Pickled Garlic

Who knew you could make your own Pickled Garlic? We’re showing you how to preserve garlic and how to keep it from turning blue. Yeah! It can happen!

Garlic is a widely grown and used herb, both for culinary and medicinal uses.  Its strong flavor and versatility lead it to being used in many cuisines and recipes around the world. To create an even more flavorful garlic for use in recipes, we took fresh garlic cloves and combined them in a flavorful brine to make pickled garlic. This is an easy beginning canning project which will leave you with tasty garlic to use in recipes for months.

While a jar of beautiful pickled white garlic is the aim, sometimes pickled garlic can turn blue. This is normal and doesn’t affect the safety, quality or flavor of the garlic. However, there are some things you can do to help keep your garlic from turning blue, such as:

• Use pickling or canning salt, which is free from iodine and anti-caking agents
• Use distilled water (this reduces the amount of trace minerals commonly found in tap water)
• Use stainless steel or enamel cookware and utensils (stay away from copper, aluminum, cast iron, and tin)
• Reduce the amount of time your garlic is exposed to sunlight by storing in dark places (this reduces the production of chlorophyll)

Pickled Garlic can be used anywhere fresh cloves of garlic are used.  From our Basic Garlic Toast to spaghetti sauce, vinaigrettes and cheese plates, pickled garlic is sure to add a punch of flavor to your cooking.

Pickled Garlic

Contributor: Brittany Poulson

• Author: Brittany Poulson
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 – 1/2 pints 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup water
• 1 and ½ cups white vinegar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. pickling salt
• 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. crushed red peppers
• 1 lb. garlic heads, separated and peeled (about 6 large heads)

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Instructions

1. Wash four half-pint jars, lids and screw bands with hot soapy water. Dry screw bands, and set aside. Place jars in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer. Put lids in a separate medium pot of hot water. Leave jars and lids in water until ready to fill.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat combine the water, vinegar, sugar, salt and oregano and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat and gently boil for 1 minute. Add the crushed red peppers and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
3. One at a time, lift a jar out of the hot water, draining water back into the pot. Place on tray or dry towel. Transfer garlic to hot jars, leaving at least 1⁄2-inch space at the top of the jar. Ladle the pickling liquid into the jars, covering the garlic and leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Discard any remaining pickling liquid. Remove any air bubbles by running a rubber spatula or chopstick (do not use metallic utensil) between the liquid and the wall of the jar.
4. Wipe jar rim and threads with a clean, damp cloth. Carefully remove the lids from hot water. Place a lid on each jar and screw bands down evenly and firmly, until just tight (do not over-tighten). Return jars to canning pot, ensuring they are covered with at least 1-inch of water.
5. Cover canner with lid and bring to a boil, then process for 10 minutes. Carefully remove lid and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Remove jars from the water without tilting them and set upright on a dry towel, cooling rack or wooden cutting board (do not place directly on counter top to prevent thermal shock). Do not re-tighten bands or dry the lids. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool and seal for 12 to 24 hours. Store unopened jars in a cool, dark placed for up to 1 year. Use pickled garlic in spaghetti sauce, salad dressings, on sandwiches, mixed with sauteed vegetables, in mashed potatoes and more!