Preserving garlic, also called pickling garlic, is one of the easiest ways to save your garlic harvest. There’s nothing better than having fresh garlic ready to use all year long.
About ten years ago, I found myself with a huge harvest of hard neck garlic and no possible way to use it all before it began sprouting. I love garlic and cooking with garlic but even so, I knew I needed to figure out how to preserve garlic.
While I’ve canned fruits and vegetables before, I’d never thought to try preserving garlic. My brother Miles visited us last week and was kind enough to spend a couple of hours showing me how to can it.
As it turns out, it is almost ridiculously simple. It’s so simple and so effective that I wish I had learned to do it a long time ago.
We all love having garlic ready to use now in the refrigerator and I’m excited to share my findings with you!
This garlic tastes FRESH. If you’ve ever bought a jar of minced garlic or peeled cloves in oil or vinegar, this doesn’t resemble any of those things. I have used the preserved cloves in a couple of recipes already and the taste is exactly the same as fresh.
How to Preserve Garlic
Raw, dried garlic can be kept for months in a cool and dark environment. However, here in the very warm southwest, it rarely lasts over a month in my home before it sprouts. Preserving it with this easy pickling method helps keep it fresh for months.
Wondering if this method yields garlic with a pickled, vinegary taste? It doesn’t. The natural oils of the garlic prevent the vinegar from being absorbed into the cloves! Handy, right?
To use your preserved garlic, just take out the number of cloves you need, rinse quickly with water, and use as desired. If you want a slight vinegar bite to the garlic, or if you are using it in a recipe that also calls for vinegar, simply use the garlic without rinsing.
Also called pickling garlic, this method is one of the most common ways to save your garlic harvest. At any given time, you’re likely to find a row of jarred garlic tucked in the back of my refrigerator.
Why Does Garlic Turn Blue
Updated 9/19/12 to answer multiple questions regarding, Why Did My Garlic Turn Blue? If your garlic does turn blue, it is still safe to eat.
This can happen when enzymes and amino acids present in garlic react with the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic’s pungent smell. I’ve seen this happen a few times over the years and apparently, it is fairly common.
Selecting Garlic
If you don’t grow and harvest your own garlic in a home garden, follow these tips for selecting the best and freshest heads of garlic from your farmer’s market or grocery store to use in your preserved garlic recipe:
First, look for heads of garlic without sprouting. Sprouting is an immediate indicator that the garlic is no longer fresh and not worth your money.
Next, give the garlic a quick “sniff and squeeze.” If it smells mildewy or moldy, give it a pass. That’s an almost sure indicator that the garlic has gone rotten.
Fresh garlic cloves should never be soft or squishy. A fresh head of garlic will be firm to the touch and not yield with a light squeeze.
How to Peel Garlic
Arguably the most time-consuming part of the process of preserving garlic is peeling it. Of course, you can just use your fingers and peel away but if you’re looking for a faster process, or run into a stubborn clove whose skin just won’t peel, here are a few popular tricks.
I’ve tried all of these methods and it really just depends on how much garlic you need to peel, how you plan to use it, or if you’re preserving it.
The method below requires just Two Metal Mixing Bowls and it is my favorite.
- Take your whole head of garlic and place it in a large metal bowl.
- Place another bowl the same size on top of the first bowl so that you have an orb shape.
- Shake the two bowls very hard for about 30 seconds.
Keep in mind that this method works best with older garlic where the skin is already a little loose. Vigorously shaking the garlic in the bowls allows the skins to just break and fall away from the cloves. This method works best when using large quantities of garlic to smash into each other and help the process along.
Likely the most well-known method of peeling garlic cloves in a flash is by hitting the clove with the flat side of the knife. This is handy when cooking, but for this recipe, we want to preserve whole cloves intact so be careful not to smash your garlic if you try this method.
Similar to the bowl method above, you can also place the garlic cloves in a glass jar with a closed lid and then vigorously shake to loosen the garlic skin. This is definitely effective but, the amount of garlic you’re able to process this way is limited.
You can also use the microwave or warm water to heat the garlic slightly, making it easier to peel with your fingers.
Preparing Garlic
Depending on when your garlic was harvested you might notice some brown spots on the cloves. This is perfectly normal and doesn’t mean your garlic is rotten.
After rinsing once, I used a small paring knife to trim off brown spots on my garlic cloves. After all the brown spots are removed, rinse the garlic bulbs a second time and proceed with the recipe as directed.
Storing Garlic
If you use the method outlined in the recipe, you’ll need to store your jars of preserved garlic in the refrigerator to make them last. Designate one side of a shelf or a shelf on the inside of a drawer for your garlic jars. They should stay fresh for several months and even up to a year.
Sticking with this basic refrigerator canning method is by far the easiest and more reliable way to preserve garlic.
While there are multiple sources online that claim pressure canning works, I’ve removed this information, based on a reader review that doing this destroyed her garlic. I stick with my recommendation of preserving garlic in vinegar in the refrigerator. According to the USDA, “Canning of garlic is not recommended. Garlic is a low-acid vegetable that requires a pressure canner to be properly processed. Garlic loses most of its flavor when heated in this way. For this reason, adequate processing times have not been determined for canning garlic.”
How to Use Preserved Garlic
Now that you know how to preserve garlic, you can use that garlic anywhere you’d use the fresh stuff. And believe me when I tell you it maintains all the same aromatic, flavorful goodness of a freshly harvested garlic bulb.
Sauteed garlic is a must-have for countless savory recipes. We use it in everything from Garlicky Ginger Stir-Fry for a quick and easy weeknight meal to Sauteed Zucchini Ribbons.
Preserved garlic (rinsed and patted dry) is also amazing roasted! Use it in Roasted Garlic Quinoa with Mushrooms, Roasted Garlic and Bacon Guacamole and Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip and be everyone’s new best friend.
I also love garlic as an ingredient in salad dressing, sauces, marinades and savory spreads. It’s just divine in Beer and Garlic Marinade, Mojo Marinade, and in Homemade Ranch Dressing. This Chipotle Garlic Sauce served with roasted fingerling potatoes are a garlic lovers’ dream.
True garlic fanatics NEED to try the Garlic Lover’s Potato Salad. That recipe alone is worth “putting up” a big batch of garlic so you have it on hand anytime a craving strikes.
Give preserving your own garlic a try. I guarantee you won’t be sorry! It’s an easy and money-saving way to ensure you always have garlic on-hand anytime you need it.
I encourage everyone to learn about preserving and pickling vegetables. One of our favorites is pickled daikon radishes.
Kitchen Tip: I use this pot and these jars when preserving garlic.
Kitchen Tip: How To Preserve Garlic
Ingredients
- Garlic heads broken apart and cloves peeled
- Distilled vinegar
- Large pot for boiling the vinegar
- Jars for storing the garlic
Instructions
- Break apart your heads of garlic and peel the cloves. Place the peeled cloves of garlic in a large mixing bowl and fill with water. Use your fingertips to scrub any dirt off of the cloves. Once the cloves are cleaned, transfer them to a large strainer and rinse well.
- Depending on when your garlic was harvested, you might have very few brown spots on the cloves. My garlic was harvested late this year, so the ends were quite brown with some spots on the cloves as well. Use a small paring knife to trim the spots and then transfer the cleaned and trimmed cloves back to the strainer. Rinse again.
- Bring the vinegar to a boil in a large pot. For several hundred cloves of garlic, I used about 8 cups of vinegar. Place the clean garlic cloves into small jars. (I prefer to use small vs large jars to avoid contaminating a huge amount if the jar is open for too long in the refrigerator.) I filled 10 half pint jars with garlic. Once the vinegar has boiled, pour it over the garlic and screw the lids on tight.
- Let the jars come to room temperature on the counter overnight and then store in the refrigerator. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to a year. Enjoy!
Nutrition
{originally posted 9/14/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/10/22}
Kirstyn says
Figured the blue garlic out today– it's a variety thing! I did this to two different kinds of garlic. No idea what types, but both were organic, and both were aged, not fresh. One turned blue, the other stayed pretty!
Anonymous says
Do you think this process and recipe can be used successfully with shallots? I have a ton growing in my garden because I simply love them… but I actually never gave a thought to how to store them! LOL #didntplanaheadproperly
Mary says
I don't know how that would work. I imagine that the shallots would absorb more of the vinegar and become more like pickled onions. (The garlic doesn't taste the least bit like vinegar after you rinse it right out of the jar.) It might be worth doing a jar or two of the shallots though, just to see if you like them. If you try it, let me know how it works!
Anonymous says
Shallots will keep in the fridge if you just place them whole in a glass of water with the roots still on. They keep for a month or longer because they keep growing. I have seen them turn blue like the garlic. Just rinse them off and they are fine..
I also freeze a lot of garlic. Clean and just put them in freezer bags. Pull out cloves as needed. You can also just preserve them in oil. Garlic is easy to preserve.
Anonymous says
Too much trouble. Just peel , put in jar and cover with olive oil, Not only do you preserve the garlic you get garlic flavored olive oil- 2 for one!!!
Anonymous says
PS refrigerate the jar
Anonymous says
My kindle won't let me watch your video and it's taking me hours to peel all of my garlic. Please tell me your secret.
Mary says
Break apart the head of garlic by whacking it with the heel of your hand on the counter. Place the broken apart cloves in a large metal mixing bowl and cover that with a second bowl. Hold them tightly together and shake as hard as you can for about 30 seconds. The skins will fall off and you'll have peeled garlic cloves in the bottom of the bowl. I hope that helps! (I've also done this using a large mason jar, when I didn't have bowls handy.)
catherine says
Just break up the heads leave skin on and put them in a zip lock bag and freeze the whold bag full of garlic . use as need still has the flavor of fresh . Italians have done it this way for years also.
YY says
I use Foodsaver which has an attachment for these mason jars to create a vacuum within the jar.
tajerome says
I used this method today, very easy! Have your garlic cloves ever turned a grey/bluish color on one end when you've canned them? Some of my cloves are discoloring on the ends that i cut. Just wondering if this is them spoiling or if this is normal.
Thanks!
Mary says
If your garlic does turn blue, it is still safe to eat. This can happen when enzymes and amino acids present in garlic react with the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic’s pungent smell. I've never actually seen this happen, but apparently it is fairly common. (see the link above for more info.)
sagimoon says
I peel, slice & dehydrate my garlic. Once dried it's stored in canning jars. When needed I put the slices in a nut/coffee grinder & powder them. Be careful though, it's much more potent than regular garlic powder.
Anonymous says
That's probably because store bought powders have preservatives and fillers in them to avoid caking up. So a tsp. of store powder is not equivalent to a tsp. of homemade.
Anonymous says
Although peeling over 100 cloves by hand wasn't fun I am so lazy when I am rushing to make dinner that I often sub powder for the real thing. So today my hours of peeling will save me time later. Yay! And since I hate that frozen garlic leads to funky tasting ice water I am hoping nothing else in my fridge will reek of garlic.
Shannon Williams says
How long should you let these jars of garlic sit before using?
Mary says
They don't need to sit at all. You can use the garlic immediately.
Michelle says
Can you hot water bath this recipe and keep on the shelf?
Mary says
I've been told that people have done that successfully, however I haven't done it myself. Sorry I can't be of more help with that!
Polly Oz says
Can I reuse assorted food jars, which may not be air tight, or is it important that I use only canning jars for this?
Mary says
As long as they seal tight enough not to leak, they should work fine. This is refrigerator canning, not pantry storage, so I can't think of a reason why they would have to be canning jars.
JP Colter says
I use those Glad plastic storage containers – the ones with screwtop lids and they make a nice tight seal. I use them for preserving lemons as well for several months at a time.
Mia says
This is a fantastic idea. I'm glad I found this info. I am tired of feeling guilty for throwing bulbs of garlic that went bad. Will do this tonight as I just bought fresh garlic. Thank you~
Anonymous says
Does the garlic have to be dried first or can I do it right out of the garden?
Mary says
Right out of the garden works great!
Colorful Canary says
Thanks for the great recipe, you've been featured on my blog: http://www.colorfulcanary.com/2014/12/its-cold-flu-season-19-germ-fighting.html
CatSlave says
Process your garlic in a dehydrator and you'll have the BEST garlic powder. Much less fuss.
Big Dude says
Great tip, I may go back to growing garlic again.
Magnolia Verandah says
What a good brother! I think we should do more preserving and bottling and this is a great tip for garlic and not that hard at all.
xmydearambellina says
I do this!!! I just rinse the clove before use and it has no weird taste. 🙂
Connie Hatch-Feir says
I don't see the video (peeling garlic). Can you help?
Mary says
Sorry about that, Connie! I've fixed the link to the video and added it with the recipe instructions. I hope that helps!