Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (2024)

Garlic is one of the most common flavorings used around the world, considered a dietary staple in many countries; it is also known as a potent herbal medicine.Garlic is a food that is mineral-rich. It is a good source of antioxidants, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, manganese, and selenium. It has well-documented antibacterial and antiviral properties and also helps to boost the immune system. But would you believe that garlic can get even more healthy?

What is Fermentation?

You can acquire garlic in many forms—fresh, dried, infused into oil, minced—but none of these quite have the same effect on the palate and the body as lacto-fermented garlic cloves.Fermenting garlic makes all of those minerals even more accessible to the body during digestion, and it also adds probiotics to your diet.

Fermenting garlic might seem like alchemy, but it is quite easy. You'll make a brine with salt and water, then let it sit for a month or two and open the jar daily. The recipe fills a one-pint jar with garlic cloves, and you likely won't need all of the brine. By maintaining the 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each cup of non-chlorinated water in the brine, you can also scale it up or down for any size jar and make as much lacto-fermented garlic as you like.

You can use fermented garlic anywhere you would use fresh garlic. After fermentation, one clove works almost as well as two raw cloves.

Tips for Making Lacto-Fermented Garlic Recipe

  • Release pressure - Remember to open your jar daily to release pressure.
  • Test the pH - If you are testing the pH of the fermentation, it should reach a level below 4.6 when ready. Keeping the fermentation below 4.6 guarantees botulism will not occur.
  • Waste not! - When you finish the garlic, save the brine. Add a drop or two to savory cocktails like bloody Marys, sprinkle in dressings or marinades, or blend with melted butter for quick and easy garlic butter.

What You'll Need to Make This Lacto-Fermented Garlic Recipe

A Nice Mixing Bowl
A Good Set of Measuring Spoons
A Small Jar

"Garlic lovers are going to enjoy this recipe. Beyond remembering to burp the jar daily, it’s very easy. After one month, the pH tested at 4.0, and a pint makes a good amount of garlic to use. The smell never got too obnoxious in the kitchen, and the taste is pleasantly mellow." —Colleen Graham

Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (5)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 5 to 8 whole garlic bulbs

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or other non-iodized fine salt

  • 2 cups non-chlorinated water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (6)

  2. Peel 5 to 9 whole garlic bulbs to fill a 1-pint jar.

  3. In a small bowl, create a salt brine by dissolving the 1 teaspoon fine sea salt in the 2 cups non-chlorinated water.

    Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (8)

  4. Add as much brine to the jar as needed to completely cover the garlic cloves. Don't fill the jar all the way to the top with brine.

    Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (9)

  5. Screw the lid loosely on the jar and set it on your kitchen counter.

    Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (10)

  6. Open the jar once a day to release the pressure created by fermentation. When you do this, your kitchen will smell very strongly of garlic, especially once the fermentation really gets going.

    Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (11)

  7. It might take a few days to a week for fermentation to begin. You will see tiny bubbles in the brine. After a bit, the brine will take on a lovely golden-brown color.

    Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (12)

  8. Let the garlic continue to ferment for at least 1 month for best results. Some of the best, most mellow flavors come from cloves fermented for at least 2 months. When you decide that it is done, screw the lid on firmly and place the jar in the fridge to store.

    Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (13)

How to Store Lacto-Fermented Garlic Recipe

The fermented garlic should stay in the brine and be refrigerated in a tightly sealed jar for no longer than two months.

Black Garlic Recipe

  • Fermenting Food
  • American Food
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
4Calories
0g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 50
Amount per serving
Calories4
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 47mg2%
Total Carbohydrate 1g0%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg5%
Calcium 6mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 12mg0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • garlic
  • american
  • summer
  • ingredient

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Can't Get Enough of Garlic? Try This Lacto-Fermented Version! (2024)
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