mouldy Allium sativum does n’t bode well for your cookery plans . Here ’s what to fuck , include whether that ail is all right to use .

Garlic is one of the most universally dear fixings out there . Most home chef have at least one oral sex of garlic in their kitchen at all time , and Allium sativum is used in a ton of different dish , so it ’s worth keeping around . Since ail has a ledge living of up to six month ( if properly stack away ) , it ’s easy to miss track of exactly how long you ’ve had that garlic sitting in your buttery . So what should you do when you pull your garlic out and find that it is fuzzy ? Is it still safe to run through ? What should you do with musty garlic ? Here ’s everything you ask to know .

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Fuzzy garlic with mold

Credit:Aninka Bongers-Sutherland / Getty Images | Design: Better Homes & Gardens

Why Garlic Gets Fuzzy

Unfortunately , that fuzzy ontogenesis you see on your garlic is a sign that your garlic has get unfit . Garlic that has been left for too long without being used can bulge out to raise blurred darn of white or dark - colored mold and should be cast away of . Do not use up garlic that is showing signs of cast growth .

Other signs that your ail has pass bad admit mushy clove or cloves that feel hollow and crunchy . Properly storing your garlic and using it in a well-timed way are the two gravid ways to foreclose ail from rifle sorry and raise mold .

How Long Does Garlic Last?

As long as it ’s stack away the right way , unpeeled garlic can last up to six month . Once the clove are unpeeled , they should be used within a week or two . ( This expire for Allium sativum you buy pre - in the buff , too : Use that Allium sativum chop-chop ! ) Minced garlic usually wo n’t last longer than a day , unless it ’s commercially box , since supererogatory preservatives are unremarkably add together to stretch the shelf life of pre - minced and jarred Allium sativum .

Marty Baldwin

Storing Garlic

To keep garlic refreshing for as long as possible , it ’s important that you salt away it properly . In its medulla oblongata form , ail should be storedin a nerveless , dark place , like a pantry . Garlic bulb need plenty of air circulation to stay sweet and should not be kept in airtight container unless the cloves have been separated and peeled . Keep wholegarlic bulbsin mesh bags , a basket , or a crate in your buttery or a dark closet .

If you have cloves that have already been peeled , you should stash away themin the fridgeuntil you ’re quick to use them . enclose them in plastic wrapping or place them in an airtight container or plastic pocketbook for up to a week in the fridge .   Garlic that has already been minced at home should be storedcovered in olive oilin the fridge and will usually only last around 2 to 3 day .

Frequently Asked Questions

No , you should avoid planting mouldy garlic . You should n’t compost moldy ail either . Throw it straight into the trash , not your compost bin .

No , you should n’t eat any part of the garlic once mould starts growing on it because mold can release toxin into the solid food . Even though warmth from cookery can shoot down mold , it wo n’t make moldy nutrient dependable to deplete because those toxins will still be present .

head of garlic broken open into cloves

Credit: Jason Donnelly

‘New York White’ garlic in wicker basket

Credit:Marty Baldwin