You might be wondering: why should you grow garlic in the water? The best answer to that is in the garlic itself. We all know that most people love garlic because of its fantastic aroma and excellent taste that enhances every dish’s flavor.
Perhaps, the next question is: what will happen if you put garlic in the water? You might be thinking that garlic would rot, but no, they will survive and grow garlic sprouts.
Growing garlic in the water is one of the many methods for being resourceful, especially with your food. Usually, we throw off everything in the garbage if we know that they are close to rotting or not in a healthy shape anymore.
It would be best to change your mind when it comes to garlic because this article will tell you how to grow garlic in water. Rest assured that the process of growing garlic in water is nothing but fun and satisfaction.
Learning Objectives:
• How to Grow Garlic in Water
• Other Relevant Ideas about Growing Garlic
The 3 Common Types of Garlic
Generally, there are three significant types of garlic you can grow at home. These are soft neck garlic, hard neck garlic, and elephant garlic.
• Softneck Garlic
This type of garlic is what you can typically find in most local groceries. Softneck garlic has a more robust flavor and can survive in warm climates.
The term softneck comes from the variety of garlic itself because the neck is so soft that you can cut it easily.
• Hard neck Garlic
This type of garlic has complex flavors compared to soft neck garlic. The components of stiff neck garlic are like wild garlic because of its hardness, unlike soft neck garlic. Aside from that, stiff neck garlic does not store for long as soft neck does.
• Elephant Garlic
This type of garlic is confused with the leek family because of its taste. They taste like other alliums but without much garlic flavor. This is the reason why gardeners do not recommend this kind of garlic.
Now, which of these three varieties should use to grow in water? You can never go wrong with soft neck garlic or stiff neck garlic. It is a matter of what is available in your house.
The thing is, soft neck garlic and stiff neck garlic differ in terms of production. Softneck garlic is known for growing leafy greens, while stiff neck garlic is best for growing garlic scapes
.
The next step is a matter of preference, whether you would like to grow garlic greens or garlic scapes.
How To Grow Garlic In Water
1. Prepare your garlic cloves that began to sprout.
There are two ways that garlic sprouts: doing them manually or allowing them to sprout naturally. But your success rate is higher if you choose the garlic with sprouts that grow naturally.
You can find this in your local grocery and find the one with sprouts in it. You will notice that there is green stuff on the tip of the garlic, and that is when you know it began to sprout.
The other option is to go to your local farmer’s market and ask them to give you garlic that is already sprouting. It isn’t necessary to go to supermarkets or farmer’s markets to get one.
Just take a look at your garlic shelf and see if there is one with a sprout. If not, you can wait for one of them to grow and let time do the work.
2. Place the sprouted cloves in a jar.
Before doing it, you should know first how many cloves you want to grow. If you are one of those garlic addicts, you might be needing a larger jar.
But if you want to make use of the garlic that sprouted instead of throwing them, then an ordinary jar is enough for you.
You mustn’t overcrowd the garlic cloves in the jar to help them maximize growth. Otherwise, you will only have garlic soak in the water, waiting for them to rot.
The placement and space of the clove is the crucial aspect in growing garlic in water successfully.
It would be best if you placed the garlic with a sprouted part in an upward position. You will need a glass container to see how the garlic has grown and know whether it is still in the correct position. If you do not have a glass container, you can go for a drinking glass or any glass with the appropriate size to hold the garlic cloves.
3. Put water in the jar enough to cover the bottom part of the garlic.
This is why you should not overcrowd the jar because the garlic needs to be in contact with the water.
If you place all your cloves in one jar, there is a tendency that only those garlic in the bottom will have access to the water. The cloves above them will cover the space for the sprout to grow.
Use lukewarm tap water only, or else it will damage the garlic cloves. The amount of water depends on the jar you are using. So it is now up to you but make sure you only put water enough to cover the bottom part of the cloves.
4. Leave the jar with the cloves in it near your window.
Placing them near the window is to ensure that the sprouting garlic cloves will get enough sunlight. You can leave them on your windowsill for about four to seven days utmost.
You should pay attention to the sprouting garlic cloves once you place them on your windowsill.
This is because the sprouts might turn brown or wilt, and when they do, you should immediately remove them from the windowsill and place them out of the sun for one to two days.
5. Change the water if it turns brown.
Browning of water is a sign that the water is not healthy for your sprouting garlic cloves, and it will cause them to die if you leave them there. What you have to do is to change the water and put clean lukewarm water after quickly.
Always remember, do not over-saturate the jar with water. Keep the amount of water the same as before you changed them. Please take note; you will only change the water one to two times only before harvesting them.
How to Harvest The Garlic Sprouts
1. The sprout must grow beyond the lid of the jar.
This measurement is for those standard jars like an eight-ounce jar. The sprouts should at least grow three inches long from the lid of the jar.
But if you use a larger jar, the standard measurement to know if it is ready to harvest is 7.6 cm tall.
Take note; you have to harvest the sprouts at this precise measurement because gathering them too early will give them a bitter and unpleasant taste.
2. Cut the top of the garlic sprout.
This is where it gets tricky because you have to cut the garlic sprout’s top where it is tasty and less bitter. You can use a knife or scissors, but they must be sharp.
Should you harvest all of them? No, unless you are ready to use all of the sprouts. If not, you can only cut the amount enough to use for the dish and leave the remaining garlic sprouts in the jar until subsequent use.
But you cannot leave them for long because they will grow taller and the taste will also change.
You also cannot harvest them simultaneously and place them in your fridge because they will dry and lose their taste.
Thus, it is better to think of a dish you can use once they reach the perfect harvest size.
3. Enjoy the garlic sprouts.
This part is the most satisfying because you successfully grow a garlic sprout and enhance your dish by using them.
They are good at enhancing every dish’s flavors and make them presentable enough to stimulate your appetite.
The Things You Need to grow garlic in water:
It is pretty apparent that the things you need for growing garlic in the water are:
• Garlic
This is the main character of the show. Remember to use the sprouting garlic that grows naturally and not those that have undergone the manual procedure. But if it annoys you to wait for the sprout to grow, you can do it by moistening the clove and putting them in a paper towel. Place them in a warm location, and you will see a sprout after two days.
• Jar
This is where you will place your garlic cloves. Do not forget that you should only use glass jars. See to it that your garlic cloves do not overcrowd in the jar.
• Water
This is what sustains life to the sprouting garlic. Take note that you will only use clean lukewarm water and nothing else. Do not oversaturate the jar with water at all costs.
• Knife or Scissors
They are for harvesting purposes only. You can only need them after you successfully grow the sprouting garlic.
Can I Reuse the Garlic After Harvesting the Sprouts?
The next thing that may worry you is what you will do to the garlic cloves after harvesting the sprout. Luckily, there are plenty of steps from which to choose.
First, you can eat them if you choose to do so. You can use it just like a regular garlic clove for any dish. You can barely notice them once they are cooked and combined with other ingredients.
Second, you can replant them in soil. Please place them in your growing medium and keep them moist for the first week. After that, you can water them just like you would typically do with other outdoor plants.
The Best Dishes to Use Garlic Sprouts
The best thing about garlic sprouts is that it is versatile. You can add them to almost all types of dishes because you can use them to decorate the dish or one of the dish’s main ingredients.
Here are some examples of the best dishes to use garlic sprouts:
1. Scrambled Eggs. Adding garlic sprouts alongside onions and other ingredients to your scrambled eggs does not just improve the dish’s appearance but increases the flavor of the dish to another level.
2. Soup. A soup is not complete without green leafy vegetables floating on it. Garlic sprouts can be one of them.
3. Stir fry dishes. This type of dish is usually dry and plain but bursting with flavors. To balance the taste and appearance, you can sprinkle garlic sprouts on top of the dish to add some color and aroma.
4. You can never go wrong with adding garlic sprouts to your salad. They enhance the flavor and nutrients as well.
5. Salsas or dips. We know that salsas or dips have a strong flavor and garlic sprouts are capable of enhancing it. Start adding them in your salsas or dips and begin to experience the next level of satisfaction.
Benefits of Garlic Sprouts
Let us now proceed to the health benefits of garlic sprouts. By this time, you are already thinking of growing garlic in water. The garlic sprouts have properties like:
1. Anti-bacterial
2. Anti-viral
3. Anti-fungal
4. Immune system booster
They are good for:
1. Heart protection
2.Prevents strokes
3. Prevents wrinkles
4. Strengthen the immune system
5. Fights against cancers
Final Thoughts
Indeed, growing garlic in water is one of the many methods of inexpensive farming. You can do it comfortably inside your house. You only need four things to complete the setup.
Aside from that, it requires little effort, but you might need to pay some extra attention to it. Nevertheless, it is not so extreme that it can make you exhaustive after doing it.
For sure, people must know that growing garlic in water is designed to counter food waste. We are more than lucky enough to have this kind of farming technique. Happy farming!
Jenny M
Tribal Writer
Edited by
Patricia Godwin
