Garlic
 

I made a batch of refrigerator pickles and the garlic on the bottom of the glass jars turned blue. Apparently, the enzymes and amino acids react with vinegar causing ths reaction. Needless to say, the blue garlic kind of freaked me out.

I just heard about this the other day. It's apparently harmless but still freaky.

I just recently learned about this as well. Garlic contains Anthocyaninins, water-soluble pigments. With acid conditions, it may turn blue or purple. It also contains sulfur compounds, which may react with copper in water to form copper sulfate, a blue compound. Often occurs in jars of pickle, it is recommended to eat the pickles and discard the garlic.

[url]http://extension.oregonstate.edu/josephine/sites/default/files/sp_50_744_pickles_and_relishes_problems_and_solutions.pdf[/url]

I believe it only turns blue when using iodized salt. The pickling salt should not make it turn blue.

I only used pickling salt. I believe the reaction is to acid in the vinegar.

I read it was old garlic that did it.
Worth

I don't think that is the case either. It appears pretty fresh. It is a purple garlic variety. Not sure if that has anything to do with it...

[QUOTE=recruiterg;426840]I don't think that is the case either. It appears pretty fresh. It is a purple garlic variety. Not sure if that has anything to do with it...[/QUOTE]

I look on Google as I am sure you have.
It seems there is a whole new internet just for blue garlic.:lol:
I have had it happen a few times and it is safe to eat.

Worth

In my experience it usually happens if the garlic has been banged up a bit before pickling. Try rolling a couple of cloves together in your hands to loosen up the skin and those cloves are almost guaranteed to turn blue. I always use/eat these, they taste the same as white ones.

I pickle green tomatoes every year and always use extra garlic as fresh as i can buy.
they turn blue/green almost always. They taste the same as the few cloves that stay white.
It must have something to do with the salt or the vineger but i wouldnt worry about it

My mom makes a ton of jars of pickles every year, it is her specialty, and it happens about 1 out of 10 jars. We still eat the pickles and the blue garlic.

Link and information we use when folks ask our garlic farm about blue garlic.

[url]http://www.csiro.au/resources/preservation-in-oil-vinegar[/url]
Discolouration of bottled garlic in vinegar

Users of bottled garlic in vinegar are occasionally alarmed to find that the product has turned green or blue-green. These colour changes do not make the product unsafe but are obviously undesirable.
The problem of garlic changing colour is associated with the addition of acid which changes the normal pH of the product. This is precisely what is required to ensure that the garlic remains safe but the change in acidity brings about chemical changes in pigments in the garlic.
All plant materials contain various pigments some of which change colour as the pH of the plant tissue is changed by the addition of vinegar or other acids. The most common of these pigments are the anthocyanins which may be blue, colourless or red depending on the pH.
These pigments may be involved in some colour changes observed in preserved garlic but American scientists have identified another more general explanation.
Certain amino acids, natural components of foods, are responsible for many of the pigment characteristics of the onion family which includes garlic. The American scientists have shown that the outstanding difference in composition between garlic which turns green and garlic which does not is the presence of much higher levels of one particular amino acid in the green garlic.
It is not possible to tell by looking at untreated garlic whether it is likely to become green on crushing and acidification. However the work reported indicates that if garlic bulbs are stored for four weeks at a temperature above 23°C prior to processing, the production of the green pigment is prevented.
This may not be practical at the domestic level, but could be a valuable precaution for commercial producers.
Find out more about Food Quality & Safety.

Garlic
 

[URL]http://www.durgan.org/2015/July%202015/23%20July%202015%20Garlic/HTML/[/URL] 23 July 2015 Garlic
A row of garlic was pulled for drying. The bulbs are solid with no bursting so some were left in the ground to mature more. The scapes were left on and formed bulbils or seeds which can be used in cooking. I also wrapped some clusters in gauze to mature into bulbils. The gauze prevents dispersal as they mature.
Some elephant garlic was also pulled. Elephant garlic has nodules on the bulb which are clones which are viable and can be planted.
For the main crop, for the seed cloves, I let the bulbs burst which makes for larger cloves for planting. I find this seems to have little effect on shelf life in practice.
[IMG]http://www.durgan.org/2015/July%202015/23%20July%202015%20Garlic/HTML/dsc_497623%20july%202015%20garlic_std.jpg[/IMG]

Garlic Harvested
 

[URL]http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/2%20August%202015%20Garlic%20Harvested/HTML/[/URL] 2 August 2015 Garlic Harvested
About 80 bulbs of garlic was harvested. The seed scapes were removed which is usually done earlier. The bulbs were hung in the shed to dry duration for about three weeks then will be trimmed for storage.Eight bulbs were left in the ground so the seed pods can mature.They are covered with gauze to contain the seeds, since they disperse when ripe rather quickly. The seeds are called bulbils which are small clones of the bulb in the ground.
[IMG]http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/2%20August%202015%20Garlic%20Harvested/HTML/dsc_58292%20august%202015%20garlic%20harvested_std.jpg[/IMG]

Nice bulbs! I'm just letting my garlic flower and go to seed in hopes I'll have more next year since I only have a few this year. I don't hope for bulbs as big as yours. I got my original bulbils from an elementary school project from 5 years ago. I have no idea what the variety is but the flowers and scapes are very nice.

Perfect Hardneck Garlic Clove
 

[URL]http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/8%20August%202015%20Garlic%20Clove/HTML/[/URL] 8 August 2015 Garlic Clove
This is my typical garlic clove.At the garlic festivals I have not encountered better. This is hard neck and the name is not known. I select the best bulbs for seed each year, but also am growing bulbils now for seed. It has a strong biting, garlic flavor, meaning it is not pleasant to eat raw, since it burns somewhat.The clove skin is slightly colored purple near the base, but the clove is perfectly white after being the skin is removed.The largest clove is 31 grams and the total bulb weight is 117 grams.
[IMG]http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/8%20August%202015%20Garlic%20Clove/HTML/dsc_78848%20august%202015%20garlic_std.jpg[/IMG]

Great cloves! Are those from one head or selected separately (for replanting)?

[QUOTE=PhilaGardener;497365]Great cloves! Are those from one head or selected separately (for replanting)?[/QUOTE]

One bulb. The bulbs are still drying in the shed. I just selected one bulb at random. The bulbs are all about the same size around 80 in number.

nice looking cloves when did you plant it?

[QUOTE=garlic-luv;497374]nice looking cloves when did you plant it?[/QUOTE]
[URL]http://www.durgan.org/URL/?MYHED[/URL] 18 October 2014 Planting Garlic
About 100 cloves of hard neck garlic was planted for harvest in July of 2015. The cloves were saved from my 2014 garlic harvest. Only the largest cloves were selected for planting.The cloves were removed from the bulbs by pressing a table knife through the center of the dried scape. This effectively opens the bulb and the cloves can be easily removed.Each bulb has from 5 to 8 cloves. Usually only five are large and nicely shaped. The smaller not suitable cloves will be utilized for table use Some years I have been short of seed so used he smaller cloves and found no perceptible difference in size of the bulbs. But if I have sufficient only the largest perfect cloves are utilized. The cloves were planted at six inch spacing with the pointed end up and about two inches into the soil from the top of the clove. No hole was made but the clove was firmly pressed to insure a close affinity with the soil. Pictures depict the process.

Interesting method to open the head; I usually just tear mine open. I'll have to give that a try!

Beautiful! How do you store them and how long do they keep for you?

[QUOTE=AdrianaG;497424]Beautiful! How do you store them and how long do they keep for you?[/QUOTE]
Store in a milk transport container, or basket with air holes, in a dark cold room in the basement. It keeps about five or six months without starting to sprout. The temperature of the cold room is supplied by an air intake from outside probably around 10C or 15 C on average.

Garlic Trimming for storage
 

[URL]http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/12%20August%202015%20Garlic%20Trimming/HTML/[/URL] 12 August 2015 Garlic Trimming
Garlic has been drying in the shed for about two weeks and dry enough for trimming the stalks and roots for storage. The garlic is stored in an open well ventilated container in the cold room and keeps for about six months. There were 13 pounds around 75 bulbs. About 100 cloves, 5 or 6 cloves per bulb, were chosen for the seed for the 2015/2016 crop. For reference seven bulbs constitute a pound. The bulbils from one hardneck bulb was removed from the ground and the seeds collected. The gauze around the seed head is to prevent the seeds from dispersal as they dry and ripen. The seeds take a long time to mature and if collected too early they are not viable.A few elephant garlic were also processed.The seeds of the elephant are not mature yet.
[IMG]http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/12%20August%202015%20Garlic%20Trimming/HTML/dsc_597412%20august%202015%20garlic%20trimming_std.jpg[/IMG]

23 August 2015 Mortar and Pestle
 

[URL]http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/23%20August%202015%20Mortar%20and%20Pestle/HTML/index.htm[/URL] 23 August 2015 Mortar and Pestle
Garlic prior for use should be crushed and allowed to sit for at least 15 minutes or longer. Crushing, or pressing garlic and allowing it to sit for ~15 minutes provides enough time for the alliinase and alliin,released from the process,to interact and form allicin,the beneficial product. My method of crushing is to utilize a tortilla press for the initial crush, then hone the process in a mortar and pestle. This method can easily be adapted to processing large quantities of garlic or down to a single clove. The method is efficient and easy to implement, and clean up is simple.
[IMG]http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/23%20August%202015%20Mortar%20and%20Pestle/HTML/dsc_653923%20august%202015%20mortar%20and%20pestle_std.jpg[/IMG]

Very nice thread. Appreciate the input

Cracking garlic, this is a time saver. Hold hardneck garlic upside down in hand and give a good hit on a solid surface.

Wow ! Will have to try, hopefully won't damage it !

[QUOTE=Noreaster;513147]Wow ! Will have to try, hopefully won't damage it ![/QUOTE]

It works I do the same thing with all garlic.
I will set the pod of garlic I buy at the store root side up and give it a wack with my hand.
Then the cloves are separated and the ones I want to use will have the root end cut off.
I take a wide knife or a heavy meat cleaver and give it a good wack or you can pop the flat side of the blade with your hand while it is sitting on top of the clove.
This will allow you to peel it very easy, the skin just falls off.

Worth

Once you get the hang off it there is no chance of damaging the garlic,we crack 8 to 10 thousand this way most years for planting. We cut the stems a bit long easier on the hands.