FRESH GARLIC

~30 lbs Sourced from China Fresh Garlic aka "Suan-Tou", "Da-Suan", "蒜头", "大蒜", "蒜頭" Fresh garlic has bulbs with uniform cloves growing around a hard center shaft, which has white skin and various amounts of purple streaking. Raw garlic has a pungent taste and odor but cooked garlic has a soft, sweet buttery flavor. Fresh garlic can be used in all types of cuisine to help spice up the flavors. Fresh garlic is available year-round. Handling Tip Selection Fresh garlic bulbs should be firm and the garlic skin is not dehydrated. Cutting open the garlic clove vertically and check the garlic stem. The fresher the garlic, the shorter and smaller the garlic stem. Avoid sprouting garlic, they are old. To learn more, check out our blog post. Storage Fresh garlic should be stored at 30°F - 32°F (-1°C - 0°C) with a relative humidity of sixty to seventy percent and no mist.  The typical shelf life is three to four months. The low relative humidity is important to extend shelf life and avoid mold growth and rooting. Garlic odor is easily transferred to other products. Do not store garlic with odor-sensitive products.  Fresh garlic is not sensitive to ethylene, a naturally occurring gas that regulates ripening. Fresh garlic produces a very low level of ethylene. Fresh garlic is not sensitive to chilling injury. The optimum storage temperature of 30°F (-1°C) is just above the freezing point of garlic.