Garlic Bulbs - Lacto-fermented

Fermented Garlic Bulbs

Will have a smooth “tang” without the vinegar after-burn of distilled Vinegar pickled Garlic

Instead you get a mellow flavor of baked garlic

Eat Plain right from the jar or

Add to the flavor of any food you would add garlic to including garlic bread. By gently melting home-made, pastured, grass-fed butter, and adding a handful of smashed fermented garlic cloves.




Softneck – most common grocery store variety, covered in white paper; commercial large-scale production, harder to peel, stronger flavor because it contains more allicin, longer shelf life; good for pickling, dehydrating and curing (hanging to dry); lasts for months; some are also purple in color, so can’t tell softneck by the color – be sure to confirm variety/type with grower, if possible

Hardneck – chef’s love this; doesn’t have the harsh “raw” bite of the softneck due to less allicin, has more of the “garlic” flavor without the pain; easier to peel; grown by local growers more than huge commercial ventures; deteriorates very quickly so is best for immediate culinary use; when stored raw, withers away quickly within 3-5 weeks; for long-term storage, slice and dehydrate or ferment; color variation ranges from purple, purple striped, red, red-striped and white; maybe confused with some softneck so be sure to check variety/type with grower




Just like all the other lacto-fermented recipes, it is difficult to give you exact amounts of how many pounds you will use for each Pickl-It.

A good rule-of-thumb is that you may get anywhere between 6 & 16 heads of garlic in one-pound. There may be 6 to 16 cloves of garlic in each head.




USE ONLY ORGANIC garlic. Local being best.  most garlic sold at conventional grocery stores is from China and there is a question about the amount of chemicals used to grow them as well as antifungal sprays used for shipping them.




Skinning the garlic -

• do not damage the delicate garlic clove skin or cut into the cloves. Which will start a chain reaction of chemical events.
  
  
• Do not cut the root end as some recipes recommend.
  
  

Blanching is the key to skin removal - The blanching part is important as it deactivates certain natural chemicals in the cloves.  The blanching is best for long-term storage - for those who are putting away many pounds in 4 or 5-liter Pickl-It for 3 to 5 year storage/use.   Raw will be fine, but will probably want to use them up within a year.

1. Break open a garlic head, sticking a knife tip, or if wide enough, your thumbs in a crevasse – the seam between two garlic cloves.
   
   
2. Remove all garlic cloves from the root end and center talk.
   
   
3. Heat 6 cups of water to near – boil. There will be a “puff” of steam rising off the surface of the water when the water is ready.
   
   
4. While water is heating, prepare a bowl of ice water which includes 4 cups of water and 4 cups of ice cubes. Set aside.
   
   
5. If food-preservation – long-term 3-5 year storage in the Pickl-It is your goal, prepare 3.5% brine – 33 grams of salt for every 4-cups of water. Set aside. When creating smaller batches – 1.5-liter or less – use a 2% brine – 19 grams of salt for every 4-cups of water. Set aside.
   
   
6. Drop 1 cup of separated cloves into the simmering water for 30 seconds.
   
   
7. Remove cloves from water and quickly dip into the ice water. Cool for 30 seconds and remove from water by hand, or with a clotted spoon.
   
   
8. Spread blanched/cooled cloves on a cookie sheet and continue with remainder of cloves until all of them are blanched and cooked.
   
   
9. Squeeze the garlic cloves, one at a time, to release paper, if the paper isn't already sliding off. Don't crush the cloves. Some varieties are more “stubborn” and may take a gentle coaxing of a knife tip, OR, place 20-30 cloves in a kitchen towel and gently “roll” them back and forth between the towel, removing the “skin” or “paper”
   
   
10. Place peeled garlic cloves in the Pickl-It, cover with prepared brine filling to the Pickl-It shoulder.
    
    
11. Use the “Dunk'R to hold down “any cloves that float; adding carrot slices under the Dunk'R if necessary.
    
    
12. Wrap sides of jar with towel to block out light
    
    
13. Allow covered jar to sit on counter in dark spot for 30 days (this is an alkaline ferment rather than lactic acid  - which is also true of Ginger and Turmeric ) ; place in refrigerator and continue to “age”, garlic benefits from aging up to 3 months before use; stores well in refrigerator up to one year. .The longer (up to 6 months is even better) they ferment, the more the flavor is like baked garlic - If you open too soon, the volatile oils are too "hot" - even can burn eyes.