steely primitive overloaded with garlic

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x65429

Oh my.

The predicaments primitives get themselves into; the steely primitive is the one living with friends, where he "cooks" to "pay" his share of the rent; also, the steely primitive works as some sort of "sorter" at a thrift store, and sometimes brings home purple three-piece suits and computers older than Eisenhower.

Richard Steele  (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 12:11 AM
Original message
 
Due to curcumstances beyond my control, I'm currently in possesion of 14lbs of fresh garlic bulbs.

Beyond my control? beyond my UNDERSTANDING is more like it.

I really have -no- explanation for how this happened, so please don't ask.

It's "Ten Peaks" brand garlic, packed in 2-pound bags, and I've got SEVEN of them.

I had 20, but managed to foist 13 off upon various co-workers.

So, what would YOU do if you had this much garlic?

I know what I'd do, and I'm doing it already...but once I've done that, I'm still gonna have about 5 pounds of garlic left over...

So I'm looking for ideas here...

Not ORDINARY ideas: big crazy ideas.

Ideas so big and crazy that they would involve 5 pounds of fresh garlic.

Edditted fer spellin: I always put the double "s" in "posession" in the wrong place these days.

The baby-talking warped primitive:

Warpy  (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 12:58 AM
Response to Original message
 
1. This will take care of 3 heads or so

http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipes/jbh/chick_40_clo...

The rest can be pureed in a handy chopper, some frozen and some kept in a small jar under a layer of olive oil in the fridge for putting into everything you eat for the next 6 months.

You can also freeze the pesto you make with some of it.

Richard Steele  (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 02:21 AM
Response to Reply #1
 
3. 3 heads or so? What part of "14 POUNDS" did you not understand?

Seriosly, I am WAAAAY beyond dealing with 3 heads or so.

I'm looking for ideas that will help me fill quart-sized canning jars.

Warpy  (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 01:00 PM
Response to Reply #3

10. My own plan would be to shove it underground for harvest in late fall, followed by a call to the local health food stores and better restaurants to sell whatever I get out of it. The only other thing to do would be to sell or give away about 12 pounds of it.

I know of nothing else that will get rid of 14 pounds of garlic besides the trash can.

My sarcastic suggestion was for the resonable amount you'd have left after you'd given or sold the surplus.

Richard Steele  (1000+ posts)        Sun May-31-09 02:36 AM
Response to Reply #10
 
18. There AREN'T any "better restaurants" around here. There ain't no "better" anything around here.

I don't know if I've mentioned my recent "reversal of fortune" to you, but I'm not living in Durham NC anymore.

I'm currently deep in the woods, hiding out from the CULT that ate my ex-Sweetie, and it's a 40-minute drive from here to a ****ing WalMart with a McDonalds in the lobby.

Warpy  (1000+ posts)        Sun May-31-09 02:37 PM
Response to Reply #18

21. There's always Ebay

The Rita Hayworth primitive:

Tangerine LaBamba  (1000+ posts)      Sat May-30-09 02:12 AM
Response to Original message
 
2. You are SO lucky!

I'm make a Spanish bread soup that calls for a garlic broth. This is a pretty close version of the one I make, but I use a whole head of garlic, or two, if I have enough on hand:

http://www.theheartofnewengland.com/food-GarlicSoup.htm...

I trust you're pickling a lot of them. Oh, yummy! I'm jealous, I really am.

A few heads peeled and chunked, sauteed in lots of olive oil with some salt and a bit of red pepper flakes, makes a terrific Pasta con Aglio e Olio, a late-night favorite around here. Grated cheese on top is optional - I skip it.

Whatever you decide to do, just keep in mind that you're a very, very fortunate man, and I wish you lived next door to me....................

Richard Steele  (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 02:35 AM
Response to Reply #2
 
4. It's not luck....

And it's not a fun happy thing.

Duer 157099  (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 04:58 AM
Response to Reply #2
 
5. Pickling them! Great idea!

I remember some olives stuffed with garlic that I used to get at Trader Joes! Yum.

Yep, that's a great idea, pickle 'em!

ginnyinWI  (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 10:11 AM
Response to Original message
 
8. take one two-pound bag of them,

Cut off the tops and put heads on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and bake until done. Sqeeze them all out of their wrappers, mash and freeze in small amounts. Use as needed on and in recipes.

kestrel91316  (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 11:50 AM
Response to Original message
 
9. Find all the different pickled garlic recipes you can, pickle a bunch and put them up in pint jars and give them away as gifts. For the next three years.

The empressof all   (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 03:36 PM
Response to Original message
 
11. Take it to the food bank

I would braid some if they still have the tops and store in a cool dry place. You can also do everything everyone else mentioned above.

For a non food application...

Get a can of polyurethane and dip the most perfect heads. Let dry and adhere then to a straw wreath with a hot glue gun to keep the vampires and friends bearing more garlic away

cbayer   (1000+ posts)      Sat May-30-09 05:53 PM
Response to Original message
 
13. There is a restaurant in New Orleans, Upperline, that has a garlic week every year.

They use garlic from start to finish, including ice cream for dessert.

Why not make a garlic feast for your closest friends, highlighting garlic every step of the way!

Tangerine LaBamba  (1000+ posts)      Sat May-30-09 07:42 PM
Response to Reply #14
 
15. Funny .........

we just returned from Penzey's, where I copped, among other goodies, a one-pound bag of granulated garlic. Now I'm wondering how many pounds of garlic went into making this little prize...................................

On edit: I called Penzey's and asked them if they knew how many pounds of garlic went into making one pound of granulated garlic.

Nine pounds, I was told.

I love those people ......................................

I'm confused.  It seems to me nine pounds of garlic would make nine pounds of granulated garlic.  The volume changes, not the weight.

But what do I know?

The empressof all   (1000+ posts)        Sat May-30-09 08:21 PM
Response to Reply #14
 
16. Interesting site! Lots of stuff about Garlic Juice

I happen to have bought some garlic juice a few months back when my local store marked down their spices that weren't selling and getting old. It hadn't reached it's best used by date but I was less than impressed. Maybe it's one of those things you just need to make fresh. Alas, I no longer have a juicer and probably won't be buying another real soon....But the idea of fresh garlic juice continues to intrigue me. I don't know what I'd do with it that I couldn't do with crushed or finely minced garlic but there must be something!

On edit: The site didn't mention garlic juice but I followed a link about it:

http://www.garlicvalleyfarms.com /

Not only will it get rid of mosquitos and fire ants, it'll keep bad bugs off your tomatoes and cherries. It lowers your cholesterol and cures nightime leg cramps.

Apparently it's also the secret to catching Bass. Perhaps we need to call Ron Popeil!

eleny  (1000+ posts)      Sat May-30-09 08:45 PM
Response to Reply #16
 
17. I guess it could freeze in a cube tray and keep in plastic bags

Liquid garlic - nectar of the gods.

Richard Steele  (1000+ posts)        Sun May-31-09 02:41 AM
Response to Reply #14
 
19. Holy crap! Yes I do! I really do!

I picked it up a few months ago, and then packed it away and forgot all about it! It's a big one: it could handle 5 pounds of garlic a day!

OMG, you're an ANGEL!

Remind to give you a big wet one right on the cheek sometime!

eleny  (1000+ posts)      Sun May-31-09 12:02 PM
Response to Reply #19
 
20. What a great coincidence

Btw, the person writing at that web site mentioned that some of the commercial products have a soy binder. So your dried result will taste so much better.

I suppose it will lose potency over time. But maybe it won't if it's kept in the freezer.

Richard Steele  (1000+ posts)        Thu Jun-04-09 01:36 AM
Response to Reply #20
 
22. Just an update: I've had 5lbs of garlic in the dehydrator for 20 hours now....

Looks like it's drying nicely, but it's gonna take WAAAY longer than a day before it's hard enough to grind to powder form.

But once it's done, we're gonna have the best garlic powder, and a year's supply of it!

We have a chest freezer and a vacuum sealer here, so once I grind it, I can seal it into 2TBS vacuumed pouches and freeze them.

Tomorrow is my day off, so that's the day I cook for the house...the Entree for Thursday Supper is gonna be a 5-pound turkey breast slow-roasted 5 hours inside a 2-inch layer of garlic bulbs.

I used 2lbs of my garlic making 3 dozen Pickled eggs and a quart of "pickled garlic with coriander and fresh tomato".

After tomorow's turkey breast, I'll have less than 7 pounds to deal with.

I'm making progress. Life is good.

That's good.

[ScubaGuy]

Richard Steele  (1000+ posts)        Sun May-31-09 02:36 AM
Response to Reply #10
 
18. There AREN'T any "better restaurants" around here. There ain't no "better" anything around here.

I don't know if I've mentioned my recent "reversal of fortune" to you, but I'm not living in Durham NC anymore.

I'm currently deep in the woods, hiding out from the CULT that ate my ex-Sweetie, and it's a 40-minute drive from here to a ******* WalMart with a McDonalds in the lobby.

Say what?  I got to hear the story on this one.

[franksolich]

Say what?  I got to hear the story on this one.

It's a long one.

Actually, the steely primitive left because he couldn't pay the rent.

[Karin]

I wonder what cult ate his ex-sweetie.  He really had to take for the deep woods because of it?  Anyway, I congratulate him for solving his conundrum. 

[RobJohnson]

When it comes to garlic, like threads on DU, a little goes a long way.

[Chris]

Pizza dough, thinly-sliced carmelized onions, roasted garlic, and not-quite-enough cheese to cover a medium-sized pizza.  Makes for good toast.  Aside from that, I guess you can freeze it.

[RobJohnson]

The DUmmie could improve his breath by eating it daily. 

I'm sure someone in the house will light up and get the munchies, the raw garlic will be gone in minutes. 

[Chris]

The warped primitive had an excellent idea... cover in oil and refrigerate.  They'll last for a long time and you can use the oil to your regular cooking.  I have one of those fancy bottles of olive oil stuffed with onions, peppers, and rosemary I got as a gift.  It looks so nice, I haven't opened it yet. 

[RobJohnson]

I like garlic stuffed olives. My cholesterol should be about zero by now.