Pickled Garlic

PICKLED GARLIC

by Holly Hughes – My Web Times

Holly Hughes
Pickled garlic is a farm-fresh option for preserving a milder version of this pungent root herb that serves as a tangy yet sweet garnish on salads, topping a pasta or a surprising morsel of crunch as a standalone appetizer on a relish tray.

Garlic varies in shape and form. For pickled garlic, I choose large-cloved garlic that has five to eight cloves per head of garlic. For pickled garlic, you will want to peel off the papery lining, and many people prefer to trim the base as well. These new tube peelers are an amazing invention. Simply break the head of garlic apart and put the cloves into the tube and roll back and forth on the countertop. Viola! You’ve saved yourself hours of tedious peeling and some very pungent handshakes in days to follow your pickling garlic excursion.

BRINE RECIPE:

After exploring several options, I’ve decided on following a method on epicurious.com which offers an easy to remember ratio when creating a base for pickling just about any fruit or vegetable. Equal parts water and vinegar, and a quarter the salt to sugar.

Keep in mind you should give up your mental nastigrams that you’ve written to radishes and garlic when you’ve tried them fresh and raw. The pickling process actually mellows out the flavor and some added sugar to this brine gives some sweet relief at first bite to the daring people pleaser hesitant to take a nibble at your dinner party.

And if you’re not attached to bright, clear jars glistening on your canning shelves, apple cider vinegar as a substitute for white vinegar adds an even mellower flavor to your pickled garlic.

BRINE RECIPE:

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar cane

2 tablespoons kosher salt

Common herbs to add to brine: peppercorns, coriander, celery seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds

PREPARATION:

Add vinegar, sugar, salt and chosen herbs to 2 cups of water and boil in a medium pot over high heat, stirring occasionally.

For pickled garlic, instead of packing the bulbs in the jar and covering with a simmered mixture, we added the whole, peeled cloves to the boiling mixture and reduced heat for another minute to three minutes on the stove.

Pack your garlic in your jars, leaving a half inch room at top of jar. Cover in your brine and close jar tightly. Let cool on your counter and then pop in the fridge and use up within the month.

Alternative: seal jars in hot water bath for 35 minutes for longer storage on the canning room shelf.

ENJOY! By adding to pasta dishes, garnishing fall casseroles and munching straight out of the jar!