Don't Throw Out Your Egg Carton — It Can Keep This Item Fresh For Half A Year

It almost seems as though homesteaders are endowed with a superpower that allows them to know exactly how to up-cycle anything and everything. Egg cartons have proven to be very useful for gardeners and homesteaders, who often utilize paper egg cartons as seed starters. Some folks even use them as cozy garlic holders, and as it turns out, egg cartons can really improve the shelf life of your stinky little beloveds. 

By no fault of your own, garlic is probably one of those foods you've been storing wrong. But that's just because you didn't have a helpful homesteader to tell you what's up. So, here it goes. In order for your garlic to live a long and healthy life, it requires temperate, dark, and dry conditions where it's safe from mold. When the bulbs are left intact and kept under these conditions, these culinary all-stars can last for six months to a year. This is, of course, assuming the garlic has been cured (more on this later).

While some folks store garlic in the fridge where it's — you know — cool and dark, this actually isn't the best option. In order to remain well-preserved, garlic needs to stay as dry as possible, and the fridge is rather humid. Egg cartons are made of breathable paper, which allows for air flow, keeping condensation from building up. Each space where an egg can fit will also hold just one bulb of garlic. Keeping them separate ensures that if one bulb begins to decompose, it won't affect all the others surrounding it.

You certainly don't need to cure garlic before eating it. Fresh garlic, dug straight out of the ground, is delicious with a sweeter, milder flavor. However, curing it extends the vegetables' life from a few weeks or so to upwards of six months or a year, and creates that pungent flavor we all know and love. 

To cure fresh garlic, bundles of it must be hung by their stalks in a cool, dry place that is out of direct sunlight, and preferably a bit drafty. Many folks do this on covered porches, garages, or barns. Once the garlic has shrunken and the outside paper becomes flaky, the necks are cut off, and the garlic can be stored in a root cellar (or an egg carton) to be used through the next few seasons. 

Now, even when you do everything right, sometimes Mother Nature has her own plans. Here's how to tell if your garlic has gone bad. If you squeeze a bulb of garlic and find that it's soft and squishy rather than firm, it's safe to assume it's well past its prime. The color can also be a good indicator, as garlic turns from white to yellow or brownish as it starts to spoil. This spoilage can have an effect on the flavor, causing it to become hotter and more acrid.