storing garlic

I have just dug up my garlic and the bulbs have all opened out like a dahlia. I can't store them in the usual way so want to know the best way to keep them. Can garlic be frozen and if so how? Is this caused by the wet weather?.

Too much moisture can cause the heads to open up like that. Is the flesh of the cloves exposed or is the wrapping still in place?

They are exposed.The outer skin has falen off.

Ah. Shame. You can freeze garlic. It's arguable, though, that it doesn't retain all the original qualities. A friend of mine used to mince it, add it to some good quality oil, and freeze it in little sachets.

Thanks- I'll try that.

You can also chop or mince it and freeze with a litle water in ice cube trays, you might not want oil in all your dishes.  Just throw as many cubes as you want into any dishes needfing garlic - that is, all of them! Well, maybe not jam tarts ..........

Ice tray cubes sounds good- thanks.

You wouldn't necessarily add the oil with the garlic if you didn't want it. You thaw the garlic, remove it from the oil. The oil is only to protect the garlic in the freezer.

Wrap it really, really well or it will taint other things in the freezer.

I'm not sure what is wrong with the cloves opening out.  They will be fine unless the skin covering the individual cloves has come off; which would be exceptional and quite outside my experience.

I usually store my garlic, once it has dried out in mesh onion bags.  I'm still using last years harvest. There is a green shoot inside the clove which I discard but otherwise the garlic is fine.

That's the problem, the papery skin has gone apparently.

I think it was due to all the rain we've had in Cornwall.