Pickled Garlic Recipe

What do you get when you add pickling to garlic? You get pickled garlic 🙂

I originally made this post about Pickled Garlic back in 2013 and I decided it was time to bring the recipe over here 😋 

Many years ago I discovered a love of making my own preserves and pickles, but being a non-traditionalist, I enjoy creating those jams or pickles that you would normally not find in a store.

Among the many wonderful recipes, I discovered was making pickled garlic and I have never looked back.

Garlic has been touted for effectively treating hair loss to boosting your immune system and so many other maladies that people suffer and yet eating raw garlic has never been one of my favorite ways of consuming this wonderful herb.

When I saw that you could pickle it, I just had to give it a go and when I say that you have never tasted anything quite like it, well I guess ( until you make it) you will just have to believe me.

I originally found the recipe is one of the best series of cookbooks you will find “Company’s Coming” and in fact, my eldest daughter now has a fine collection of these books that she uses over and over again ( some of them are mine as she absconded with them lol)

Here is the recipe for Pickled garlic with images to show how this is all put together

*Garlic cloves                                            1/2 lb.      250g

*Large red pepper, seeded and slivered        1             1

*White Vinegar                                         2cups        50 mL

*granulated sugar                                     2/3 cups   500 mL

*Mustard Seed                                          1/2 tsp     150 mL

*Celery Seed                                             1/2 tsp     150 mL 

I normally make 1lb as I find that 1/2 a pound is never enough. It can be time-consuming to peel, but I listen to some good music while I do it.  To make it easier to peel, I will soak the garlic in a bowl of very warm water to help loosen the skins.

These are the two red peppers slivered ( remember I doubled the recipe?)

I like being organized so I like measure the ingredients ahead of time.

You will notice that in the image above I have the spices in a coffee filter and you may be wondering why. I learned many years ago to adapt and when you don’t have a cotton bag lying around, using a coffee filter works just as well tied with white thread.

After you have measured the vinegar and sugar into a saucepan and then placed the spice bag into the vinegar mixture, turn the heat on medium-high and stir frequently until it boils and then let it boil for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and red pepper to the boiling vinegar mixture and return to a boil. Let it boil for another 5 minutes.

Fill hot sterilized jars with the garlic and red peppers to within 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the top of the jar. Fill with the hot brine to within 1/4 inch (6 mm) to the top of the jar. I use a chopstick to “poke” holes in the mixture to release air bubbles and if need be I will add more of the brine.

This is what a finished product looks like – what do ya think?

Of course, now the waiting begins as it takes several weeks ( give it 3  to four weeks) before they are ready to eat.

While I love to make pickled garlic and don’t have to worry about the time of year to make a fresh batch, there are the other fruits and vegetables that are dependent on when you can get a good crop to make these wonderful condiments and preserves. To me, it is a great way to bring back some great traditions of “home” preserving and I hope that I have inspired you to try it out yourselves.

Is there a special recipe or tradition that you are doing for yourself or family?