Food is nothing without its herbs and spices. It helps us distinguish different types of flavour profiles and cuisines. Looking at a bowl of garlic, I wondered how popular garlic was in the world of cuisine.
Thankfully I didn't have to wonder for long, Data Dial and Kit Stone did all that research for me. They wanted to know out of 36 world cuisines what were the most popular spices and herbs. Out of those 36, 10 of them had garlic as their top three. To me, that seems like a worthy spice to have in my kitchen.
No matter how you use it, you can never go wrong with Garlic Powder. As gardeners know, we always end up with more than we can handle. Why not try to make some garlic powder out of it?
Garlic Powder
Prep time: depends on how many you plan on drying Dry time: 30-40 hrs Yield:
INGREDIENTS
Easy, Garlic - I'm going to be using 10 bulbs
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Take each bulb and separate them into individual cloves.
2. Unwrap each clove and slice them into thin pieces. WARNING: your hands will get really sticky and the garlic smell will be pungent. I had to wash my hands 4-5 times while I was chopping these up!
3. Spread the garlic pieces out on the tray-liners and heat them at 37°C (100°F) in a food dehydrator for 36-48 hours or if your oven allows until dry. You'll know they are done when you can snap it in your hands.
Depending on how small some of the pieces are, you'll need to use different types of trays.
PROTIP: this will be a pungent experience. I locked these in a spare bedroom to avoid my whole house smelling like garlic. I highly advice you do the same thing.
4. Once done, use a coffee grinder. Grind until it reaches desired consistency.
Coffee grinders are great and effective at grinding spices , but can leave the grinder smelling quite pungent. I would advise having an extra grinder just for spices so that your coffee beans don't smell, well like onions, or garlic or whatever else you desire to dehydrate. Luckily they aren't that expensive like most small kitchen appliances.
STORAGE
As with anything, you never want to make too much of something. Finding a decent size jar can be tricky. No worries, I found the perfect ones: Decorative Mason Jar 250 ml Wide Mouth
Make sure once you seal the powder in their jars, write down what spices they are and the date.
- I love using paint markers, as they are fun and easy to use. You can find them at Michael's. - Something less costly, tape and a permanent marker work just as well.
BEST ADVICE: I ever got when making homemade spices, shake it once a day for the first couple days. This makes sure that any leftover moisture disappears so you don't end up with a lumpy product.
SHELF LIFE
Your homemade garlic powder, depending on how well you've dried it, expect it to last up to a year.
Store bought garlic powder, properly stored, will generally last up to 3 to 4 years. They have industrialized machines that dry out the products perfectly.
Store in a dry, cool place in an air tight container.
If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it! Tag #jobinkitchengarden on Instagram or on Facebook and let me know!
Pin to Pinterest
