The batch that nearly pickled me (Pickled Garlic)
This is the closest I’ve come this year to quitting in the middle of making a batch of preserves:
The photo above is 6.5 pounds of Ontario garlic. It is one of my favorite things in the world and it makes for so many wonderful things – especially pickled garlic. Peeling 6.5 pounds requires absolute love of the process or a special kind of inner madness. I believe I may possess both attributes.
To peel a mass quantity of garlic like this, start by blanching. Blanch them for a minute – but be careful how you time the process. Your clock should only start after the garlic has been added to a pot and the water returns to a hard boil.
Pickled garlic often changes colors – batches I have made in the past have turned vibrant green or blue. The color change is harmless and there are many rumours on how one can avoid the changing color – from using young garlic, small garlic, jarring on a full moon (ok, I made that one up) and more. Blanching garlic is also rumoured to stop the color change as well – and this batch didn’t go neon! Thrilling as there’s a pile of it in jars.
For those new to pickled garlic, you can eat it in salads, by itself, with cold cuts, on sandwiches and more. My favourite is on a cracker with old cheddar or pork hocks. Patrick (who shared some great pickled garlic with us recently and inspired some of the spicing of this batch) and Sherwin will have jars put aside for them and we’ll see how this recipe worked out!
Comments
Nice! Can’t wait!
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