When I wander around in autumn and come across a chestnut tree, I always remember making little animals and people from chestnuts and toothpicks as a child. Today, I still can’t pass chestnuts lying on the ground, and I always stuff my pockets with as many as I can get into them. First of all, for decoration, but then for making chestnut laundry detergent. It’s so simple, sustainable, and eco-friendly – plus it’s completely free!
Which Chestnuts Are Suitable?
Just to clarify: When I speak of “chestnuts” in this recipe, I’m referring to the common horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) as opposed to the edible sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa). Horse chestnuts naturally contain soap compounds, so-called saponins. Due to this, chestnuts were (and still are) widely used as a washing detergent, much like a local alternative to washing nuts. Today, however, we want to use the saponins to enhance the washing characteristics of our homemade laundry detergent.
You can also use chestnuts to make homemade chestnut soap – check out my complete chestnut soap recipe for another sustainable way to use foraged chestnuts.
How to Make Chestnut Laundry Detergent – Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Gather and prepare chestnuts
That’s easy: take a wonderful stroll in the crisp autumn air to your nearest (or most beautiful or largest, that’s up to you) horse chestnut tree. Advanced collectors always bring a bag. When you’ve reached your destination, bend down and gather as many chestnuts as you can carry.
Bring them home and wash them thoroughly.
Step 2: Chop chestnuts
To extract the saponins, you must chop the chestnuts, either doing it roughly with a knife or – and this is my recommendation – by shredding them in a food processor. Process small amounts at a time to avoid damaging the blade or motor. And just in case you’re wondering: yep, I learned this the hard way!
If you want to store chestnuts for future use, you can shred them in the processor and dry them in the oven or a dehydrator.
Make sure they are completely dry; otherwise, they’ll mould. Store the dried chestnut shreds in a jar.
Step 3: Making the detergent
Ok, so there are two ways of making chestnut laundry detergent.
The short method is to put the chopped chestnuts into a pot, fill it up with water, and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes, then let it cool down.
An alternative way – and that’s the one I always use – is to put the chopped chestnuts into a bottle or a jar, fill it up with water, and let it extract for about 24 hours.
Either way, strain the liquid laundry detergent through a fine-meshed sieve.
Homemade chestnut laundry detergent does not store very long. It’s best to make it fresh every few days or when needed, and use it up within a few days. I usually make about one litre and use it up within 5 – 7 days. I’ve heard that you can freeze it and use it just like the fresh detergent once it’s thawed, but I’ve never tried it myself.
How to wash with chestnut laundry detergent
While making homemade chestnut laundry detergent is already easy, washing with it is even simpler: Take your dirty laundry, put it in the washing machine, and add your homemade chestnut laundry detergent where you’d normally put your store-bought wash powder or liquid. Start the washing programme and that’s that.
I always use about 200 ml per load.
Industrially manufactured laundry detergents are made for severely dirty clothes, while our homemade chestnut laundry detergent only contains as much cleaning agent as necessary. That way, we not only save the fibres but also the environment.
Chestnut Laundry Detergent – FAQs
How can I store the chestnuts?
Unfortunately, chestnuts get mouldy quickly. For that reason, it’s best to dry them properly, either whole or shredded, and store them in an airtight container like a jar with a lid to keep moths away.
Can I just put the chestnut powder into the washing machine?
You can, yet not loosely, but in a sealable fine-meshed net or a sock. Otherwise, the powder or shreds will make your laundry dirty and clog the drain filter. However, the washing effect is better with the liquid laundry detergent because the saponins are better extracted this way.
How many chestnuts do I need per wash cycle?
I always use 2 – 3 tablespoons of chestnut shreds and add one litre of water. This laundry detergent is enough for about five wash cycles. I’d estimate then, that you need about 2 – 4 chestnuts per wash cycle.
My chestnut laundry detergent is yellow. Is that normal?
Unpeeled chestnuts make a yellowish extraction, but it won’t colour your laundry. To avoid greying of white laundry, you can peel the chestnuts before using them.
My chestnut laundry detergent has made my machine’s detergent dispenser dirty. What can I do?
Remove the dispenser and clean it with vinegar or citric acid. Use a cleaning brush, if necessary.
Is the chestnut laundry detergent suitable for all types of laundry?
Basically, it’s suitable for every laundry and every wash temperature. You can even use it for wool or delicate laundry. Pretreat stains with bile soap or curd soap before washing.
Can I wash white laundry with chestnut laundry detergent?
Homemade chestnut laundry detergent doesn’t contain optical brighteners like store-bought laundry detergent. For that reason, white laundry may develop a greyish tint after some wash cycles. You can prevent that by adding wash soda to your dispenser or vinegar where you’d normally put your fabric softener.
For bright white laundry, I also recommend adding one tablespoon of oxygen bleach.
Is chestnut laundry detergent safe for baby’s clothing?
Chestnut laundry detergent is milder than industrial washing detergents and thus suitable for baby clothing.
How does chestnut laundry detergent smell?
Chestnut laundry detergent doesn’t have a scent, so the laundry comes out fragrance-free. If you like, you can add essential oils and some alcohol as a binding agent to the detergent. However, essential oils are volatile and only last for a few hours in the detergent. For that reason, I use store-bought, eco-friendly washing powder for our sports clothing.
Do I need a fabric softener?
No, that’s not necessary. If you like, though, you can add vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser. It not only prevents greying but also makes the fabrics softer.
Aren’t horse chestnuts food for wild animals?
Yes, they are, but considering that there are so many horse chestnut trees in parks or on streets, and bearing in mind that we only need a small amount to make a year’s worth of laundry detergent, we don’t deprive the wild animals of their food.
If you want to help wild animals further, collect horse chestnuts and bring them to a forestry office or game park where staff can use them as feed.
Is chestnut laundry detergent eco-friendly?
Yes, definitely! First of all, chestnuts grow locally and therefore there’s no long-distance transportation. They also don’t need to be processed extensively.
The chestnuts’ saponins are milder than the washing agents in commercial laundry detergent. They’re much gentler than harsh surfactants (tensids) and other additives.
I don’t know about you, but whenever I pass a chestnut tree in autumn and see aaaaall those beautiful, smooth, glossy chestnuts lying there on the ground, I simply cannot pass them without taking as many as I can store in my pockets. First, of course, I use them as a decoration, sprinkling (or rather: throwing) them between all the pumpkins I use for decorations. Once the pumpkins make way for Christmas decorations, however, I don’t throw out the chestnuts but use them for making chestnut soap. Here’s how I do it:
Why Chestnuts?
Just to clarify: When I speak of “chestnuts” in this recipe, I’m referring to the common horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) as opposed to the edible sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa). Horse chestnuts naturally contain natural soap compounds, so-called saponins. Due to this, chestnuts were (and still are) widely used as a washing detergent, much like a local alternative to washing nuts. Today, however, we want to use the saponins to enhance the washing and foaming characteristics of homemade soap.
You can also use chestnuts to make homemade chestnut laundry detergent – check out my complete chestnut laundry detergent recipe for another sustainable way to use foraged chestnuts.
Disclaimer: This tutorial is for educational purposes. Soap-making involves sodium hydroxide (lye), which is caustic and can cause serious injury if mishandled. Always follow proper safety procedures, wear protective equipment, and work in a well-ventilated area. I cannot guarantee results or accept liability for any injuries, damages, or outcomes. You are responsible for your own safety when following this tutorial.
How to make chestnut extraction
To use the chestnuts for soap-making, we have to extract their soap-making properties first. To do that, we roughly chop the chestnuts, fill about 1/3 cup of the chopped chestnuts into a glass jar or bottle and fill it up with 500 ml of distilled water. This makes more than you need for making the chestnut soap (330 g), but it’s always good to have a backup.
Some people recommend peeling the chestnuts first, but for just making an extraction, that’s not necessary. The skin neither darkens the fluid nor does it have any other negative influence on the extraction.
Leave the jar with the chestnuts and water for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days. I personally couldn’t find a difference between the short (24 hours) and the long soaking time regarding washing properties or lather enhancement. 24 hours, however, are at least necessary to extract the saponins into the water.
Shake the mixture well twice a day and then pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the chopped chestnuts and either use the extraction right away or store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
How to make chestnut powder (optional)
If you want to give your chestnut soap a peeling effect, you can add chestnut powder. Now, to make that powder, we definitely have to peel the chestnuts first!
For this recipe, peel about 10 – 15 chestnuts (depending on the size) and let them dry for 5 – 10 days. Alternatively, you can dry them in the oven or dehydrator. Let them cool down and grind them finely in a food processor or a coffee mill. If you want to make sure that no coarse particles get into your soap, strain the powder through a fine-mesh sieve.
This will make more chestnut powder than you need for the soap, but as with the extraction, better safe than sorry, and you can use the excess fluid as laundry detergent.
How to Make Chestnut Soap – Step-by-Step
Step 1: Put on Your Protective Gear
In soap-making, we deal with lye, which is potentially hazardous. To protect ourselves from any accidental harm, therefore, we must wear protective gear throughout making the soap. This gear contains safety goggles, protective gloves and a face mask (the latter only until you’ve mixed the lye into the fats/oils), but you should also wear long-sleeved shirts that cover your arms and, if possible, an apron to protect your clothing. For more details about safety in soapmaking, especially if you’re new to soapmaking, read this article on soapmaking safety guidelines.
Step 2: Get all your Ingredients and Equipment Together
When making soap, we have several narrow time frames, which is why it’s crucial that we have all the ingredients and our equipment ready before we start. I usually weigh all my fats and oils first and then make the lye, but you can also start with the lye and heat the fats while the lye cools down. Nevertheless, make sure everything’s within reach. You cannot afford to head off and look for an oil or a spatula at a crucial point.
Step 3: Weigh the Ingredients
I always start by weighing all the fats and oils first and putting them in a pot for heating up later. Use a 0.5-gram-precise scale, as it’s essential to obtain the measures as accurately as possible. Even deviations of a few grams can have a negative effect on your soap, the worst being that you have to throw it away.
After weighing the fats and oils, weigh the chestnut extraction and pour it into a heat-resistant container.
Afterwards, carefully weigh the sodium hydroxide. Now, at the latest, should you wear your protective gear, including safety goggles, protective gloves and a face mask!
Step 4: Make the Lye
Pour the sodium hydroxide into the chestnut extraction, never the other way round! I always mix the lye in a heat-resistant glass jar that I put in the sink. That way, if anything should go wrong, both I and my kitchen surface are protected. Insert a thermometer into the lye and measure the temperature.
Gently stir the mixture with the thermometer to make sure that all the sodium hydroxide dissolves properly. The lye must now cool off to a temperature between 40 and 42 °C (104 – 107 °F). To speed up that process, you can put the container with the lye into a cold water bath or fill up the sink with cold water.
Step 5: Heat up the Fats and Oils
When the lye’s temperature approaches the recommended temperature range, it’s time to heat the fats and oils to the same temperature. Start with gently heating the solid fats, in this case the coconut oil, until it’s completely melted. Remove it from the stove and add the oils, stirring gently to combine all the ingredients. Measure the temperature and, if necessary, heat the mixture up again until it also reaches 40 – 42 °C (104 – 107 °F). Either leave the fat mixture in the pot (if it’s used for soap-making only) or fill it into a second container.
Step 6: Combine the Fats and Lye
Once the lye and the fats have reached the desired temperature, it’s time to combine them. I take the lye container out of the sink and put it onto the draining rack while putting the container with the liquid fat into the sink. For me, that’s the safest method to make soap.
Insert the stick blender into the fat mixture and slowly add the lye (not the other way round). Once all the lye is in the fat, start blending everything together without adding too much air. Do not turn on the blender until it’s fully submerged.
Stir the mixture well until it becomes thicker and shows traces when you move through it. It should have the consistency of Greek yoghurt.
When you can see those traces in the soap batter, it’s ready to be poured into the mould.
Step 7: Mix in the Additives
If you want to add chestnut powder for a peeling effect in your soap, now is the time. Add the powder all at once and carefully stir it into the soap batter with a whisk, as at this point, the blender might speed up trace too much. Also, take into consideration that adding the chestnut powder may accelerate the tracing process. So, make sure everything is combined homogeneously and work fast.
Step 8: Pour the Chestnut Soap into the Mould
Once everything is combined well together and the batter starts to thicken, pour it into your mould. Scrape the edges of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure that you get all the soap into the mould. Flatten the batter in the mould with the spatula so that you achieve a smooth, level surface.
Step 9: Cover the Mould
Cover the soap surface in the mould with a greaseproof paper or baking paper and wrap the whole thing with a towel to insulate the soap. This technique encourages the so-called gel phase, where the soap heats up before it hardens off.
Step 10: Cleaning your equipment
Although we’ve mixed the lye into the fat, the fresh soap batter is still slightly caustic. For that reason, we mustn’t just rinse off large quantities of residual soap batter into the sink. A good way to get rid of most of the soap batter is by wiping it off with a paper towel or toilet paper (which works just as well and is cheaper!) that you throw directly in the bin.
There’ll still be a thin coat on the bowl, blender, spatula, etc., but that’s okay. Just wash everything well with dish soap, rinse it with a bit of vinegar to neutralise the lye and wash it again with water.
Step 11: Unmould your chestnut soap
Leave the soap in the mould for at least 48 hours before you try to unmould it. Those 48 hours are necessary for hardening the batter, and every attempt to unmould it earlier will result in a smeary, unshapely soap. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about…
Step 12: Cut and Cure
When the soap is unmoulded, you can cut it into bars. The size and shape of the bars depend on the mould you used. I mostly use a rectangular mould and cut the soap into slices of about 1.5 – 2 cm (0.6 – 0.8 inches). As a rule of thumb, cut the bars so that they fit comfortably in your hand.
You can either cut the bars with a sharp knife or you can use a soap cutter that often comes as part of soap-making kit, together with the mould.
Cut straight through the soap and slide the soap off the knife. If the soap sticks badly to the knife, let it set for another day or two in a well-ventilated place. That way, it can dry out a bit before you start cutting it again.
After cutting, let the soap bars cure – again in a well-ventilated place – for about 4 – 6 weeks. Turn the bars twice a week to make sure that they cure and dry evenly. During this curing time, the soap will become milder, and the lather will improve.
Angela Braun
Homemade Chestnut Soap (5 % superfat)
Learn how to make natural chestnut soap from foraged horse chestnuts! This beginner-friendly, sustainable soap recipe uses the natural saponins in chestnuts to create a gentle cleanser with a rich lather. Optionally, you can add chestnut powder for exfoliation.This yields approximately 1400 g of soap.
1 heat-resistant container, about 500 ml for making the lye
1 large bowl for mixing fats/oils and lye
1 0.5-gram-precise scale
2 thermometers one for the lye, one for the fats
1 stick blender
1 whisk
1 spatula
1 soap mould volume: 1.5 kg
Your personal safety gear!
Method
Prepare the chestnut extraction by putting 1/3 cup of chopped chestnuts in a jar or bottle and adding 500 ml of distilled water. Let the mixture rest for 24 - 60 hours and strain it through a fine-mesh sieve.
Prepare the chestnut powder (optional) by peeling 5 - 10 chestnuts (depending on the size) and either dry them for about 5 days in a well-ventilated area or until completely dry in an oven or dehydrator.Grind them in a food processor or coffee grinder and sieve the powder once or twice through a fine-mesh sieve.
Put on your protective gear!
Make the lye by adding sodium hydroxide to the chestnut extraction (never the other way round!)
While the lye cools down, melt the fats and add the oils
When the lye and fats/oils have reached a temperature of 40 - 42 °C (104 - 107 °F), pour the lye into the fats/oils (never the other way round).
Stir everything well together with a stick blender, but make sure that you don't insert too much air.
When traces begin to form, add the chestnut powder with a whisk.
Pour the soap batter into a soap mould, cover it with greaseproof paper and insulate it by wrapping the mould in towels.
Let the soap set for about 48 h before unmoulding it.
Cut the soap in bars and cure it for 4 - 6 weeks in a well-ventilated space. Change the soap bars twice a week to make sure that they dry and cure evenly.
Notes
The soap bars can be stored in a cool and dry place for up to 2 years.
Enjoy Your Homemade Chestnut Soap
Homemade chestnut soap is a marvelously sustainable way of cleansing ourselves, as we use foraged chestnuts that not only don’t cost a dime but also drop at our feet in abundance each autumn. Just keep your eyes open and collect some when you stumble across them. Two handfuls are about enough to make this soap. But be wise and collect extra. They make a wonderful decoration 😁
Once the apples, plums, and pears are harvested, once all the nuts are dried and in bags for storage, and the vegetable garden is cleaned up for winter, we are blessed with one last fruit: the quince. Looking like a knobbly apple but smelling deliciously aromatic, quinces transform from hard and astringent into sweet or savoury preserves and dishes. For decades, quinces were regarded as old-fashioned, but their unique flavour has been rediscovered for preserving and seasonal cooking. Unlike apples and pears, to which they are related, quinces can’t be eaten raw. Through preservation, however, they transform their colour and release their wonderful fragrance, a mixture of apples, pears and roses. Whether you’ve discovered these golden beauties at a local farmers’ market or are lucky enough to have a quince tree in your garden, I show you five foolproof ways to preserve their unique charm.
From classic jellies to Spanish membrillo (a quince paste) that pairs wonderfully with cheese, these recipes will help you capture the essence of autumn’s golden fruit in jars. Even if you are an absolute beginner and have never preserved fruit before, these step-by-step methods will ensure success in the kitchen.
A Brief History of Quince
Quince is the sole member of the genus Cydonia of the Rosaceae family (source: Wikipedia). As I said before, quinces are related to apples and pears, which are Rosaceae, as well. Originally, quince is native to the region of the Caspian Sea, but it thrives in a variety of climates, even cold ones.
In ancient Greece, quinces were attributed to Aphrodite and often called “golden apples”, which shows how cherished they were even then. But also in Europe, quinces were highly esteemed and for some time even a status symbol for wealth.
Typically, quinces are available from late September through December. While apples and pears store very well and thus can be consumed almost year-round, fresh quinces cannot be stored very long. If we want to extend their enjoyment throughout the entire year, we have to preserve it.
Unique Transformation Process
Raw quinces are hard, astringent and inedible. By cooking and preserving, however, they undergo a remarkable change:
Their colour transforms from a pale yellow to a beautiful rose-pink to red.
Their hard flesh becomes tender and succulent.
Harsh tannins, which are responsible for the astringent effect, develop into a honeylike sweetness.
Their fragrance and flavour intensify.
Culinary Versatility
So, why would we make the effort to preserve quinces? The answer is easy: preserved quinces are more versatile than fresh ones. Quince jelly, for example, brightens your morning toast and pairs very well with roasted meats. Membrillo, a Spanish quince paste, is essential for cheese boards. Preserved quince in syrup can be added to desserts all year round. And have you ever tasted how dried quince can enhance a winter stew!
Apart from adding to your stockpile, home-preserved quince products can also make unique and appreciated gifts for loved ones. Speciality quince preserves may be expensive to buy ready-made, but are affordable to make at home.
Last but not least, quinces are beneficial to our health: they are rich in vitamin C, dietary fibres, as well as antioxidants. Furthermore, they have natural compounds that aid digestion. Best of all, these beneficial properties are retained by our preservation methods.
Before You Begin
Selecting and Preparing Quince
To get the best preserves, you must make sure that you have the best fruit. Quinces are usually ripe between the end of September and the end of October. Only choose firm, ripe quinces without any blemishes. Look for a yellow-gold colour; green quinces are not ripe yet.
If you can’t process the quinces right after harvest, you may store them in a cool and dark place at room temperature, i.e. 13 – 15 °C (55 – 60 °F) for 1 – 2 weeks.
You can also store them in the fridge: wrap them individually in newspaper and put them in the crisper drawer. That way, they’ll last for 2 months.
If you have a very cold basement or a root cellar, you can store quinces in shallow boxes layered with newspaper. At a temperature of 0 – 4 °C (32 – 40 °F) and a humidity of 85 %, they’ll last 3 – 4 months.
Never store quinces in plastic bags as they will retain too much moisture and mould!
Basic preparation steps
There are some basic steps for preparing quinces. First of all, remove the downy fuzz by rubbing it off with a wet cloth. This is an important step as the fuzz causes a bitter taste.
Afterwards, wash the quinces and dry them thoroughly.
Depending on what you want to make, you’ll have to peel the fruits. This is best done with a potato peeler. Then quarter the quinces and remove the core. This may be a bit tricky as the quinces are relatively hard. Be careful with your fingers.
How to preserve quince: preserving methods
There are various methods for preserving quinces, ranging from cooking to juicing and even drying. Let’s break down every method:
Classic Quince Jelly
Angela Braun
Classic Quince Jelly
Classic quince jelly is easy to make, but requires juicing first.
To make quince jelly, we have to make juice first. For that purpose, rub off the downy fuzz, then wash the quinces and cut them into quarters. For making juice, it’s not necessary to peel the quinces or remove the core. On the contrary: as the peels contain a large amount of pectin, it’s advantageous to leave them on.
There are two methods for making juice from quinces (or apples or pears, for that matter): with a steam juicer or with a normal pot.
If you use a steam juicer, fill the bottom pot with water to the mark. Put on the juicer pot and insert the fruit basket in which you put all the quince quarters. Close the lid and heat the water. The hot water vapour will gently cook the fruits and release their juice, which gathers in the juice pot. From there, it can be extracted via the attached tube and filled into sterilised glass bottles or jars.
However, a steam juicer is not the only tool you can use to make juice from quinces. A simple (large) pot with a lid is also ok. In that case, chop the quinces into quarters, put them into the pot and fill it up with water until all the fruits are under the brim. Bring the water to the boil and let it simmer for 45 – 60 minutes. Afterwards, strain the juice through a colander that you layered with a cheesecloth. To squeeze out every last drop of the juice, gently press the quinces. Fill the hot juice into sterilised bottles or jars.
Cooking the jelly
To make the jelly, measure one litre of the quince juice. Put it into a pot and add 500 g of preserving sugar 2:1 or 500 g of normal sugar and one sachet of pectin.
Mix it all very well until the sugar has dissolved, and bring this syrup to a boil. Let it boil for 4 minutes and test its consistency by dropping a spoonful of liquid onto a plate. Tilt the plate and let the mixture run. Wipe through the jelly trail with your finger. If it sets, it’s ready to be poured into jam jars. If not, let it boil for another minute and repeat the test.
When the jelly’s ready, carefully ladle it into jars of 250 ml. Fasten the lid and put the glasses upside down on a dishcloth. After 15 – 20 minutes, put the jars upright again.
Let the jelly cool down completely, label the jars and store them in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
Membrillo
Shortly put, membrillo is a quince paste, known in France as cotignac and in Germany as Quittenkäse (“quince cheese”). The basic principle is always the same: cook quince with sugar, blend it, then let it set and – optionally – dry it. Easy, isn’t it? Let’s break the process down.
Angela Braun
Membrillo
Membrillo, also known as cotignac (France) or Quittenkäse (Germany) is a paste made of quinces.
Rub the fuzz off the quinces and wash them thoroughly.
Quarter the quinces, peel them and remove the cores and any hard or “grainy” parts. You can use undamaged peels and the cores to make quince vinegar. If you want to know more about that, hop over to this article on apple vinegar. The process is the same, and you’ll get a marvellous homemade vinegar from scraps!
Weigh the cut quinces before cooking and put them in a pot. Add 1 litre of water and bring it all to a boil. Let it simmer until the quinces are tenderly cooked. This will take 30 – 45 minutes.
Puree the fruit with a kitchen blender until you get a smooth mass. Add the sugar to the quince puree and let it all cook while constantly stirring. The colour will progressively change from yellow to a brownish-red. Keep stirring well to prevent burning the paste.
When the dough releases from the sides of the pot, you can ladle it into a square or rectangular form, lined with baking paper.
Let it cool down completely. When it’s firmly set, you can drop it out of the form.
If you want to store it, leave it in that shape and cover it with powdered sugar. Afterwards, wrap it in greaseproof paper and store it in the fridge where it will last for at least 3 months. Alternatively, you can freeze membrillo for up to one year.
Notes
Serving suggestions:To serve the membrillo, cut slices of about 1 cm and chop them into small squares. It pairs wonderfully with hard or semi-hard cheese like Manchego or brie. Alternatively, membrillo can also be used as an ingredient in various dishes, such as a filling for tarts and pastries, or as a glaze for meats.
Quince in Syrup
Similar to pears, quinces can be canned in syrup. They pair marvellously with rice pudding or can be used as a filling for cakes and pies. And if you haven’t tried quince crumble yet, I sincerely recommend baking one with these quinces in syrup as a base!
Rub the fuzz off the quinces and wash them thoroughly.
Put some water into a bowl and add the lemon juice or apple vinegar
Quarter the quinces, peel them and remove the cores and any hard or “grainy” parts. Either leave the quince quarters or chop them into cubes of about 2 – 4 cm (1 inch). Put the quinces into the acidified water so that they won’t turn brown.
When all the quinces are done, prepare the syrup:
Put the water and sugar into a pot and stir until the sugar has partly dissolved. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the vanilla out with a knife. Add the vanilla seeds, the sliced pod and the cinnamon stick to the sugar water.
Bring all to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. Let the syrup simmer for 5 minutes.
Now drain the quince (cubes) and add them to the simmering syrup. Bring it to a boil once again and let it simmer until the quinces are tender (about 45 – 60 minutes). They should have turned a beautiful rose-pink colour by now.
Pack the quinces into the sterilised jars.
Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean from the syrup and carefully fill the jars up with syrup, leaving 1 cm (½ inch) of headspace. Immediately seal the jars tightly with the lids.
Let the jars cool down completely and check the lids for tightness.
Quinces in syrup can be stored up to one year in a cool and dark place. Once opened, put the jar in the fridge where it may last up to 1 month.
Notes
Serving suggestions
Serve quinces in syrup as a dessert together with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or yoghurt. It’s also great as a topping to cheesecake, rice pudding or on your morning porridge.Use the syrup to flavour tea, cocktails or sparkling water.
Quince Compote
This quick and easy recipe is one of my favourites! If you just make one dish with quinces, I recommend this recipe for quince compote.
Rub the fuzz off the quinces and wash them thoroughly.
Put some water into a bowl and add the lemon juice or apple vinegar
Quarter the quinces, peel them and remove the cores and any hard or “grainy” parts. Chop the quarters into cubes of about 2 – 4 cm (1 inch). Put the quince cubes into the acidified water so that they won’t turn brown.
Drain the quinces and put them into a pot. Add the water, sugar and spices and bring all to a boil. Let the quinces simmer until they’re soft (20 – 30 minutes).
You can eat the compote just like that, or you can put it still hot into the sterilised jars with ½ inch (1 cm) headspace. Secure the lids tightly. To prolong its shelf-life, can the compote for 30 minutes at 80 °C in a water-bath canner.
Notes
When canned, quince compote can be stored in a cool and dark place for up to one year. Alternatively, fill the cooled compote in portions in plastic bags and put them in the freezer.If you like, mix the quinces with apples before cooking.
Serving suggestions
Serve quince compote with your morning porridge or granola. It also makes a great topping for waffles and French toast. Or just stir it into yoghurt to make a quick and yummy dessert.
Dried Quince
Who would have thought that you could dry quinces? For a long time, I believed that quinces had to be cooked to become edible, but obviously, drying them is also a great method for preserving them. Dried quince is a delicious snack to go, but can also be used in stews, cakes or even as tea!
Rub the fuzz off the quinces and wash them thoroughly.
Put some water into a bowl and add the lemon juice or apple vinegar
Peel the quinces if you like, but it’s not essential. Quarter them and remove the cores and any hard or “grainy” parts.
Cut the quinces into slices of about ¼ inch (6mm) and put them into the lemon water to prevent browning.
Drain the quince slices and dab them dry.
You can either dry the quinces in the oven or a dehydrator.
Dehydrator
Clean the dehydrator trays and arrange the quince slices so that they don’t overlap. Start the dehydrator at 60 °C (135 °F) and dry the slices until they’re leathery.
Oven
Line parchment paper on trays or racks and arrange the quince slices so that they don’t overlap.
Set your oven to 60 °C / 140 °F (fan oven) and put the racks or trays with the quinces in. Prop the door slightly open by sticking a wooden spoon into the opening. That way, the condensation water can evaporate.
Dry the quinces for 6 – 12 hours.
Note: it’s impossible to give you an exact drying time as it depends on many factors like air humidity, room temperature, thickness of the slices and the overall moisture content of the fruit.
How to determine whether your quinces are dry enough
First, properly dried quince should be leathery and pliable, not sticky or tacky to the touch. When you cut or squeeze them, there mustn’t be any moisture.
Storage
The most important point is to let the dried quinces cool completely before storing. Once they are cool, put them into airtight containers or vacuum-sealed bags. Stored in a cool and dark place, they will last for 6 - 12 months if properly dried.
Notes
How to use dried quince
The most common (and fastest) use is to snack on dried quinces directly as they are. You can also add them to your morning granola or mix them with nuts for a healthy snack mix.You can, however, also use dried quince in a more versatile way in sweet and savoury dishes:- Soak them in hot water, tea or wine, for example, until they are soft again (approx 15 – 30 minutes). Then use the soaking liquid in recipes as it contains flavour and nutrients.- Add dried quinces to food like Middle Eastern stews (especially khoresh), Moroccan tagines or Turkish compotes. It’s also a great component of European meat dishes, pairs well with savoury dishes like rice pilaf or can be part of stuffing mixtures.- Chop your dried quince and add it to your oatmeal or porridge. It adds a delicious flavour (and some nutrients) to yoghurt and breakfast cereals. Also, dried quince can be baked very well into muffins, scones or bread. Use it in fruit cakes or spiced holiday desserts as well as in ice cream or frozen yoghurt.- Use dried quince for beverages. For example, steep it in hot water for a fruity tea. You may also add it to mulled wine or cider to add a fruity flavour.
Quinces are Great!
The versatility of quinces makes them a rewarding fruit to preserve, whether you’re drawn to the ruby-red glow of poached quinces, the sweet intensity of membrillo, or the delicate flavour of quince jelly. While these ancient fruits require more time and patience than modern quick-preserving methods, the results are truly worth the effort. The transformation of hard, astringent quinces into tender, aromatic preserves is a wonderful tradition that connects us to generations of home preservers before us.
Whether you’re an experienced preserver or trying quince for the first time, remember that the key to success lies in selecting ripe, fragrant fruit and taking the time to prepare it properly. Your reward will be a pantry stocked with preserved quinces to enjoy throughout the year, adding their unique flavour to cheese boards, desserts, or simply spread on fresh bread.
If you are lucky enough to have a quince tree in your yard or know someone with a quince tree who is eager to share their harvest with you, don’t hesitate to try preserving them! Not only will you be participating in an age-old culinary tradition, but you’ll also be creating something truly special that can’t be found on supermarket shelves.
Do you want more autumn fruit recipes? Try out these:
Garlic is such a great vegetable! It’s a star in the kitchen, it’s healthy AND it’s easy to cultivate, even if you’re a complete beginner. Don’t believe me? Then read on! This guide covers everything from choosing the right planting time to storing your harvest. I’ll give you an overview of the different types of garlic and show you exactly how to grow garlic. Following these steps, an abundant harvest is inevitable!
Choosing your garlic
Hardneck vs Softneck
Garlic is divided into two groups: hardneck and softneck varieties.
Hardnecks, as the name indicates, develop a hard flower stem or scape, which is edible, as well. Hardneck bulbs form a single ring of large, easy-to-peel cloves around a central stem. Hardnecks are more cold-tolerant than softnecks, which makes them wonderful for planting in autumn, and they have a strong, sharp flavour. My favourite hardneck varieties are ‘Ajo Rosa’, ‘Deutscher Porzellan’ and ‘Chesnok Wight’.
Softneck varieties build a soft stalk and usually have a less pronounced flavour. They are better suited for warmer climates or spring cultivation. The garlic found in stores is usually a softneck variety, as these types are better suited for machine handling. Softneck varieties I like are ‘Thermidrome’, ‘Germidour’ and ‘Cledor’.
I recommend starting with hardneck varieties. They’re more reliable, produce bigger cloves, and you get the bonus of garlic scapes to cook with.
Even though its name suggests otherwise, elephant garlic is not a garlic variety but a leek relative. Nevertheless, it can be harvested and used just like real garlic.
Cloves vs Cormels
There are two different ways of planting garlic:
The first option is planting cloves. You simply put single cloves into the earth, and each clove grows into a garlic bulb. It’s easy and the fastest way to get a good harvest.
Option number two is planting cormels. When we let garlic blossom, it will build out tiny mini-cloves or cormels on the scape. You can plant them as well, but in their first year, they’ll only become a clove. This clove can be planted a second time, and then it’ll develop into a bulb.
Cultivating garlic from cormels is more cumbersome and takes longer to produce a harvest. On the pro side, you don’t have to sacrifice cloves from your harvest. I mostly choose the faster way of planting cloves, though.
Where to buy seed garlic
It seems easy to buy some garlic in the supermarket and plant it in your garden. However, supermarket garlic usually comes from sites in very warm climates. If your climate is cold, store-bought cloves won’t grow very well in your garden.
Furthermore, supermarket garlic is usually treated with a sprouting inhibitor to prevent sprouting in the market. However, this also keeps the cloves from sprouting in your garden.
If you must buy garlic for growing in the supermarket, go for organic garlic, which is less likely to have been treated with an inhibitor.
A better possibility to get good garlic seeds for planting is to look for local seed manufacturers. Their cloves are well-adjusted to your climate. Or ask friends who already cultivate garlic if they’ll give you a few cloves for planting.
I always set the largest bulbs of my garlic harvest aside and use their cloves for planting. That way, I develop and gather garlic cloves that are perfectly adjusted to my garden conditions.
Choosing the right planting site for garlic
Sunlight
First of all, select an area that gets at least 6 – 8 hours of full sunlight per day. Light shade is ok, but the bulbs and thus the yield will be smaller. The best position for planting garlic is on a south-facing bed without any tree shade.
Soil
Garlic is a bit fussy about the soil it wants to grow in. It likes a loose, crumbly, yet not too light soil that its roots can easily penetrate.
The most important factor for where to grow garlic is drainage. Garlic will rot in waterlogged soil, so good drainage is essential.
Garlic doesn’t like weeds (who does?), so make sure that the bed you want to cultivate garlic in is weed-free.
Also, mixing in compost won’t hurt as it’ll help to improve the soil structure, drainage and fertility. Fresh manure, however, is not suitable for the soil you want to plant garlic in, as it causes bulb splitting.
If your garden doesn’t provide good conditions for garlic, think about creating a raised bed. You can even cultivate garlic in planting pots.
How to plant garlic: step-by-step
If you follow this step-by-step guide, you’ll be rewarded with an abundance of garlic next summer!
When to plant garlic
There are two possibilities for when to plant garlic:
Autumn
Planting garlic cloves between the end of September and the beginning of November will give them a head start. They’ll grow until it becomes too cold, overwinter and restart growing in spring. That way, the bulbs will be much larger, and that’s why I recommend planting garlic in autumn.
Spring
If you didn’t plant garlic in autumn, you can still do so in early spring. Plant the cloves as soon as the soil is workable. Depending on your growth zone, that’s between mid-February to late March. Garlic needs some cold to develop bulbs and not shoot into bloom; therefore, you must plant it early enough to still catch some of the cold weather. Garlic that has been planted in spring will develop equally fine bulbs, albeit smaller ones, that you can harvest the same year.
How to plant garlic
Soil preparation
Before planting, thoroughly remove any weeds from the patch as they compete for nutrients.
It’s always a good idea to add some compost to the patch to enhance nutrients and organic matter in the soil. You can also dig in manure, which should, however, be well-rotten, as fresh manure would be too sharp for garlic.
Loosen the soil a bit with a garden fork by digging into it and wiggling the fork a bit. That way, the garlic can set its roots deeply into the ground, and it may even be easier to harvest the bulbs in summer.
Both the compost/manure and the loosening of the soil support good drainage and soil structure.
Planting garlic
The easiest and most common way is to break up the bulb and stick the single cloves into the soil. Use the largest and healthiest cloves – usually the outer ones – and leave the papery skin on as it protects the clove from rot and disease. Discard any cloves that are soft or squishy, discoloured, diseased or in any other way damaged.
The pointed tip must face upwards. That’s where it’ll start sprouting, and we want it to be able to sprout upwards via the sunlight. The flat, rounded end will produce the roots.
I recommend planting garlic in rows with a distance of 15 cm between cloves and 25 cm between rows. Within the rows, you make holes of about 4 – 6 cm (1,5 – 2,5 inches) for cloves, 1 – 2 cm (0.3 – 1 inch) for cormels. A dibble can help with preparing the holes. Put one garlic clove or cormel per hole and cover it with soil that you slightly press around it.
Break up the bulb so that you get out the single cloves.
Break up the bulb so that you get out the single cloves.
Always plant garlic with the tip facing upwards.
Watering and mulching
A great advantage of planting garlic in autumn is that usually the soil is already sufficiently moist. That way, we don’t have to water the cloves at all. If it’s very dry when planting, water the rows with the freshly set cloves.
I don’t water my garlic after planting, but depending on your climate, it may be necessary to do so.
If you’ve followed me for some time, you know that I’m a huge fan of mulching. So, when I’ve planted my garlic, I put on a thin layer of mulch, either straw, dried leaves, well-rotted compost or grass clippings. When the sprouts show and the weather tends toward freezing, I add more mulch to protect the cloves from extreme cold and keep the soil moist and weed-free. However, garlic can develop fungal and viral diseases when mulched too thickly, so make sure that the mulch layer is not thicker than about 3 – 5 cm (1 – 2 inches).
How much to plant
As a rule of thumb, I calculate 8 – 10 cloves per person. For my family of three, that means about 30 cloves of garlic, which may sound much but doesn’t take up much space.
If you’re very pressed for space, garlic can be planted well between strawberries, carrots, parsnips, lettuce or tomatoes, where it’s more of a gap filler and needs very little space. As a side effect, those plants profit from garlic’s antifungal characteristics as well as its repellent smell. If you want to read up more on companion planting and what veggies go well together, hop over here.
If you’re a beginner to vegetable gardening, I recommend starting with 10 – 20 cloves to get a feel for it.
How to Care for Your Garlic
Autumn (if Autumn planted)
2 -4 weeks after planting, green shoots will appear. When it gets too cold, the plants will stop growing and go dormant. Don’t worry, they’re fine, even though they have sprouted already.
Apart from removing weeds, you don’t have to do anything for your garlic. If it’s very dry, water it, but that’s usually not necessary. Cover it with mulch, though, to protect it from cold temperatures and drying out.
Winter (December – February)
In winter, the plant is dormant, and although there’s no visible growth above ground, the roots develop further underground. This cold period is essential for producing bulbs.
During this time of rest, you’ve got nothing to do. Don’t disturb your plants. After severe frost periods, you may want to check that the cloves have not been heaved out of the ground. If so, just press them back in carefully.
Spring (March – May)
When the air grows warmer in spring, scrape the mulch away so that the soil can warm up.
If you haven’t planted garlic in autumn, early spring is the second-best time to do so. As soon as the soil is workable, plant the cloves as described above.
Weeding
Remove weeds as they will compete with the garlic for nutrients and water. It’s best to weed by hand as garlic has shallow roots that can easily be destroyed by hoeing.
The leaves grow tall and lush now, and the plant builds up energy for bulb development.
If the soil is compacted, gently loosen it around the garlic plants to improve drainage.
Watering
Keep the garlic well-watered, especially as the weather gets warmer, but avoid over-watering it. Inconsistent watering can cause bulb splitting, that’s why watering a little but more often is better than occasional soaking. Always water at ground level and not overhead to avoid diseases. The best time for watering is early morning.
To check your soil’s moisture, dig in about 2 – 5 cm (1-2 inches) deep with your finger: the soil should be moist but not soggy.
Fertilising
A healthy dose of a light nitrogen-emphasised fertiliser, for example, stinging nettle manure or blood meal, provides nutrients in spring. By mid-May, you should stop all feeding, as it would lead to leaf development instead of bulb formation.
Pest and disease control
Keep an eye out for pests and diseases like thrips or mould. Remove ill plants immediately to keep pests and diseases at bay.
Scape removal (hardneck varieties only)
These beauties are the scapes. If you let them on the plant, they’ll burst into bloom, which is quite a pretty sight and later on develop cormels. If you want to get large garlic bulbs, however, you must cut the scapes off.
If you cultivate hardneck garlic, remove the scapes (i.e. flower stalks) as they form so that all the energy goes into the bulb and thus enhances growth. The scapes are ready to harvest when they’ve made 1-2 complete curls and are still tender and flexible. You should be able to snap them off easily with your fingers. If you wait too long, they’ll straighten out, become woody and fibrous, and will be tough to eat. The best test is to gently bend the scape – if it bends easily, it’s perfect. If it feels stiff or starts to crack rather than bend smoothly, you’ve waited a bit too long (though they’re still edible, just tougher).
The cool thing is that scapes are quite delicious themselves! They have a mild garlic flavour and you can use them like spring onions. Chop them into stir-fries, pasta or pesto, for example, or grill them whole as a side dish. Once cut off, they can be stored in the fridge for 2 – 3 weeks.
Common problems and solutions
We always hope that our crops go through the seasons without any problems and reward us with a large harvest. But although garlic is a very undemanding crop, some issues may occur. Let’s have a look and see how we can deal with them:
Yellow Leaves
If your garlic’s bottom leaves turn yellow in June/July, that’s perfectly normal: the bulbs are maturing.
If the problem occurs in spring, however, we’ve got a problem! Usually, the cause is overwatering or a nutrient deficiency.
What to do: Check if the soil is waterlogged. If it’s dry, feed the garlic with dissolved nettle manure or liquid seaweed.
White Rot
White rot is a serious disease! The first step is an early yellowing of the leaves and the formation of a white, fluffy mould on the bulb base. The bulb then becomes soft and decays, developing a strong odour.
What to do: Remove the affected plants immediately and throw them in the bin. Do NOT compost them!
White rot cannot be cured or treated, and it remains in the soil for 15 – 20 years. That means, if you get white rot in your garden, you can’t plant any alliums (garlic, onions, leeks) on that patch for at least 15 years.
To prevent white rot, you should only use certified seed garlic and practice crop rotation. Also, make sure your soil has good drainage.
Rust
When your garlic leaves show orange-brown spots or streaks, they have caught rust. It usually appears in damp conditions and is more common in softneck varieties.
What to do: Improve the air circulation by removing weeds and – in the first place – planting your cloves with enough space in between.
Rust usually doesn’t kill the plant, but you should remove all badly affected leaves. Do NOT compost them.
You’ll still get a usable harvest, but it may be slightly reduced.
Bolting (Premature Flowering)
While flower stems or scapes are normal in hardneck varieties in May/June, you have to watch out for scapes that appear much earlier than that and scapes in softneck varieties.
The phenomenon is more common in spring-planted garlic and is usually caused by temperature stress or the wrong variety.
What to do: Remove the flower stems immediately (these you CAN compost). The plant will still produce a bulb, albeit a smaller one.
To prevent bolting, plant your garlic at the right time and choose appropriate varieties.
No Bulbs Formed
Usually, the cause for no bulbs forming is the wrong timing in planting. Garlic needs several weeks of low temperatures to sprout, which is why it’s best to plant it in autumn. If you’ve planted it either too late in spring or this spring didn’t have a cold period, the garlic didn’t get the trigger for forming bulbs.
Another, less common cause is that you fertilised with too much nitrogen late in the growing season. Nitrogen enhances leaf growth but not fruit (or in this case: bulb) formation.
What to do: Stick to autumn planting for reliable results. If you plant in spring, do it as early as the soil is workable.
Harvesting and storing garlic
When to harvest garlic
As a rule of thumb, garlic takes 8 – 10 months if it’s an autumn variety and 4 -5 months for spring varieties to become ready for harvesting.
We can harvest it, therefore, in June and July if it was planted in autumn and in July and August if it was planted in spring.
The exact timing, of course, depends on the variety and the weather.
How to know when garlic is ready to be harvested?
You know that the garlic is ready for harvesting when the bottom third to half of the leaves have turned yellow or brown, while the upper leaves are still green and start to flop over. The bulb wrapper must still be intact, and the bulbs should be closed. If you wait too long, the bulbs may open up, which reduces their storage time.
Don’t wait until the leaves die back or collapse completely. In that case, the bulbs will split and deteriorate, which, as a consequence, doesn’t allow them to be stored well.
If you’re unsure about whether your garlic is ready to harvest, carefully dig up one bulb to check its size and development. If the bulb is clearly defined and shows a tight skin, it’s ready.
Harvesting
Choose a dry day for harvesting. Dry soil makes lifting the bulbs out easier and cleaner, and they can be stored for a longer time.
Loosen the soil around the garlic with a garden fork and pull out the bulbs. Clean up the garlic right on the bed by carefully removing the outer skin, which is usually already very loose. That way, there won’t be any soil on the bulbs, and they are ready to cure.
Curing
Curing is an essential step after harvesting garlic. It dries the outer skins and seals the cloves, and by that dramatically extends the garlic’s storage life. If you skip this step, your garlic will rot within a few weeks!
For curing, place the garlic into bundles and hang them in a dry, well-ventilated area for about two weeks. If you have a canopy at your house, a garage or even a balcony that’s protected from rain, that’s an ideal place. Just make sure that the garlic is out of direct sunlight, as that would cause bleaching and a degradation of the flavour.
If you don’t have a place to hang your garlic up to cure, however, you can always cure it lying flat on a rack or a slatted shelf. Keep the stems attached (they’ll dry down into the bulb) and don’t pile the bulbs on top of each other. Every few days, you should turn the bulbs to ensure that they’ll dry evenly. If you’ve got no place outdoors, cure your garlic indoors in a dry place (no moist basements!).
Depending on your curing location (and the weather, if it is outdoors), curing takes between 2 and 4 weeks. The garlic is ready for storage when the bulbs’ outer skins have become papery and dry, the stems are completely dry and brittle, and the roots have shrivelled.
Once your garlic is fully cured, you should brush off any remaining soil, but don’t wash the garlic! Then, either braid the stems if you have softnecks or bind the hardnecks together. Now it’s ready for storage.
How to store garlic
There are a few things we need to observe when storing garlic.
Optimal Storage Conditions
The perfect environment for storing garlic is a cool place with temperatures between 10 and 15 °C (50 – 60 °F). It should be dark or at least dim, because light causes sprouting. The place should have low humidity (about 50 – 60 %) and good air circulation.
These conditions are commonly found in a pantry, utility or spare room. I store my garlic in the basement, which is cool, dim, but thankfully not damp.
Storage methods
There are some ways to store garlic in such a way that it will last until the next harvest:
Mesh bags or nets
Putting garlic bulbs into mesh bags or nets is an easy method to store garlic, especially hardneck varieties, for the long term. The bags or nets provide excellent air circulation and make it easy to check on the bulbs. You can easily hang them from the ceiling or a shelf, and thus they won’t take up too much room
Braiding (softneck only)
Braid the stalks of softneck garlic while they’re still slightly flexible and hang them from the ceiling or a shelf in a cool and dry place. As with mesh bags, braids provide good air circulation and don’t take up much room.
Wooden crates or boxes
Put an old newspaper on the bottom of a crate or box and put garlic bulbs on it. The bulbs should not touch. Cover the bulbs with a second newspaper and go on layering the bulbs in the crate. Don’t stack them too deep, though. 3 – 4 layers is the maximum. This is a good method of storage for large harvests, but you must check the bottom layers occasionally and discard any rotten bulbs as soon as possible.
Paper bags
This is a good method for small quantities: poke some ventilation holes in a paper bag and put the bulbs in. You can hang the bag from the ceiling or a shelf if it’s not too heavy, or just store it on the shelf.
How NOT to store garlic
There are some mistakes in storing garlic that you need to avoid.
Storing in plastic bags
Plastic bags don’t allow for air circulation and trap moisture. Garlic will rot.
Storing in the fridge
Remember, garlic needs a cold period to sprout. If you store it in the fridge, you’ll imitate that cold period, and your garlic will be doing just that.
Storing in humid areas
High humidity and dampness will cause your garlic to mould and/or rot
Storing together with potatoes
Potatoes release a plant hormone in the form of a gas called ethylene. Garlic is sensitive to that gas and will start to sprout when exposed to it.
Expose garlic to light
Light, as well, stimulates sprouting, so keep your garlic in a dark or at least dim place.
Crop rotation
Crop rotation is essential for a sustainable gardening practice; it balances soil nutrients and thus improves soil health in the long run.
As with most vegetables, it’s not advisable to plant garlic in the same place year after year. Not only would it leach out the soil, but it would pave the path for pests and diseases. Instead, wait at least 3 – 4 years before replanting garlic in the same spot and don’t plant it where any other alliums (onions, leeks or shallots) have grown recently, this season or the season before.
Crop rotation prevents all this disease build-up (especially white rot) and breaks pest life cycles. If white rot appears, don’t plant any alliums there for 15 – 20 years.
Companion planting
Garlic is a member of the allium family and therefore mustn’t be planted near any other members of that family, like
Onions
Leek
Shallots
Chives or
Spring onions.
Many plants, however, are great companions for garlic. These are
Tomatoes
Lettuce and salads
All members of the brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower
Pumpkins, zucchini and courgettes
Peas and beans
Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips and potatoes
Strawberries
Fruit trees or shrubs
Growing garlic in containers
If you don’t have a garden space, you can still grow your own garlic in containers. In fact, it’s quite easy to cultivate garlic without a garden bed, making it the perfect crop for people who only have a patio or a balcony.
There are, however, a few things you need to observe when growing garlic in containers.
Container requirements
The container you want to grow garlic in should be at least 30 cm (12 inches) high to give the roots enough space. The width is not that important; any size will do. The wider your container is, the more cloves you can plant.
Also, the material does not matter. Your planting container can be made from terracotta, plastic or even fabric; all pots work.
What is essential, however, is that the container has some holes in it to ensure good drainage. Garlic will mould and rot in moist soil, so it’s important that water can drain off quickly.
Spacing
When planting garlic cloves in containers, you must observe the same spacing as in a garden bed. Put the cloves 10 – 15 cm (4 – 6 inches) apart. If you just have small one-litre pots, put one clove per pot. In a larger pot with a diameter of 40 cm, you can put 6 – 9 cloves.
Container care differences
Caring for garlic in containers is slightly different from a garden bed.
For example, containers tend to dry out faster. For that reason, you must check the soil regularly, at best daily, and water if necessary.
Use a good-quality, multi-purpose compost mixed with 20 % perlit or grit for drainage.
Also, garlic in containers may need a light feeding in spring as the container soil has limited nutrients.
If you plant your garlic in autumn, which I recommend, you must put the container against a wall or insulate it if the weather gets very cold.
In general, put the containers in a place with full sun. Move them to track the sun if possible.
Apart from that, garlic has the same requirements as in a garden bed. It still needs a cold period to sprout, so leave it outside all winter. Planting and harvesting timing are the same as for garlic cultivated in patches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow garlic from supermarket cloves?
Technically, it’s possible, but I don’t recommend it for several reasons:
First of all, supermarket garlic is mostly imported and mostly from climates that are very different from yours.
And although it may look good and is safe to eat, the cloves may carry diseases that you’d spread in your garden when planting them.
Lastly, supermarket garlic is almost always treated with sprouting inhibitors to prevent the bulbs from sprouting in the market.
If you want to experiment, though, choose organic supermarket garlic, which is less likely to be treated. You must understand, however, that the results will be unpredictable.
My recommendation: Instead of using supermarket garlic, spend 5€/£/$ (or whatever your currency is) on certified seed garlic for much better results.
Can I plant garlic cloves that have sprouted in storage?
Yes!
Sprouted garlic cloves from your pantry or storage can still be planted, and they’ll often grow just fine. The green sprout shows the clove is viable and ready to grow.
However, sprouted cloves may have used some of their stored energy, so they might produce slightly smaller bulbs than unsprouted ones. Plant them as you would any other clove, with the sprout pointing upward. Just make sure the clove itself is still firm – if it’s soft, mushy, or mouldy, discard it.
This is actually a great way to use up garlic that’s past its prime for cooking!
Why didn’t my garlic form bulbs?
Garlic needs 6 – 8 weeks of cold (0 – 10 °C / 30 – 50 °F) to trigger bulbing (i.e. the formation of bulbs). If you plant it in a mild spring or too late in spring (March is already too late) without a cold period, it will not form bulbs.
Another reason for no bulbs is that you fertilised your garlic with nitrogen late in its season. While it’s ok to add a little nitrogen in March/April, it’s counterproductive to do so later, as nitrogen promotes the growth of leaves over bulbs.
Lastly, maybe you harvested too early, and what looks like no bulb is actually just an immature bulb.
My recommendation: Plant in autumn for reliable bulbs. Spring planting is always riskier.
My garlic cloves are very small – what went wrong?
One cause for small cloves is that you planted your garlic in the spring. The season is shorter compared to autumn planting, and therefore, the cloves will be smaller.
Check your soil’s nutrients and adjust them accordingly. Although garlic doesn’t need much, insufficient nutrients result in small bulbs.
Another reason is spacing. It’s tempting to set the cloves closely together, but they need at least 10 cm (4 inches), better yet 15 cm (6 inches) apart from each other to form good bulbs.
Make sure you water your garlic adequately during its growing season, that is, from late spring onward.
If you’ve got hardneck varieties, remove the scapes. Otherwise, the plant will put all its energy into flower-making instead of bulbing.
Don’t harvest too early, but give it time to mature.
Lastly, choose high-quality seed garlic over cheap cloves.
My recommendations:
Prepare your soil well and adjust nutrients if necessary.
Plant your garlic in autumn and space the cloves adequately.
Remove the scapes from hardneck varieties and
water your garlic consistently.
Is it too late to plant garlic now?
That depends on the current month:
October-early November: Perfect timing! This is prime garlic planting season.
Late November-December: Still possible in mild winter areas if the soil isn’t frozen. Get the garlic in the ground ASAP.
January: It’s risky. I’d only attempt planting garlic now in very mild areas. The bulbs will be small, though.
February-March: When you’ve missed autumn planting, switch to spring planting. Plant your garlic cloves as early as the soil is workable.
April-September: Now it’s too late for spring planting. Use this time to prepare your bed and source quality seed garlic for October planting.
My recommendation: Mark your calendar now for October and don’t miss the window!
How much garlic will I harvest from one clove?
One planted clove will result in one full bulb. Each bulb contains between 5 to 12 cloves, depending on the variety. So, one clove becomes 5 – 12 cloves at harvest.
Hardnecks typically produce larger but fewer cloves, usually around 6 – 8 large cloves.
Sofneck varieties have smaller but more cloves, usually around 10 – 10 small cloves per bulb.
On average, you can calculate your harvest by multiplying the number of cloves you planted by 6 – 10.
My garlic sprouted over winter – is that okay?
Yes, that’s completely normal for autumn-planted garlic!
2 – 4 weeks after planting in autumn, the cloves sprout and the green shoots reach a height of 5 – 10 cm (2 – 4 inches) before winter. In winter, growth stops or slows down considerably, only to restart vigorously again in spring.
So, if your garlic sprouted over winter, this is exactly what should happen!
Why you should grow garlic
Growing garlic is almost a no-brainer. Stick the cloves in autumn in the soil, forget about them during the winter, watch them joyfully growing in spring and harvest them in summer. Garlic is genuinely one of the easiest crops to grow, and even beginners get great results!
The key factors to a successful and massive garlic harvest are making sure that the soil has good drainage and planting the cloves in autumn. Oh yes, and be patient. That’s usually the hardest part.
The satisfaction of harvesting your own bulbs is enormously motivating. So come and join the garlic-planting club! With this guide, you have everything you need to know about it in a nutshell. A bountiful harvest is almost inevitable – as are the envious stares of your neighbours.
If you grow your own vegetables, you can certainly relate: we carry the first zucchini of the season into the house like a trophy and celebrate cooking it with obsessive care. Zucchini No. 5 is watched with growing unease, and by the tenth, the family becomes mutinous, and we are torn between the urge to just let them grow out of control and the regret of letting them go to waste.
But here’s the solution, for I have the best recipe for pickled zucchini that will solve your zucchini overflow problem! With this recipe, you not only preserve an abundance of the green, yellow or striped varieties before they become baseball bats, but you’ll also create a flavour-packed treasure for the cold winter months.
Pickled zucchini
Yield: 6 jars of 1/4 l
Ingredients
2 kg zucchini of any size 1 kg bell peppers of any colour 0.5 kg onions, cut into rings 3/4 l apple cider vinegar 1 l of water 0.5 l apple juice 200 g sugar 4 tbsp salt 2 tbsp curry powder 1 tbsp dill 1 tbsp mustard seeds 1 tbsp peppercorns juice of one lemon
Instructions
One of the many great advantages of this recipe is that you can use zucchini of any size.
If they have really grown into baseball bats, you can peel them, cut them lengthwise into quarters and remove the mushy, seed-containing core with a spoon.
Cut the zucchini, bell peppers and onions into slices of 2 – 3 mm (1/10 inch). This recipe requires no salting before pickling.
Mix the vegetables in a bowl so that they are evenly distributed.
Put the vinegar, water and apple juice in a pot and bring it to a rolling boil.
Add the vegetables and spices and let it boil for one minute. If your pot is too small to handle all the vegetables at once, you can boil them in portions and layer each batch in the jars after cooking.
Fill everything in jars, fill up with brine, leaving a headspace of about an inch. Then close the lids tightly.
Once they’ve cooled down, you can eat the pickled zucchini right away. However, I like them best when they have had a resting time of 2 – 3 days.
After cooling down, you can store the pickled zucchini in a cool place (a cool basement works fine; alternatively, put them in the fridge) for up to one year.
Once a jar is open, you must store it in the fridge and consume it within 7 days.
How to use pickled zucchini
Pickled zucchini make a great side dish for a charcuterie or cheese assortment or as an ingredient in sandwiches and wraps. We also like it chopped up and mixed in potato mash to add a complex, salty and vinegary flavour. Or you mix it into an egg salad together with (pickled, fermented or raw) onions and mayonnaise.
Angela Braun
Pickled zucchini
A quick and easy recipe to deal with the surplus of zucchini from your garden!
One of the many great advantages of this recipe is that you can use zucchini of any size. If they have really grown into baseball bats, you can peel them, cut them lengthwise into quarters and remove the mushy, seed-containing core with a spoon.
Cut the zucchini, bell peppers and onions into slices of 2 - 3 mm (1/10 inch). This recipe requires no salting before pickling.
Put the vinegar, water and apple juice in a pot and bring it to a rolling boil.
Add the vegetables and spices and let it boil for one minute. If your pot is too small to handle all the vegetables at once, you can boil them in portions and layer each batch in the jars after cooking.
Fill everything in jars, fill up with brine, leaving a headspace of about an inch. Then close the lids tightly.
Once they've cooled down, you can eat the pickled zucchini right away. However, I like them best when they have had a resting time of 2 - 3 days.
After cooling down, you can store the pickled zucchini in a cool place (a cool basement works fine; alternatively, put them in the fridge) for up to one year.
Once a jar is open, you must store it in the fridge and consume it within 7 days.
Notes
Pickled zucchini make a great side dish for a charcuterie or cheese assortment or as an ingredient in sandwiches and wraps. We also like it chopped up and mixed in potato mash to add a complex salty and vinegary flavour. Or you mix it into an egg salad together with (pickled, fermented or raw) onions and mayonnaise.
That was easy, right? If you’re hooked on pickling now, you may also like this recipe for quick gherkin pickles.
