with the cloves of garlic. 
  • Slowly pour extra virgin olive oil over the cloves in the glass jar. 
  • Add enough oil to completely cover the cloves. Make sure that no part of the cloves are exposed to the air.
  • The garlic MUST be completely covered.

 

a jar of garlic in oil ready for the fridge

 

Wipe the rim of the jar using a clean paper towel or cloth. Making sure the rim is clean will mean the lid can make a good seal.

 

A sealed jar of garlic cloves on the counter
Add a clean seal and ring

 

Storing Garlic in the Fridge

Add the seal and ring to the mason jar and close tightly. Then, put the jar in the refrigerator and keep it there. 

Remove the cloves as needed for cooking, but be sure to return the jar to the fridge.

The oil will solidify and it doesn’t look as pretty as when you first added the oil, but it is much safer to store the jar in the fridge. Plus, grab some oil mixture along with the garlic and grease your cooking pan!

Just remember to have the cloves completely covered while stored in the fridge.

Once you’ve used all the cloves in the jar, you now have garlic flavored oil to use in all kind of meals!

Storing fresh or raw garlic in oil at room temperature provides the perfect environment for bacteria to grow.

Don’t take that chance!

 

Other Ways to Store Garlic Bulbs

How to store garlic bulbs whole?

The easiest way to store garlic is with whole bulbs. Trim the roots and the stalks of cured garlic and store the bulbs in woven baskets or anything that allows air flow to the bulbs. Wire baskets will work as well. 

Don’t fill the baskets all the way up with garlic. Shallow layers work the best so there will be airflow around all the bulbs.

Try to NOT store garlic in a paper bag, unless you have only a few bulbs. Plus it must be fully dried garlic.

Realize that if any of the bulbs have any moisture at all, the bulbs can easily start to degrade and mold.

Always use an open weave basket or something where each bulb has air flow.

Making Garlic Powder

You can use a dehydrator to dry garlic, then turn it into garlic powder. Here’s a good link that explains how to make your own garlic powder.

Preserving Garlic in Vinegar

While storing garlic in oil is a great way to preserve it – and offers the added bonus of lots of garlic-infused oil for cooking – you can store garlic for up to four months when you preserve it in vinegar.

Simply place your peeled cloves in a heat-safe container. Bring vinegar to a boil and add your hot vinegar to your container, making sure none of your cloves are exposed to the air.

Can I store garlic in oil in the freezer?

Yes, you can freeze garlic to preserve the garlic in oil you’ve mixed together. You can use either minced or chopped garlic or whole garlic cloves.

Chopped garlic ready for freezing
You can store chopped garlic or minced in the freezer.

 

Different Ways to Preserve Garlic by Freezing

You can easily freeze garlic – here are several different ways to store garlic in your freezer.

Freezing Minced Garlic in Olive Oil

If you want to freeze minced garlic then you’ll need to puree the peeled garlic cloves in a food processor or blender. This minced garlic is great frozen in small containers that you can easily grab as needed.

A good rule of thumb is one part garlic to two parts oil. You’ll need to freeze garlic in an airtight container like small jars or a tightly sealed Ziploc bag with the date written on it.

This packaging must be resistant to moisture so the oil can do its job to protect your pureed garlic inside the container.

Freezing Garlic in Oil in Ice Cube Trays

Here’s one of my favourite ways to freeze garlic (we love the convenience) – we basically just chop the clove and fill ice cube trays with cloves, leaving room for the oil.

Top each section with oil and store in the freezer. Once frozen, you can transfer them into Ziplock bags.

This makes it so easy to just pop out a couple of cubes of frozen garlic in oil for adding to your dinner recipes.

Using a food processor to mince garlic is a very fast way to get your garlic preserved for eating later in the year.

We find our food processor is one of the best kitchen tools we have. It gets a LOT of use in our kitchen.

Cured garlic bulbs sit on a counter.
Find out the best ways to preserve garlic for months.

Freezing Minced Garlic

If you want to go without the garlic in oil option but still want minced garlic, after peeling garlic cloves, just add them to the food processor.

Get the garlic to a texture that you prefer and place it inside an airtight container that’s moisture resistant.

This container can be placed in the freezer to freeze garlic for up to six months. And it is so much cheaper than buy a jar at the grocery store.

Freezing Garlic Cloves

If you’d rather freeze garlic cloves, that’s easy too. Just peel your garlic gloves and seal them inside an airtight container and place them in your freezer. You don’t need oil to freeze garlic as cloves or bulbs.

How Long will Garlic Last in the Freezer?

Garlic will stay good in the freezer for approximately six months. While it doesn’t last long in comparison to a lot of other garden food, it is a great option for preserving garlic if you don’t have room to store bulbs.

 

A jar of garlic cloves in oil sits on counter

 

Does freezing garlic destroy allicin?

Allicin is a natural antifungal, anti-viral, and anti-parasitic substance that can be found in garlic. Garlic contains a lot of allicin when it’s fresh from the garden, but the allicin content does slowly diminish the longer you store garlic.

Freezing garlic will retain more allicin than, let’s say, putting it in the refrigerator. Fresh garlic typically loses allicin in 2 and a half days.

Most people recommend allowing your fresh garlic to sit for at least 15 minutes before consuming it as the allicin is at its height in that time.

Freezing your fresh garlic within 15 minutes of the harvest will allow you to retain the most allicin properties of your garlic.

Garlic, Oil and Botulism

Let’s talk food safety here, it’s important and you need to be careful! Here’s some information about possibilities of getting Botulism from storing garlic improperly.

Storing garlic cloves in oil helps to extend the life of your garlic cloves, but it is important to use the garlic as quickly as possible.

As you are using it, always make sure that your garlic is always completely submerged in the oil to keep it from growing bad things.

Can you get Botulism from garlic in olive oil?

Botulism is a type of food poisoning that causes breathing problems, blurred vision, and other difficulties that can prove to be fatal.

The growth of clostridium botulinum can create poison in garlic when you store garlic in oil but not refrigerate it.

This substance is not something you’ll notice or smell. This is why you must follow proper procedures when storing garlic in oil.

To reduce the risk of getting Botulism from garlic in oil you’ll need to store your raw garlic in oil inside the refrigerator and use it within 2-3 weeks.

You can safely store garlic in oil for about 4 months in the freezer. Any garlic in oil mixture left at room temperature for two hours should be thrown away.

How to tell when garlic in oil has gone bad or rancid?

There are a few ways to tell when garlic in oil has gone bad or rancid. The look, smell, and feel test will help you determine whether your garlic in oil has gone bad.

The first way to tell if your garlic in oil has gone bad or rancid is to do the smell test. If your oil smells somewhat sweet then your container of garlic in oil has gone bad.

To give you a better sense of what “sweet” means, it’s a similar scent to Elmer’s Glue.

Another sign that your garlic in oil has gone bad or rancid is to look at the garlic. If it has developed brown or yellowish spots or smells somewhat sour then the container is bad and you must throw it away.

Garlic bulbs and peeled garlic cloves on a table.
Easy ways to preserve garlic bulbs and cloves.

Why is my garlic in oil bubbling?

If you notice your oil bubbling, that indicates that it is very possibly contaminated. It could be botulism or a variety of other things – but none of them should be eaten. The safest option when your garlic olive oil bubbles is to throw it out.

Why does garlic turn blue?

If you use tap water to store your garlic, you may find that your garlic turns blue. Using distilled water, iodine-free salt, and stainless steel cookware can help deter this process from occurring.

The reason your garlic turns blue is that the garlic enzymes break down over time causing the natural sulfur in garlic to interact with the enzymes. This process can turn your stored garlic a slightly blue or green color.

The good news is that you can consume garlic that’s turned green or blue. This process of the sulfur interacting with the breakdown of the enzymes merely changes the color of the stored garlic, not the flavor or potency.

So if your garlic turned blue, it is still fine to eat.

How long do garlic cloves last?

Garlic cloves last around 3 weeks – don’t peel the cloves until you are ready to use them! After several weeks, the flavor will definitely start to decrease, although they are certainly still fine for cooking! 

 

Whether you preserve Garlic in oil, or store Garlic using one of these preservation methods, remember:

You can use garlic in so many meals and it helps promote good health. Sneaking minced garlic into your eggs and other meals helps promote good blood flow to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Using my tips for garlic storage, you can easily keep your harvest of garlic longer so that your family enjoys garlic all year round.

Grow your own, support your local farmer’s market or put in an online order for garlic!

 

Want more Garlic articles?

Make this Roasted Garlic to go along side a grilled steak and baked potatoes!

This Bacon and Garlic appetizer is sure to please and it is so quick to make! Serve alongside a plate of pickles and Pearl Onions.

Add this Garlic Scape Pesto to any pasta dish or serve on crackers.

Grow your own Garlic. Here’s everything you need to know! A 4 part series on growing, harvesting, curing and more.

How to prepare a bed for planting garlic.

Growing a food filled garden

 

How to Preserve Garlic in Oil

Garlic cloves in oil

How to Preserve Garlic in Oil

Yield: 1 jar of garlic in oil
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

It's easy to preserve garlic cloves in oil. Just be sure to always keep the jar in the fridge!

Ingredients

  • Peeled garlic cloves
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Peel garlic cloves.
  2. Add the cloves to a clean mason jar (use any size you like).
  3. Slowly pour the oil over the cloves, covering them completely.
  4. Wipe the jar rim with a clean paper towel.
  5. Add your seal, then screw on the canning ring.
  6. Store in the fridge.

Notes

Always store your jar in the fridge. Remove only to use the garlic cloves, then return the jar to the fridge.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 12Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Annie
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Recipes

 

Garlic cloves waiting to be preserved in oil

 

published on Dec 3, 2016 updated Apr 29, 2021

How to Roast Garlic

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Once you learn how to roast garlic cloves, you’ll be including this healthy side dish more often with your meals. Learn how to easily roast whole heads of garlic!

Roasted garlic tastes sweet and nutty and sends wonderful aromas throughout the kitchen. Garlic, as a cooking spice, is quite versatile and there are lots of delicious garlic recipes.

Fresh garlic cloves sit in a bowl.
Wondering how to roast garlic? Here are several ways to enjoy roasted garlic with your meals.

Why You’ll Love This Roasted Garlic Recipe

There are not many dishes or cuisines for which garlic is not a good complement either as a side dish, as an infusion or mixed into the meal.

For the best flavored garlic, learning how to roast fresh garlic cloves can give a subtle difference to the taste of a dish. Compared to dried powdered, salted garlic or minced garlic that is pre-prepared and purchased in a store?

Well, there really is no comparison – fresh roasted garlic cloves win! Hands down!

Roasted Garlic in a Saucepan and on tin foil.
If you’re searching for tips on how to roast garlic in the oven, be sure to read this post for all the information you could need!

It might come as a surprise how sweet and nutty freshly roasted garlic can taste compared to the mass-manufactured and pre-prepared garlic seasonings.

Roasted garlic complements most recipes or can be sautéed with onions, butter and a little brown sugar for a succulent side dish. Grate or chop into pasta, mix it in to your mashed potatoes for a super flavorful side dish, make a flavorful salad dressing, add to sauces or your favorite hummus, or use it to make homemade garlic bread!

Instructions

Heads of garlic can be roasted using a toaster oven, convection oven or conventional oven or on the grill, but garlic can also be roasted in a pan on a stovetop.

Roasting garlic is the best way to bring out the nutty sweetness and caramelized flavor that garlic is known for, instead of the pungent aroma often found with processed garlic.

In fact, garlic that is roasted doesn’t leave the bad breath scent for which garlic sometimes gets a bad rap, and there are many researched health benefits to consuming raw garlic or roasted fresh garlic.

How to Roast Garlic in the Oven

A bulb of freshly roasted garlic, still on the tinfoil it was cooked in after having the top chopped off and oil poured on.
A bulb of freshly roasted garlic, still on the tinfoil it was cooked in after having the top chopped off and oil poured on.
  1. Peel the desired amount of garlic cloves or just cut off the pointed tops of a whole garlic bulb with a sharp knife to release the aroma and interior oils (just like that picture above). These pieces can be roasted whole or cut or chopped, and then placed inside foil. Leave the foil unsealed at the top.
  2. Drizzle the garlic with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil (or any favorite flavored oil) and add any complementary spices you like.
  3. Place the foil on a baking sheet in the center of the hot oven and bake at 350-375 degrees for 40 minutes, until the tops of the garlic are lightly browned but not burnt.

Roasting Garlic Cloves on the Stove

Roasting garlic cloves in a pan on the stove.
Slow roasting garlic cloves in a pan on the stove is another great way to prepare this treat!

Roasting garlic in a pan uses the same oil drizzle technique, except the garlic cloves cannot be unattended while roasting. Simply place the cloves in the pan, (we love Lodge cast iron – highly recommend) add a little butter, flavors and spices, and then drizzle the oil over the cloves.

  1. Turn the flame onto a low/medium-low heat, and use a metal spatula to constantly move the garlic.
  2. Once the garlic has softened, and this might take as much as 15-20 minutes of constantly stirring, the flame can be turned up higher and the cloves allowed to sizzle until lightly browned and slightly firm on the outside.

How to Roast Garlic in the Air Fryer

This method is similar to the oven method, but typically doesn’t take as long!

  1. Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F.
  2. Gather individual cloves or chop the top off a whole bulb of garlic.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil and season as desired.
  4. Wrap well in a piece of aluminum foil and place in the air fryer.
  5. Air fry until soft and fragrant, about 16-20 minutes.

Which Spices Go Good with Garlic?

Any savory spice will work well, including:

  • rosemary
  • thyme
  • basil
  • sage
  • paprika
  • sea salt
  • pepper
Garlic Bulbs with tops cut off on parchment paper with spices and herbs
A variety of spices go great with garlic!

More Garlic FAQ

How to store roasted garlic?

Roasted garlic can be stored for up to a month in the refrigerator before it begins to lose its flavor. Just be sure to store in an air-tight container, plastic bag or jar.

A garlic bulb can also be infused into an oil and kept for longer.

How do I store garlic bulbs?

If bought fresh from grocers or farmers’ markets, garlic can be stored for several months in a cool and dry place in a pantry. We store our garlic in an open weave basket in the kitchen.

There is no reason to refrigerate garlic prior to roasting.

Can I grow garlic in containers?

Yes you sure can grow garlic in pots or containers! Here’s everything you need to know about how to grow garlic in the backyard!

Can I freeze roasted garlic for eating later?

Yup you can – here are several ways to preserve garlic by freezing.

How long to roast garlic?

Roasting time can depend on the size of your garlic cloves. It’s better to start out with a lower time, around 30 minutes, and add more time if needed.

Freshly peeled garlic on a brown cloth with wood spoon.
Freshly peeled garlic ready for roasting on the stove.

How to roast garlic without foil?

If you prefer, you can use parchment paper instead of foil for your roasted garlic cloves. Just be sure it isn’t wax paper, as that can melt in the oven and ruin your garlic!

How to remove garlic from skin?

Once roasted, it’s actually quite easy to remove each clove from the garlic skin. Give them some time to cool, then simply squeeze from one end and the individual cloves of garlic should should slide right out!

More Garlic Appetizer Recipes

Our entire Country Living in a Cariboo Valley Recipe Collection can be found here, and here are some more delicious garlic recipes hand-picked for you!

Now that you know how to roast garlic, add this roasted garlic recipe to more of your dinner recipes!

Roasting garlic in a cast iron pan

How to Roast Garlic with an Oil Drizzle

Yield: 2 bulbs
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Once you learn how to roast garlic, you’ll be including this healthy side dish more often with your meals.

Ingredients

  • 2 garlic bulbs
  • oil (whichever kind you prefer)

Instructions

  1. Peel the desired amount of garlic cloves (or just slice off the tops) and place in foil. Leave the foil open at the top.
  2. Drizzle with oil.
  3. Place the foil on a baking sheet and bake at 350-375 degrees F for about 40 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 66Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

First Published March 2021; Updated November 2022

 

Bear Meat and Making Lard

By

Graham enjoys hunting and tries to get out into the woods several times a year. Since we live in the woods, he doesn’t have far to travel.

Bear season in the Cariboo is April and May and then again from September to November.

The season for deer is from September to November. And there is a lot of wildlife here.

 

a buck deer eating grass

 

Each Fall, we have many hunters come to our Valley and the mountains around us.

Some are moose hunting, lots are deer hunting and some are hunting for bears.

 

How to Render Lard from Bear Meat

When Graham has a successful bear hunt, we can butcher and then freeze the meat. You can get a good amount of meat from a bear.

After removing the ribs, backstrap and several roasts, we started cutting up the rest to be canned for our dog.

We grind up a lot of burger from bear meat too. But we really enjoy bear steaks and roasts.

Bear pot roast is wonderful when slow cooked. Bear stew is another meal we really enjoy along with a nice red wine.

 

 

Melted fat being poured through strainer to make lard.

 

Here’s our go-to book when doing any kind of wild game or livestock butchering.

We got this as a gift when we moved and we couldn’t have done the butchering without it. So much information on all kinds of animals.

 

bear ribs sit on a plate ready for baking

 

Since we try to use as much of the animal as we can, we also like to take the fat from the bear.

We turn it into lard and then use it in baking and frying. Here’s how we make our own lard.

 

 

canned meat cools down on the counter

 

We set the pressure canner up on the porch and packed quart jars with the raw trimmings.

We added some liquid and then canned them for 90 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure.

Here’s how to pressure can any meat or fish – it doesn’t matter which kind, this is the way to can them.

 

How to make your own Lard

 

chunks of bear fat waiting to be rendered into lard

 

While the pressure canner was going, we got started on making bear lard, so we can make some pies. Look how thick this fat is!

We cut (largely diced) the bear fat and then rendered it down in a low oven set at 250 degrees.

 

bear fat melting in the oven

 

It takes a long time to melt down, but it will be worth it. Bear fat makes the absolute best pie crusts!

The bears have a really thick layer of fat on them at this time of year.

With late Fall coming, these bears are ready for hibernation.

They have been eating as much as they can, for months now, preparing for a long winter nap.

 

melted lard is put through a seive

 

 

After the fat has melted, we poured it through a small sieve. Take your time; it takes awhile.

 

Straining the Bear Fat to Make Lard

melted bear fat being strained through cheesecloth into a mason jar

 

Then Graham put some cheesecloth double layered into our canning funnel. He slowly poured the liquid through the cheesecloth.

You will want to be sure to filter out any bits of meat or gristle. You want completely clear fat.

Mason jars work great for storing the lard. Just put a sealer lid and ring on them and set them on the counter overnight.

They will firm up nicely and there you have your bear lard.

We ended up with 2 1/2 quarts, which we put in the fridge. We’re looking forward to using this for pastries and tarts!

Make bear lard if you have a successful bear hunt.

We try hard to use every part of the bear, letting nothing go to waste.

We wrap up all the bones from the bear and put them in the freezer for the dog to enjoy over the year.

 

3 angus steers grazing on a hayfield

 

Read about:

Budget Stretching – More Ways to Save Money

How to Raise and Butcher Pigs – we often raise pigs seasonally here. This is how we do it.

Wondering how to get started on your homesteading journey? Here’s how we took small steps to get set up.

 

 

pouring melted fat through cheesecloth

 

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