Braiding Garlic to Dry

Those wonderful braid that you see in gourmet shops are wonderful decoration for your kitchen and useful too, because they properly store fresh garlic and keep it from moulding. To make one yourself is rather easy.


To do this you need garlic fresh from the garden with the leaves still pliable and not brittle. If you ask at the local farmers market, you can find a farmer who will gladly get you some with leaves still attached.

Steps to Braid Garlic:

1. Rinse off the natural dirt and choose the fullest heads. You are going to start with a group of three and lay them with heads together and stems crossing.

2. Braid the leaves together once or twice close to the heads. You want to braid tightly because you don’t want to see the leaves, just garlic.

3. Add a fourth head of garlic above the one in the center, weaving its leaves in with the center crossing the leaves of another. Braid a time or two.

4. Next add two more heads, these off to each side. Include their leaves with the other bunches and continue to braid.

5. Keep adding one, then two, then one, then two and braiding in-between for as long as you want until you run out of garlic.

6. To finish the top, braid the remaining leaves together tie with twine and trim the ends even. Hang it to dry. When you need garlic just snip off a head and use it.

If you love cooking with garlic, but don't grow your own, check out the Herb Mixes and Seasonings from the Backyard Patch.  We have rubs, marinades and others blends that are a garlic lover's dream.  See us at http://www.backyardpatch.com/