Home made Garlic Olive Oil and 2 different ways to preserve garlic

I love garlic!!! and I could easily add it to every single one of my dishes. I have been successfully growing my own garlic for 2 years now. It is pretty easy. So what to do with all the garlic you have and how to keep it going for the whole year? You preserve it!!

You can keep fresh garlic for a long time if you just keep it in a cool, dry place, but it will eventually dry and go off. I have found out 2 ways of preserving the garlic that also gives me different flavor profiles (pungent and mild) that I can use in my meals. A delicious bypass product of the preserve methods is nothing more than great home made infused garlic olive oil - That is what I call a win-win.

Method 1: Pungent

Although not as pungent as fresh garlic, you can simply keep garlic longer by peeling it, and placing it in an sterilize jar completely covered with Olive Oil (I use Extra Virgin). Close the jar tightly and store in the refrigerator - it last for months and the oil gets infused with a nice mild garlic flavor.

Method 2: Mild

To get a milder softer flavor, pour olive oil in a heavy bottom pan, peel garlic and add to oil. Turn flame on and heat (do not let oil boil or you will fry the garlic). The intent here is almost like poaching the garlic. The heat will make it soft and the flavors will penetrate the oil. Once the oil is heated, turn it off and let it cool down. Get a sterilized jar and add garlic, fill jar with the olive oil and close lid. Store in the refrigerator for months. The extra oil in the pan can be kept on another jar or drizzling bottle - this is the best garlic infused olive oil ever!!!