Photos by Holly A. Heyser
I do a lot of pickling and preserving, and I do it for many reasons: To capture abundance, to hold onto seasons past, to transform good into great. It is this last that drives me. Most preserved foods do not outshine their fresh state. Some can be just as good, only different. But a precious few foods undergo a magical transmogrification when they are preserved.
Fresh pork leg transformed into prosciutto is a classic example. As are wine and cheese from grapes and milk. So too with fresh garlic. No matter how much I love fresh garlic, it is but a shadow of these preserved cloves. Eating them for the first time was a revelation, a culinary epiphany: I must have this garlic on hand. Always.
I did not come up with this method of preserving garlic myself. It comes from my colleague Paul Virant, a fellow traveler, cook and preservation junkie who did me the honor of hosting a Hunt, Gather, Cook dinner at his Michelin-starred restaurant Vie in Chicago last fall. It was a wonderful dinner, but Paul was just as eager to show me his preservation sanctum sanctorum, tucked away in an unused room above the restaurant.
Walls of jarred deliciousness rested there. Fruits, green things, sauerkraut. Beets of all shapes and sizes. And a set of jars in the corner stuffed with what looked like roasted garlic.
Paul remarked that they were pressure-canned hardneck garlic cloves; hardneck garlic doesn’t store as well as the typical softneck you get in the supermarket, but it is vastly superior in flavor. So Paul puts up jars and jars of the stuff.
The recipe is from Paul’s book: The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-doux. Virant’s book is one of two preservation books out now by bona fide chefs; the other, Tart and Sweet by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler is also excellent. (As a side note, there is a raft of canning books on the market right now, and I would add one more “must buy” to the current crop of books: Marisa McLellan’s Food in Jars.)
But Paul goes where most other canning books fear to tread: He delves into pressure canning. This preserved garlic cannot be made without a pressure canner.
I simply don’t have words to describe how wonderful this stuff is — imagine roasted garlic that holds its shape, sweet, savory, soft, unctuous and just salty enough for you to want to eat another. And another.
I like to put a few cloves on a plate with other things, as an accent. Or you can spread them on bread. Or toss them in with eggs in the morning. They are a fantastic addition to a pan sauce.
I am posting this now because it is garlic season in most of the country. Fresh garlic is all over farmer’s markets now, and while all fresh garlic is excellent, use the hardneck variety if you can find it. It has a hard central stalk in the middle, and its cloves tend to be larger than those of a softneck.
The hardest part of this entire process is peeling the cloves. But that’s not really that hard either. There is a great trick to peeling lots of garlic: Put the cloves in a bowl, top with another bowl of equal size, and shake them vigorously for about 15 seconds. The skins will all knock themselves off. (Here is a video of the process.)
The only other hurdle here is the pressure canner. If you are a hunter, angler, gardener, forager or cook, you really need to get one. They will change your life, in a good way. And all those stories of them exploding are from the 1950s. Modern pressure canners are safe and sturdy. Follow the directions carefully and you will be fine. I admit to being nervous about using the pressure canner the first few times, but I got over it.
If you make this preserved garlic, I guarantee you will, too.
Preserved Garlic
Ingredients
- 5 cups of peeled garlic cloves, about 2 pounds of whole garlic
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup sherry vinegar
Instructions
- Turn your oven to 220°F. Place 5 half-pint jars on a baking tray in the oven. (Use clean, unused lids for this recipe.) This will sterilize everything. I always put an extra jar in because yields can be variable; large garlic cloves can change things, so it's best to be ready for extra.
- In a large saute pan, heat the oil and cook the garlic cloves over medium heat. Sprinkle the salt over them. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown. This can take anywhere from 8 to 20 minutes, depending on the heat you're using and how moist the garlic cloves are. Once they are starting to brown, mix the sugar into the pan and continue to cook until it begins to caramelize, about 2-5 minutes.
- Add the vinegar, turn up the heat to medium-high, and cook this down for a minute or two.
- Remove the jars from the oven. Pack the garlic and the oil and juices into the jars. Leave 1 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars and seal.
- Put your pressure canner on your most powerful burner. Use your finger to wipe a film of oil around the inner edge of the canner, as this will help create an airtight seal; read your canner's directions for more detail on this. Get your tap water as hot as it will go and pour enough water into the pressure canner to come up about 2 inches. Put the jars of garlic into the canner and follow its directions to seal the canner.
- Turn the heat up to high under the pressure canner and allow it to vent for 7 minutes before setting the weight at the 10 PSI marker. Let the pressure build to 10 PSI before setting the timer. Process 10 minutes for half-pints, 20 minutes for pints. (If you are at altitude, you will need to go up to 15PSI. Follow the directions on your canner.)
- Turn off the heat and allow the PSI to return to zero before taking the weight off the steam vent. Carefully open the canner, making sure you don't get scalded by the steam. Left out the jars and let them cool before storing them in the pantry.
Curious about the extra step in the canning process, wouldn’t just using warm jars out of the dishwasher (like I do for all my other pressure canning) work ok?
Yes, that would work. Canning jars aren’t really intended for dry heat according to the manufacturers.
what can I use instead of sherry vinegar? I can’t find it at any of my stores in Canada.
Wendy: Red or white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar. Really any vinegar you like.
Could I can in a water bath rather than a pressure canner?
Erin: No. You cannot.
Do you have to use the sugar? It’s ok for me if the garlic is not sweet or caramelized. Thanks!
Arlyne: Nope, you can skip the sugar.
Hi from Michigan. Hank, you and I seem to be traveling the same flavor road. Ive been studying Asian food and flavors, and it seems each time I start down a road, you are just ahead of me, breaking trail. So, thanks! Anyhoo, this garlic looks good. I was researching black garlic, which is fermented. This pressure cooked garlic is on my list to try as soon as my garlic crop is harvested and cured. I just put up my scapes so, a couple more weeks for the heads to ripen. One point Id make on your recipe…you don’t have to sterilize the jars if you pressure can. You just wash well. The canner kills any germs. Putting jars in the oven is just a step where things can go wrong. Now I’m off to help my neighbor cut up 2 bears. I’m gonna make red bear belly and bear bacon if the outfitters did a decent job quartering the animals. I wasn’t there, so I have no idea how the meat will look once we get it thawed out. I will certainly be checking with you as I go. Best regards.
Hi Hank! Thank you so much! I am making this right now, I’m on batch 2 ! I do love this recipe and the flavour is amazing! The 1st batch leaked some oil, they had 1 inch headspace in 1/2 pint jars , they have sealed, do I need to worry? I used the basic ball jars with flat lids and rings, just sealing them till snug not overly tight. Do you think I need to do anything different to avoid this?
Hi Hank, Im a total newbie at pressure canning. I have a couple of questions, didn’t think to add them yesterday. I’m confused as to when to start timing for the 7 min. venting . Do I need to wait to see steam coming out then start timing or start timing right away. I was wondering if its possible to cut back on the salt? Not sure if it would matter.
Thelma: You start timing the 7 minute venting when the steam is vigorously coming out of the vent, not before. And yes, with pressure canning you can cut back on the salt.
I just made this! I’m not sure if I did something wrong as my garlic is very sauce is very pale compared to your pictures. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated.
Just took a chance and made a double batch of this with my homegrown garlic. Ended up with 10 half pints of heaven in a jar. Thank you for this recipe! Next time, and there definitely will be a next time, I’ll try it with local honey instead of white sugar like another person commenting suggested.
Could I do the same thing with onions??
Richard: I don’t see why not.
Raven, the instapot sells as a pressure cooker and canner so you should be fine. Look for info on Google and Pinterest.
Can I use my instant Pot as a pressure canner? This might sound like a stupid question but some people online are saying no and I don’t understand why to be honest.
Raven: I have no idea.
You have to get the instant pot max. It’s the only one that gets a high enough pressure.
This sounds so good! I am wondering if I could PC this recipe in 1/4 pint jars? I assume the time would be the same as for 1/2 pint jars? It’s only two of us and I’d hate to open a jar and then not use it up in a timely manner. What do you think? I have been pressure canning for a few years, but I haven’t put any 1/4 pint jars in there yet.
I think it took me an hour just to peel the garlic cloves, not idea what the finished product will taste like but if the goodness I scraped off the bottom of the pan is any indicator I am going to need to grow more garlic.
Big (maybe) question about preparing these preserved garlic cloves. It is early August now where I live, and the hard neck garlic will be harvested over the next couple of weeks. They can be purchased for immediate use, or they can be carted into the old tobacco barns/new drying sheds to cure for storage garlic. Evidently the difference in water content between new and cured is astonishing. Would you advise any modifications to your instructions? I would offer to prepare some garlic both ways and report back, but as I’ve never tried them before I wouldn’t have much of a baseline…
Woozie: I’ve always used this recipe with cured garlic.
Is the sauce supposed to cover the garlic, in the jar? Subquestion, is it bad if the sauce does not cover the garlic in the jar?
Mercox: Nope, the sauce does not always cover the garlic in the jar, but it should be close to the level.
Thank you! Our son has a farm and gave us 2 crates of garlic. I am going to try this and I’ll let you know how it comes out. We will be using it on our wood fired pizza trailer for delicious pizza recipes!
Happy new year from the Philippines. At the stated amount of oil and vinegar, will the cloves be submerged in liquid? Should they be? Thank you.
Ding: Sorta. They are often about 3/4 submerged.
Hi,
so you can’t preserve this recipe using the water bath canning method? I have a pressure canner but it’s sketchy.
Emma: Nope. It’s not safe, as sometimes botulism can hang out with water-canned garlic.
Hi Hank
I want to do this recipe today but I don’t have sherry vinegar. Do you think I can replace it with any vinegar? I am thinking of using malt vinegar for its flavour
Annie: Yes, use malt vinegar.
If you make these, you have to store them in the freezer. Here’s why. Pressure cooking can kill botulism spores, but only at 121C for 30 minutes.
The UCSB Science Line website says “C. botulinum spores can be killed by heating to extreme temperature (120 degrees Celsius) under pressure using an autoclave or a pressure cooker at for at least 30 minutes.” http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=1307
Most pressure cookers have a cooking (operating) pressure setting between 0.8–1 bar (11.6–15 psi) (gauge) so the pressure cooker operates at 1.8 to 2.0 bar (absolute). The standard cooking pressure of 15 psi gauge was determined by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1917. At this pressure, water boils at 121 °C (250 °F) (described in vapour pressure of water article). The Instant Pot working temperature at high pressure is between 115 and 117C, so will not kill botulinum spores. Oil has an insulating effect, so the temperature will be lower in the jars.
According to the UC Davis Food Safety flyer, at least 4 outbreaks of foodborne botulism poisoning have occurred from garlic in oil preparations in the USA, either commercial or home made. http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/250352.pdf Cases in Europe are much more common, because people store food in oil more often there.
Non-proteolytic Botulism spores can grow at refrigerator temperatures. They are responsible for most of the botulism poisoning cases that happen. See this industry paper: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20101001/New-method-for-detecting-spores-of-non-proteolytic-Clostridium-botulinum.aspx
The takeaway: IF there are any living botulism spores on the garlic after pressure cooking, it is NOT safe to store it at refrigerator temperature. You have to freeze it. Botulism spores do not grow and produce toxin at freezer temperatures. http://extension.missouri.edu/p/GH1501
The bottom line: Freeze it. Because botulinum spores are rare, you could get away with using an unsafe preparation/storage method for a long time, and then one day you could kill someone. In my opinion, it is irresponsible to take that risk when you could easily prevent that hazard by freezing your product instead of refrigerating it.
Jessica: I respectfully disagree, as this method is from a chef friend who has had this recipe vetted by food safety professionals, and has served this at his restaurants for many years. But you bring up a very good note about the Instant Pot! I use an old-school pressure canner, which hits the proper temperature, as does my friend. Very good to know that, as you are correct, those 5-7 degrees matter.
Shouldn’t have to sterilize jars in the oven, as they will be in the pressure canner for a minimum of 10 minutes, right? Thanks for the recipe, cannot wait to try it!
I come back to this recipe year after year. Once my farm share members get their allotment of garlic I use the remainder to make this recipe. The processed garlic works great in any recipe, but my husband and I love it as a spread on crackers or toast squares. This recipe was also the first time I had come across oven sterilization for the canning jars. Now, I won’t do it any other way!
Good stuff here, thanks!
I just harvested 250 hardneck from our garden. Thank you for posting this recipe. Love my pressure canner, as I don’t have to eat vinegary peppers. This garlic sounds delicious.
This sounds amazing and I really need a good shelf stable way to preserve the abundance of hard neck garlic I just harvested…my question is, can I make this without the sugar or with drastically less sugar (no more than 1 tablespoon for the recipe) without making it dangerous? What I would really like to do is add 1/2 cup of lime juice instead of the sugar and vinegar but that is probably too much to ask. 🙂
Mary: Yes you can definitely reduce the sugar. And remember, you are pressure canning this, not water-bath canning, so it can be low acid.
Hank, I’m getting 10 lbs of hardneck garlic from a local farmer next month, plan to pressure cook/can all. Question: After prepping the garlic per your recipe I’d like to follow the directions of the cooker manufacturer, which are modestly different–we have beeen pressure canning lots of stuff the past few years–venison, veggies. Btw canned venison is very good and useful, we do a lot in years we shoot numerous does. Easy and good way to use tougher cuts without laborious trimming, etc.
Mike: Ok, so what’s the question?
I only have a stove top pressure cooker. Is that an issue as long as I follow the psi instructions?
Love love love your site and cookbooks and recommend them to many folks. Most recently a very nice walnut rancher from California, I hear that has worked out well for you both.
Lynne: Check your directions. I think so. And thanks for the references! 😉
I tend to dislike sweet preserved foods. I actually eliminate sugar from most recipes except fruit breads. I’m game on attempting this without any sweetener except for the sherry vinegar. Have you done this? What do you think?
We made these a few months ago and they are so incredibly good! My new go-to recipe for preserving our growing garden crop of hardneck garlic. The amount of sweetness is perfect, friends and family have been raving about them and they are great to have on hand! Thanks Hank!
Thanks!
I really like the sound of this recipe – do you have to use a pressure canner due to the acidity level, or can you use a water bath?
Thanks!
Matthew: You must use a pressure canner.
Thank you for your reply will it also be the same as I am using smoked garlic
How long will this stay safe for storage on the shelf
Lisa: Pressure canned? Over a year.
So I made a batch of this yesterday and popped a jar today. I wasn’t really sure if I liked it or not, and then I realized that I’d eaten five cloves in about ten minutes while I was thinking about it…
I did make one mistake. The garlic I used had just finished curing. I should have used a higher heat to get the garlic browned sooner. By the time it started to brown, it was also starting to get mushy. As a result, I didn’t get as much carmelization as Hank’s pictures.
My guess is this dish will appear on antipasto platters as well as used as an ingredient in other dishes. Great stuff.
I adore this recipe! I made it last summer with champagne vinegar and it was gobbled up quickly. I’ll be making it again this year but this time I will know to make more so I’ll have some leftover to can. Thanks for a wonderful recipe. So easy and delicious!!!
Err, That’s BPA free….
Nice to know that lids are now PBA free. I’ll be tossing out my old ones.
I agree with Kim; with pressure canning, pre-sterilizing the jars and lids really isn’t even necessary. When properly done, the process of pressure canning sterilizes the jars and its contents. I’d say just make sure your jars are cleaned of unwanted matter before you fill them with the food you wish to can.
I couldn’t live without my pressure cooker/canner. I use mine almost every day and sometimes 2-3 times a day. For cooking whole grains and beans, using a pressure cooker cannot be beat! If you don’t have one, get one now! It is easily the single most important tool in my kitchen- besides the sink and the stove.
Just an FYI: since this recipe was posted there have been a big change in the lids available in the US. Ball/Kerr changed their lids to be PBA free and in the process changed the handling procedure. While not previously true, now having them in the oven at 220º to sterilize them will cause a seal failure. I would simply clean them well and go as directed even the 10 minute processing time in a pressure canner (for half-pints) should sterilize them.
Kim: Thanks! Will fix it in the recipe.
Thanks for the delicious recipe Hank! Preserving the harvest and making the first of this year’s Christmas presents. One question, I am new to pressure canning and wonder if the ratio of vinegar to oil is important? The oil and vinegar started to seperate as I was packing the jars and it got me wondering if some jars were getting a different ratio. I’m hoping the high heat of the pressure canner negates this concern, but wonder your thoughts? Thanks again and keep the great recipes coming!
Bryan: It separates. Don’t worry about it.
Would there be any reason NOT to substitute finely chopped garlic scapes for the garlic cloves, and then follow the same steps? I’ve got 20lbs of garlic scapes I need to do something with. I can only freeze so much of the stuff in olive oil…. 🙂
I was thinking about pan roasting garlic with skin on prior to canning. The skins come right off after roasting without much effort. This is how I roast garlic. I believe that this method improves flavor. Have you tried this method prior to canning?
Thanks for your input.
Really nice resource here! Great work!
Best Regards,
Matt
Can you pit up fresh garlic I mean seal fresh garlic with out cooking it?
Irma: No. Sorry. Garlic is best pressure canned, although you can pickle it.
I was wondering if i could cut the salt in half…i’m supposed to be on a low salt diet.
Tracie: No. The salt is important in the preservation process.
I just bought a huge bag of garlic from Costco with no real plan in mind. I looked in my ball home preserving book and could only find roasted garlic jelly. Why is it such a challenge to find creative pressure canning recipes? Some place I read on the web that as home canners, we just don’t have the proper tools to safely pressure can all that we want to. I’ve been using mine for a year now, but have stuck pretty closely with tested pressure canning recipes – for chili beans and soup.
The pH needs to be below 4.7 to protect against botulism. Don’t skip the vinegar, lemon juice, citric acid, etc. called for in canning recipes.
This is pressure canned, folks. NOT water bath canned. The recipe works fine.
This looks yummy. But I have just been reading about preserving peppers and things in oil and the increased risk of botulism. Would your recipe be considered safe by the USDA?
Who knows? I am not a fan of the USDA. They are hyper conservative and their methods tend to destroy flavors in food. I can tell you I’ve done it for a few years now with no problems.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a great source for canning – both pressure canning and water bath canning. This is my go-to website!!!! http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_home.html
I’ve been using and loving my All-American pressure canner for about a year. Just did this tonight with my crop of hardneck garlic. Oh wow!!!! Thanks for the recipe. Pretty sure I’m heading to the market to get more garlic 🙂
I can not wait this is what I will be doing tomorrow. Love your site.
Great!
What do I do if I dont have a pressure canner?
So it’s not a problem to have the cloves not really submerged in the oil/vinegar liquid? Ok to have so much air in the jars? I had little liquid in each jar, less than half full on average (did a couple batches to fill my pressure canner). Consulted with canning friends and decided to top off with vinegar/water mix to leave about 1 inch of head but submerge garlic cloves. Hope that doesn’t throw off the flavor too much.
I have pressure canned garlic cloves in half pint jars. They cook completely and turn into a wonderful dark amber spread. Once the jars are opened we have found they last quite well in the fridge. Its my go to for anything that is garlic.
I’ve been lacto-fermenting our garlic, and it’s lasted all year long. Just dip into the fermentation vessel, get out the garlic and away you go. We also just fermented a mess of puréed garlic scapes and that works beautifully, too.
Trying this out now … smells fantastic 🙂 Joan , mine kinda went a little mushy too , will be trying the roasted method next time myself. Will have to hit up a farmers market as I have used almost all the ones from my garlic.
Thanks for the recipe !
Rich
So I got back to this recipe today, and did the garlic in the oven like I wrote last time. It turned out perfect. One problem: I only got 4 little half-pint jars, and that’s the end of the garlic harvest for me. The rest of the garlic will be stored for long term dried use.
I tried this recipe last week and it was fabulous. We have been slopping the golden goop all over everything. Okay, not ice cream. I used honey from our own bees instead of sugar…perfect. Next we’ll spread it alongside olive tapanada on tomatoes…or cucumbers,…or turkey breast…or grits and sauteed mushrooms…
The only problem I had with the method was that the garlic started turning to mush before it browned. It could be that the pan was too crowded, heat too low, or just plain wrong pan. At any rate, I continued with the recipe anyway and no one batted an eye at the texture. everyone loved it. But I would like to see that whole-clove look just like the picture.
Next time, I think I will roast the garlic in the oven the way I often have, simply coated with olive oil and stirred once or twice. Then the other ingredients I’ll heat gently on the stove, pour it over the roasted garlic packed into the jars, and proceed as directed.
Looking forward to it, as I can see that the jars I already made are not going to laast until next garlic harvest. Thanks for the recipe, Hank. It’s definitely a keeper.
Hi Hank, thanks for all the great recipes and inspirations over the years. I have been pressure canning for a while now and am wondering why you recommend “sterilizing” in the oven before canning? It should not be necessary with pressure canning, besides, heating the oven to 220 doesn’t quite reach the 240 that the food inside the jars will reach with pressure canning. I would worry about the dry heat of the oven damaging the rubber seals on canning lids, especially for a step that does not seem all that necessary. It would also be much harder to handle jars and lids that are preheated that hot. I have never had to do more than rinse them before putting in the canner.
Seems like an excellent recipe that I will have to try soon. Also, I second the recommendation of the All-American. Ours has been worth every penny.
I just wanted you to know that this has to be the most delicious Garlic I have ever had… I could eat it with a spoon straight from the jar(it almost didn’t make it to the jars). I halved the recipe because that’s all the garlic I had. Next time I think I might triple the recipe.. Thanks for posting this.
I was looking for minced garlic recipe to jar but preserving garlic is good. Am planning on trying it!!!! Very much excited and able to preserve most of the garlic that I have to tend to.
Also, another jarring recipe that I am looking for is for Strawberries. Another Item that I have to tend to and to preserve.
I’m new to pressure canning. Do you leave the lids loose or screw them down snugly? Is there any worry about the jars breaking in the pressure cooker?
Kate: It is the pressure canning, which increases the temperature high enough to can non-acidic foods safely.
OK, I’m new to pressure canning. I’ve only really made jams and jellies in water bath. However, I have a ton of garlic from this summer and I wanted to make this recipe for christmas gifts. Can someone explain to me why this method is safe? Everything online says fresh garlic and oil is a no, no for botulism. I know there is vinegar in this recipe, does that make the acidity high enough to prevent botulism? or is it the pressure canning that makes it safe? Please explain. Thank you!
Hi Hank! I just found your website via Food in Jars. I can’t wait to try this recipe, but I was wondering if dried tomatoes could be pressure canned in oil (i.e. tomato confit), like you are doing here? Thanks for your advise!
I bought one at clearance many years ago with good intentions, but never enough time. I used to help my mom can everything from tomato sauce to beans to pickles to kraut and then some. I was going to send it on it’s way, but I think I’ve found a reason to find it a new seal. Since I’m not working now, time won’t be an issue. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Just looking at them gives me ideas for all kinds of garlic goodness!
Chris: I would not switch, but only because the acidity of balsamic vinegar is often lower than that of regular vinegars. Balsamic is also a lot sweeter, so it might throw off the balance. If the acidity matches a normal vinegar, i.e., 5 to 6 percent, then you can give it a go. But you might find it too sweet.
Hi Hank!
I’m always on the lookout for way of preserving garlic. We grow many varieties in our home garden and end up with a lot we dehydrate and use in a grinder throughout the year. I am buying a pressure canner just to try this recipe. Question about the vinegar – we have a specialty oil and balsamic vinegar shop here in town. Since this is being pressure canned, can the vinegar be replaced from sherry to a balsamic vinegar that is either a red or white balsamic? Thanks!
Tyler: Not sure, actually. This is the first year I’ve made it. But I reckon at least 6 months, and probably more like a year.
Any idea how long this garlic will last for in the pantry? I cant find any mention of it…
Michele: I prefer the sturdier All-American, but you are right, it is expensive. But many of my friends swear by the Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner
and it is only about $80.
Hi Hank,
Could you recommend a good pressure canner/cooker that isn’t too expensive? Thank you!
Just a note, you need to adjust the weight on the gauge from 10 to 15 for higher altitudes. You don’t have to increase the time though. I’m surprised you don’t have a pressure canner! I saw this recipe in Savuer a while ago and have been dying to try it–but I live in the middle of the country. I’ll bet you can do this with just about any fish. My mom used to used trout…
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Homemade-Canned-Tuna
Hank, Used sherry vinegar on one batch and champagne vinegar on another, both are awesome. I think I cooked the first batch too long as it came out mushy and I got 4 half pints from 6 cups of garlic. 2nd batch I made sure to preheaat the oil and used a higher heat setting to expediate the process. It came out great. Also, thanks for the tip on peeling the cloves; a quart mason jar works great!
oh blar – just saw someone elses comment – never mind. 🙂
Hi!
I am getting ready to make this recipe and noticed there is no mention of how much headspace to leave? Help!
Klev: I leave 1 inch of headspace. Thanks for bringing that up!
How much head space do u leave in the jars?
Hey dude,
My pressure cooker only does 8 or 15psi. Tonight I’m going to do this in 4oz jars, at 5 minutes at 15psi. I’ll let you know how it turns out. If that’s critically wrong let me know.
Angie: Not sure, actually. Unopened they will last a year. Opened, well, probably a few months. I can them in small jars so they get used quickly once opened…
I know that garlic oils can spoil quickly in the fridge, how long does this jar last once it’s opened? Does it have a longer life because it’s been preserved?
Interesting. I’d never thought of processing it. I grow mostly hard-neck, which does pretty well for about 5 months just hanging in the garage. At or before that point, or at least prior to the winter solstice, when whatever remains begins to sprout, I skin some cloves and dump them in a jar of olive oil. After a few months, they transmogrify to translucency. If you do not open the jar this entire time, there is a pop, and a few bubbles can be seen in the oil, so I suppose there is some very mild fermentation, but the cloves end up staying firm and tasty. Bonus: garlic oil.
Oh. My. Goodness. I am a garlic lover and user (sometimes an abuser, too). My addiction is so great that I buy garlic in bulk and use it all before it goes dry. This will be a great way to preserve some garlic already cooked; a great time-saver. Plus, I just got a pressure canner a few weeks ago and have been looking for amazing recipes. I will be trying this one; thanks!
The Modernist Cuisine folks have a similar recipe with a different process. They use a pressure cooker, and recommend refrigeration afterwards:
http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/garlic-confit/
Mark, I like the idea of canning it, but I need more ideas about how to use it in my cooking. Can I ever substitute it for other garlic? Slice it into recipes? My garlic crop looks good this year!
luv your philosophy about food…so glad i found your site…will be following your writing for more ways to preserve the great flavors of real food….thanx for sharing your experiences with wild foods and real ingredients…will be looking up the cook books you mentions…thanx again….annie
Hank, glad to find this discussion AND your delicious recipe!
I wanted to pop in to say that there are pressure cooker/canners for sale. These are made of stainless steel (not aluminum) and are relatively small (10L) compared to your average canner. I don’t have one but I think you can fit and process four pint jars.
This type of pressure cooker allows the occasional canner to reap the benefits of pressure cooking the rest of the year – or every night to make dinner.
And speaking of garlic, here is my pressure steamed garlic – only 20 minutes from beginning to end. You can use this for instant gratification while putting up your canned garlic. ; )
The Stinking Rose – perfectly roasted garlic in 20 minutes
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/2012/02/stinking-rose-perfectly-roasted-garlic.html
Ciao!
L
This sounds GREAT! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for the idea.
Your preserved garlic looks amazing and you’ve totally sold it! I recently bought a pressure canner from the US as in the UK it is rare to find anyone who knows about canning never mind pressure canning. Also have a large bed of hardneck garlic growing and the scapes are just starting to show, so this recipe will definitely be one to try.
I have fermented black garlic using a slow cooker and wrote a bit about it here: http://bit.ly/selRk0 The taste of that is exceptional and my first batch mistakenly dried out so I ground the cloves to a powder and sprinkle it on just about everything.
Great post Thanks.
Marie: The amount of oil in this recipe is not a problem. If you could see the sealed jars, you’d see that the garlic cloves are not even really submerged in the oil, so I don’t have that problem. But you are right in a general sense — too much oil can break the seal.
If that should ever happen, just put the stuff in the fridge and eat it before it goes bad.
Yum!
I’m not a pressure canning expert by any means, but I wonder about the amount of oil used here. Oil can boil up during the canning process and affect the seal. If it gets in between the glass and the lids, you could have a problem.
Just listen for the pop when opening, I suppose? I actually discovered this problem with oil when investigating canning hummus (which sounds wasteful, but I used to cook for groups all the time and is handy to have the stuff on hand). Instead, I can chickpeas with garlic and sesame, and then add the citrus and oil when I blend it up.
I also imagine this is why recipes say to skim the fat before canning chicken and beef broth.
But could be wrong! 🙂
Oh, Hank – thank you! We bought a pressure canner last year and put up carrots, green beans, sweet corn and regularly can our own chicken and beef stock. I had no idea the garlic we’d been getting from our local farmers was hard neck, but you’re right – it’s started showing up at the markets here in Ohio. I am going to buy as much as I can get my hands on now; this looks marvelous!
Christina: Yes, that’s what I mean. You can pickle garlic with a boiling water bath, but there is not enough vinegar in this recipe to safely can it without a pressure canner. A pressure canner does work on the stovetop, but it is a special device, not just a pot of boiling water.
Sorry for posting again Hank, but I noticed that you say you can only preserve garlic using a pressure-canner….meaning I can’t use the old fashion stove top method? Thanks!
Love the use (and new to me word) of transmogrification! Your preserved garlic recipe sounds great, we love garlic and this will definitely introduce to a new level of flavor. I second the read of the book Extra Virginity – very good.
Ed: That’s a cool site, but it’s about pressure cooking, not canning. They are two very different things. Wish there was a similar site for pressure canning…
I went from never preserving anything, because I didn’t have anyone to teach me and was afraid to try on my own, to now wanting to can and dehydrate everything i find in abundance. All it took was a single lemon fig jam recipe that pushed me over the edge, and now I can’t get enough. I have been thinking about a pressure canner for a while now, and this post gives me one more reason that it is a good idea. I am the first to admit I have a thing for kitchen tools, so I try to put them off until I think I might actually use it, and this summer is shaping up to be a good one for abundance. Just went this morning to pick wild plum cherries which you taught me about on this blog a few summers ago. Anyway, thanks for one more great idea,and cookbook rec!
Hank,
Looks like you’ve got another winner! I can’t wait to try it. Two comments. You mentioned olive oil. I suggest you add a link to the book “Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil” by Tom Mueller to your website. I highly, highly recommend you read this book. It is eye opening.
I don’t know if this is out of bounds, but you should consider adding a link to http://www.hippressurecooking.com which is devoted to pressure cooking. I’m enjoying the hell out pressure cooking as a result of this site.
Looking forward to your next post!
Hi, I grow garlic every Year in Upstate N.Y. all hardneck (mostly German Red). I get it from the Hudson Valley Garlic Fest and I store mine in a Omaha cooler in my shed it’s about 4″ thick and keep my Garlic fresh till spring. Just thought I would share it with you Love your site. Thanks.