Garlic not storing very well

I grew both hard and soft neck Garlic last season and was very proud of the results.That old saying of "pride comes before a fall" is ringing in my ears as while the hard neck is storing fine the soft neck is not. I think I read that hard neck doesn't store usually as well as soft? so we had been eating the hard neck first and all the bulbs have been fine so far. I checked some of the soft neck today and about 10% are soft and have gone all mushy and horrid.
Any ideas why? all the bulbs looked fine when I lifted them and all the bulbs are being stored in the same place so don't understand why some are fine and others not.

 

That's what I've read, but in my experience it's always been the other way round, same again with last year's crop, and it's also what I found with the 70% off reduced autumn planting garlic a few weeks ago - the softneck was passed it, but the hardneck was fine.

I regularly check mine and any sign of it going soft either/or quickly get it in the ground (or pots if ground frozen)/freeze peeled/chopped cloves and also freeze chopped garlic in vegetable oil spread for making garlic bread.

Late last year I discovered some mislaid Elephant Garlic bulbs lifted in autumn 2015 and intended for spring 2016 planting. As they still looked OK I quickly planted them and they've all sprouted, in fact they sprouted much quicker than the EG lifted in 2016.

 

Many thanks @Scrungee. I hadn't thought of freezing the cloves I've managed to save from the bulbs which were going soft. Instead of blowing the heads off my family using up the cloves that are still viable in a oner I'll peel and freeze them/chop up and put into some oil to use in vinaigrette.

 

I had no idea it was ok to freeze peeled cloves of garlic Once again, you have saved me a bob or two.

 

Can you eat Wild Garlic, we have a road here with about 200 yards of Wild Garlic?

 

You can!


Well, you can eat the leaves: gently fried in a teeny bit of butter with oil (or Frylight "butter flavour"). They can be steamed (briefly) too! Fab in stir fries as well. I've also used them as an "addition" to other steamed veg and it really gives a strong, yet delicate, fresh flavour comes Spring.

Still a bit early for wild garlic around here though (and I need to harvest yet more seed this year to fulfil a promise to one of our fellow GC'ers. Sorry @Zigs .. the seeds I harvested last year ended up still in my coat pocket in a 40 degree wash )

 

Here are some recipes to inspire you

 

So it is the leaves and not the bulbs ?

 

How to save Garlic Freezing Garlic

 

or..Garlic Jam

1kg garlic cloves, peeled
250g jam sugar
250g??? (not sure how that works in ml or cl) water
sprigs of rosemary to taste

Cook the garlic cloves in the water with the rosemary for 30 minutes or until very soft, then remove rosemary. Blend/mix garlic and liquid and add sugar, following instructions for use. (Usually boil for 5-7 minutes). When thickened, spoon into hot, clean jars and seal.
Use as a substitute for mint sauce with lamb, or on anything that needs livening up!

 

Or garlic wine!

winemaking: Garlic Wine
Looking for a garlic wine recipe - Wine Making & Grape Growing Forum

NB Those are US recipes using US gall so the quantities will need converting into imperial galls

 

I have been reading about freezing Garlic, many thanks @Scrungee . Wow you can just pop the whole bulb unpeeled in the freezer. I am going to check the rest of my soft necks to see if any more have rotted and if they have I think I might freeze what's left before they also go west. I have read that the Garlic looses it's flavour a bit when frozen. Does it affect it just a bit or quite a lot? I need to decide if it's worth risking just leaving those which haven't rotted or best to freeze and loose some flavour. Maybe I might freeze half and leave half, hedging my bets!

 

Wild garlic ... that will be the leaves

 

Wild garlic is very tasty,can't find any near me.Wild garlic leaves with mince, make delicious meatballs

 

Now discovered my hard neck Garlic are sprouting. I have already planted what I really need for next season so while I could just plant these I was wondering if it's ok to peel and put them in a airtight jar of oil to use to make french dressing come summer despite having sprouted a bit? I did as directed and have frozen quite a lot of my soft necks and they have been fine to use from the freezer but sort of have enough frozen too. If it's a bad idea I'll just freeze these ones as well. Wish my flaming seed potatoes would get going as much as the Garlic has. The Garlic is in a very cold outhouse and the seed spuds are in the room with the seriously cosy wood burner