Easy Lacto-fermented Garlic

MAKE YOUR OWN EASY LACTO-FERMENTED GARLIC IN JUST 5 MINUTES WITH A FEW SIMPLE TOOLS AND SALT. QUICK, EASY, CONVENIENT AND DELICIOUS!

Until not too long ago I was pretty averse to trying lacto-fermented foods veggies. I really like vegetables and I like many of them pickled. But for some reason home fermented veggies just sounded unappetizing.

But, everyone in the health world was raving about them so I decided to read up on it. First of all, I discovered that fermenting is just natural pickling. Nothing more, nothing less. I have made vinegar pickles and asparagus. Only difference is this is pickling with salt.

I also found a wealth of information on how good they are. Much better than vinegar pickled veggies. So, I bought some basic supplies and started in.

Lacto-fermentation is a learning process

I started with fermented asparagus last spring as our asparagus field got into full swing. Not really understanding what I was doing, I threw away my ferments. Now, looking back with more knowledge, I think they were fine. I was just chicken to try them because they looked weird.

So, my most successful ferment to date is plain old sauerkraut. Today I am trying fermented garlic. I’m not sure why I never thought of this since we love the pickled garlic in the bottom of the asparagus pickles.

This came of out of necessity. You see, last week I bought a huge bag of peeled garlic for our family. We’ve all been sick and when you are sick at our home that means raw garlic…and lots of it!

But, even with all of us taking garlic I am going to have leftovers. Since I don’t want it to go bad I decided to try pickling it.

Why easy lacto-fermented garlic and veggies?

1. few tools necessary – basic supplies are usually on hand
2. less waste & spoilage – ferment veggies you can’t eat immediately
3. small batches – no need to have enough to fill a canner
4. health benefits – undeniable health benefits to our gut and digestion

Health benefits of easy lacto-fermented garlic and veggies

1. Full of gut-healthy probiotics
2. boost immunity
3. improve digestion
4. help to kill yeast overgrowth in the gut
5. helps your body fight allergies
6. builds bone density by better uptake of trace minerals
7. high in digestible dietary fiber
8. loaded with usable vitamins

To get these health benefits you must eat the veggies or garlic raw. That does not mean you cannot cook with it, you just lose some of these benefits. But, if your goal is to preserve the garlic from going bad so you can use it, then you have still attained that goal.

How it works…

Lacto-fermentation, often called wild-fermentation, relies on the native bacteria that are present on the vegetables you are fermenting to culture the food. These native bacteria are called lactic-acid bacteria because they produce lactic acid. Very simple!

Basically, any thing that grows in the earth has lactic acid bacteria because it is found in the soil.

So, all you need is a 2% salt brine and your veggies. No culture needed like in yogurt and kefir. Holly, over at Make Sauerkraut, says that adding additional starter cultures, even natural juices from previous batches interferes with the natural 4 stages fermented vegetables go through. This can change taste and texture and is totally not neccesary.

Supplies needed

• clean mason jars in either pint or quart size
• clean burping lid (optional)
• storage lid for use after ferment is finished
• measuring spoon
• non-chlorinated water in a measure
• peeled garlic
• sea salt or Himilayen pink salt

Steps to make easy lacto-fermented garlic

1. clean jars, utensils, and ‘burping’ lid or loose fitting lid well
2. fill a jar with peeled whole garlic cloves leaving 1.5 to 2″ headspace
3. make a 2% salt brine with sea salt (or Himalayan pink salt) and clean, non-chlorinated water (about 2-3 teas of salt per quart).
4. place a weight in the jar on top of garlic to hold them under the brine
5. be sure that there is at least 1″ of brine over the garlic
6. put on burping lid, OR if you don’t have one, you can use a loose fitting plastic lid so there is room to gas off.
7. Set your jars in a tray in case they overflow and spill over
8. leave jars of garlic on the counter for approx 5 to 25 days depending on how fermented you like your garlic. This is a personal preference. Taste them periodically to see what you like.
9. check every day or so to see that all the garlic is staying beneath the brine
10. when garlic is to your liking, remove burping lid and put on a regular storage lid and place in the refrigerator for long term keeping

Ways to use lacto-fermented garlic

It is best to use fermented garlic fresh to take advantage of the probiotic life you have created. But, if you need garlic for a cooked recipe, by all means, go ahead and use it. It will taste just fine but may have fewer health benefits.

In fresh, non-cooked recipes

Eat plain or add to dressings, dips, marinades, on bruschetta, dipping oil, fresh salsa, cold pasta salads, hummus, pesto, on salads, in fermented ketchup or blend into garlic paste.

In cooked recipes

To use in cooked recipes and still get some probiotics, add it as the food finishes cooking. Add minced garlic to mashed cauliflower, stir fry, soups, pasta, and rice at the last minute before serving.

If you are not worried about getting the probiotic benefit then add to your dish as you normally would.

For illness and first aid

Garlic has many immune boosting properties. Fermented garlic has even more. Downing a few cloves of garlic at the first sign of illness is an important step in fighting off getting that illness or at least recovering quickly.

Our family just minces a whole clove onto toast or something and eats it that way. Add natural raw honey for an even more potent combo. This also helps our little people get this down.

You can also use garlic topically. Please be careful with this as some may find this too strong, but we have not had issues thus far in our family. For common illnesses like cold and flu you can rub raw garlic on the soles of the feet. It will pull it in systemically.

For things like staph infections and ringworm, you can rub a garlic clove right on the affected area.

Easy lacto-fermented garlic video

You might need…

Various fermenting lid options

Good salts for fermenting…or everyday

Various Jars for fermenting

Mason jar storage lids

Pin it for later…

So…what did you think?

I hope you enjoyed this little foray into fermented foods. Let me know if you give it a try and how you like it. Have a blessed day! Julie

You might also enjoy…