Garlic (Lacto-Fermented)

5/31/2014

Ingredients:
Garlic cloves (organic or non-irradiated)
Jar: 1 Liter Jar (or smaller)
Brine: 2%
Ferment: 7 days at room temperature (68-72ºF)

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Preparation:
1. Prepare about 3 cups of 2% brine for a 1 Liter Jar.
2. Pour brine into Jar.
3. Peel garlic cloves (or just smack them with the flat side of a kitchen knife to loosen peels quickly) and put them into the Jar with the brine.*
4. Continue adding garlic until the cloves are almost up the the shoulder of the Jar.
5. Add additional brine if necessary to bring level up to just below the neck.
6. Place Brine (Submersion) Bowl, fill & insert the Airlock, lock the Jar & cover.
7. Leave at 70ºF for 7-10 days.
8. Move to refrigerator. Garlic is ready to use in about a month, and will continue to ferment slowly in the fridge for about six months. The more aged, the more wonderfully mild and delicious!

Notes:
*Peeling the garlic makes for a very nice looking jar of fermented garlic, but I don't enjoy peeling garlic one little bit. Some advice out there recommends heating garlic cloves in the oven to loosen the peels, but that will kill the LAB and prevent a healthy ferment, so that's not an option for us. I prefer the smacking method ~ not so pretty but it gets the job done!

Garlic, while fermenting, sometimes turns a color such as blue, purple, or green. This is due to specific compounds in some varieties of garlic that are affected by acids and the fermenting process, and do not affect the flavor, nor do they indicate a problem with the ferment. We do, however, recommend that the garlic be fresh, and not sprouting as in this photo, if you desire a firmer garlic clove after fermenting. These cloves will be quite soft.

The brine out of the fermented garlic Jar makes a very nice addition to mayonnaise to create aioli.

I love the raw fermented garlic in my guacamole. The creative ways to use lacto-fermented garlic are endless!

11 Comments

Sue Mosier

2/16/2015 02:39:30 am

Hi, I am new to lacto-fermented garlic. I have read on some websites to leave it on the counter for 30 days before putting in the refrigerator. Would you be able to explain why there is a difference in the amount of time it is left on the counter? Thank you.

The Probiotic Jar

2/16/2015 02:56:16 am

Hi Sue,

Basically the difference in temperature will affect how fast the food ferments, and how fast the pH drops. Almost all vegetables could be fermented for longer on the counter, but that tends to make them soft or rubbery, and texture and flavor are quite important to desirability. That might not matter for garlic, unless you like fermented garlic right out of the Jar! :)

Christine

11/3/2015 01:32:09 pm

Hi! Just wondering if there is a way to tell if garlic has or has not been irradiated-is all organic garlic safe? Thank you! Great site! I can't wait to get started with your jars & recipes! I have only done open type ferments & they are hit & miss. I can't tell you how much hard work & money has gone in the heap!

Karen

11/3/2015 01:53:03 pm

Hello Christine!

There isn't any way to tell whether or not any vegetable or fruit has been irradiated by looking at it, and it's not labeled ~ that being said, domestically grown (U.S.) usually isn't, but any foods imported from tropical regions often are, and the sure way to tell is to ferment it. If nothing happens in the Jar, then you know it's dead, irradiated food. :)

Thank you so much for your comments! We'll sure that you'll love working with The Probiotic Jar! (We sure do!)

Michelle link

1/29/2018 02:58:07 pm

I use peeled garlic from Costco with excellent results.

Mark Tankersley

4/24/2016 08:14:05 pm

I use a silicone garlic peeler like this one, which makes garlic peeling almost enjoyable!
http://brickovenbaker.com/food-prep/silicone-rubber-garlic-peeler

Sara D.

8/7/2016 07:58:45 pm

You can put separated garlic cloves in two bowls held together like two halves of a sphere, shake a while, and the cloves bounce around until the skin comes off. No broken cloves either!

Karen link

8/8/2016 09:14:32 am

Hi Sara,

This apparently does not work for every variety/age/other unknown factors of garlic ~ it has been hit or miss for me. It's great when it works!

Harlén

2/21/2019 09:40:29 am

Hi, Karen.

My garlic cloves have been fermenting for 58-60 hours, and It is coming out of the airlock a stinky garlicky smell, is it normal? I t is strong enough to be smelled only by walking near the jar.

The brine looks cloudy but clear of any apparent spoilage.

This is my first time making fermented garlic cloves, so I don’t know what is normal and what isn’t.

I didn’t wash nor rinse the cloves, only peeled them and cut the ends. I used organic garlic that was not sprouting.

Thanks!

4/20/2019 07:24:54 am

Hello Harlan!

Garlic can certainly be stinky! The best way to help manage the smell of strong ferments is to place a deflated plastic bag over the airlock and secure it with a rubber band, and allow the bag to fill up - then take the whole jar outside to empty the bag and re-secure it, effectively keeping most of the stink in the bag and releasing it outside the house. :)

Jean-Paul link

2/2/2022 10:29:43 pm

Bonjour,
Bonjour Karine,

Avez-vous essayé les gousses d'ail fermentées dans du miel (biologique) ?
C'est un délice avec un peu de poivre en grains et des baies roses.
Une bonne quinzaine de jours de fermentation au chaud (ça mousse fort !) puis 4 semaines au frais... et c'est prêt.

L'ail et le jus sont très bons pour les maux de gorge et les rhumes de l'hiver.

Bonne journée à vous.
Jean-Paul
Union Européenne / France / Alsace

Garlic (Lacto-Fermented)

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