Cured enough?

Why would you want to diminish that experience of cracking open a newly pulled head and that beautifully moist garlic inside?

Here's the deal. Some folks dry their garlic, some don't. It's something beautiful at all stages.

I start eating my garlic the moment it comes out of the ground. And for months after.

I would suggest you stop the waiting and the yearning.

Crack it open!!!!

I have been eating my garlic too.
But would like to know when it is cured enough to ship UPS.

Garlic is going to take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks to cure enough to be put in a box for storage and not risk surface mold/mildew. The timing will depend on the drying conditions.

The best way to tell if it's done is to break off a clove and peel it back. If the inner wrapper is still moist, it needs more time.

Jolj, If you plan on topping it before shipping you should wait till it's mostly cured. Removing the tops too early can diminish the keeping quality.

I usually let mine hang for 6 weeks or so before trimming and storing in hanging mesh baskets...
I have also been consuming since it was hung...

think i posted this somewhere else, but, Jolj: when u ship it use some of those silica gel packs that come w/ electronics, shoes, etc; im sure u can even purchase them somewhere online. If anything should happen & it has to sit in the box for an extended period of time they should absorb all of the excess moisture, if there even happens to be any.

Thanks, all. I have been using it as needed, but have alot and need to store it. Last year's harvest lasted until about March--want to repeat that!

Curing also depends a great deal upon the drying conditions. This July, afer harvest, we have had several weeks of extremely hot and somewhat dry conditions. I dry my bulbs hanging in clusters of 7 or 8 from my garden shed rafters. It normally takes about four weeks. This year they were dry and brittle in two weeks. A good, but not perfect, check is to cut the roots off a large bulb close to the bulb. If it feels moist, looks green, or smells real garlicky, cure for another week.
victor