Description
A comprehensive guide to fermented garlic safety for home cooks—learn how to ferment garlic properly, prevent botulism, and keep your batches flavorful and safe.
Ingredients
- Fresh garlic bulbs (firm, unblemished)
- Non-iodized salt (at least 2% concentration)
- Filtered or spring water
- Glass jar with airtight lid
- Fermentation weights
- pH test strips
Instructions
- Peel fresh garlic cloves and inspect for any damage or discoloration.
- Mix a brine using at least 2% salt per total water weight (about 2 teaspoons per cup of water).
- Place garlic cloves into a sterilized glass jar.
- Pour brine over the garlic until fully submerged.
- Use fermentation weights to keep cloves below the surface of the liquid.
- Cover the jar with an airlock lid or loosely fitted lid to allow gas to escape.
- Ferment at room temperature (65–75°F) for 7–14 days.
- After 3–4 days, check the pH with test strips—it should drop below 4.6.
- Once desired tang and acidity are reached, move jars to the refrigerator to slow fermentation.
- Store refrigerated and always use clean utensils when handling.
Notes
Keep everything extremely clean—sanitize jars, lids, and utensils before starting. Always keep garlic submerged in brine. Discard if mold, slime, or off odors appear. A pH below 4.6 ensures botulism safety.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Fermentation
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Homemade
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 clove
- Calories: 5
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: fermented garlic, garlic safety, botulism prevention, probiotic garlic, lactic acid fermentation