Spicy Fermented Garlic (Step-by-Step, Easy Fermentation Project)
Spicy Fermented Garlic
Spicy fermented garlic that is packed with hot peppers and probiotics. It’s a great way to add some spice to your life, and it’s also good for your health.
Fermented foods are known for their probiotic benefits, and garlic is a potent antioxidant. So if you’re looking for a way to improve your health and enjoy some hot spices at the same time, then this recipe is definitely for you!
How many of you are confident in your fermenting abilities? I’m slowly getting there. I still use Real Food Fermentation as my guide and I refer to other people’s recipes. So far my fermenting adventures have resulted in one win and one moldy mess.
My father gave me some pickled garlic he bought. I loved the taste. The garlic was crunchy and spicy since it was pickled with hot peppers.
I recently saw this post by Oh Lardy, on how to ferment garlic. I thought “I can do this!” Fermenting can’t be that hard… ok, it’s hard. I find it hard to get the hang of.
How to Ferment Garlic
I bought this huge bag of garlic thinking I would ferment it all….so glad I decided not to.
Fermenting 101 – don’t overdo it if you don’t know what you are doing.
I stuck with the smallest jar size instead of my 1-liter jar. I packed the garlic into the jar and added some hot peppers. I had trouble after this part. I guessed my way on how to ferment garlic using salt brine.
The Real Food Fermentation book says to make a salt brine by using this ratio:
1 tsp of salt to every 1/3 cup of water + any fermenting insurance you have (which would be the sauerkraut juice I was saving).
I will warn you after a week some of my garlic turned blue. Don’t panic! Oh Lardy warned me this would happen when you ferment garlic and I’m so glad they did. I would have freaked out.
Spicy Fermented Garlic Recipe
Ingredients to use to ferment garlic
- some whole pieces of garlic
- hot peppers
- sea salt
- sauerkraut juice (optional)
How to Make Fermented Garlic
- Add all ingredients together in a small glass jar. Cover with a lid and leave it in a dark place for a week.
- Open the jar every day to release gas and to make sure it is not moldy.
- *If mold appears on the top throw it out. The fermentation did not work.
- Refrigerate after a week or more.
Fermentation Resources
I found this book very helpful for learning how to ferment various foods. Real Food Fermentation (found here on Amazon) focuses on a beginner’s guide to fermenting vegetables, fruits, drinks, and meat.
P.S. you will know if your fermenting experiment is working by seeing bubbles after a few days.
Other fermentation recipes to try
- Fermented Dill Pickles
- Raw Sauerkraut
- How to Make Kombucha
- How to Grow a Kombucha Scoby from Bottled Kombucha
- How to Grow Water Kefir Grains
- No Knead Raw Sauerkraut Method
Fermented Spicy Garlic
Spicy fermented garlic that is packed with hot peppers and probiotics. It's a great way to add some spice to your life, and it's also good for your health.
Ingredients
- 3 heads of garlic, peeled
- 2 hot peppers
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt (use a ratio of 1 tsp of salt to every 1/3 cup of water)
- 1 tbsp sauerkraut juice (optional but it helps start the fermentation process faster)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients together in a small glass jar. Cover with a lid and leave it in a dark place for a week.
- Open the jar every day to release gas and to make sure it is not moldy.
- *If mold appears on the top throw it out. The fermentation did not work.
- Refrigerate after a week or more.
Carol Lovett is the founder of Ditch the Wheat and a Globe and Mail bestselling author of the cookbook, Ditch the Wheat. She has been eating gluten free since 2010. She loves all things food, natural living, and spiritual. She’s also a reiki master and crystal healer.
