Canning Time- Garlic

Im always asking for request for ideas or open to questions, that if I don’t know the answer I sure and going to find out. Then I test the theory or should I say the recipe.  I love to can- I can’t say Im the expert due to me sticking to the items I really like and seem to stick with the same recipes. I find I make a lot of jam and fruit and of course salsa! I really love to can bread and butter pickles as well as my all time favorite ChowChow,  just like they do it back home in the Appalachia Hills. But this request for pickled garlic made me ponder and I had to do some research.  Here is my final product.   Cant taste it for 30 days…its curing and absorbing the flavors. But it came out pretty… so here are the steps I followed.

I started with a mess of fresh garlic heads. Elephant garlic is really large cloves but I found standard with good sized cloves for less shucking.  I call it shucking some call it peeling or cleaning the cloves From all skins, roots or blemishes. this takes time… I have seen devises that peel garlic or heard or using two Bowls.  Fresh garlic peels easily and I like the busy work, so I did mine by hand.  this recipe I used 8 regular heads of garlic and it jared 2 – 1/2 pint jars.  Im going to up the recipe for 4 jars but always have an extra on hand just in case…

After cleaning all the cloves and removing all blemishes you want to blanch in rolling boiling water 1 minutes and then strain and drop into an ice bath. Set aside and prepare your jars. Be sure to use distilled water- certain water can cause the garlic to turn blue.  Its still safe and tastes good but a bit strange in color,

I used Pickling spices already mixed.  Its easy, pretty and did I say easy.

• Pickling spices McCormick sells a nice blend.
• Bay leaves small
• 1 Tablespoon Pickling salt
• 6 cups white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar

Bring vinegar, sugar, salt to an almost boil in a NON-REACTIVE POT and make sure the salt and sugar are Dissolved. Set aside to prepare jars.

Use five clean 1/2 pint jars.  I like to heat mine in the oven at 250 degrees. carefully line up jars on a heat safe towel and place 1 tsp spice in each jar with a small bay leaf. The smell is instant holiday spice with the cloves on the hot jar.  this also releases the aromatics.

Drain Garlic from Ice bath and arrange in each jar leaving 1/2 Inch from top of jar.

Then pour the hot vinegar sugar mixture into each jar- just to 1/2 Inch of rim covering all garlic.  take a chop stick or wooden spoon to release any air tbubbles caught.  Seal with clean lid and ring.  Water bath jars covered low boil for 15 minutes.  These will take up to 24 hours to seal.  That wonderful “plink -plink” as they cool.

Don’t eat for 30 days to allow the garlic to fully absorb the flavors. Fantastic with a zesty Bloody Mary or straight out of the jar for a snack.  When consumed the brine is fabulous for dressings and cooking. Once jar is opened refrigerate. Shelf life 1 year sealed unsealed refrigerated 2 months.

Enjoy!