Hello, I would like to ask about the risk of botulism in olive oil infusions. I have done this for years with garlic for cooking but have never heard about this risk until recently. My Mom sent me this today: "Garlic-in-oil mixtures stored at room temperature provide perfect conditions for producing botulism toxin (low acidity, no free oxygen in the oil, and warm temperatures). The same hazard exists for roasted garlic stored in oil. At least three outbreaks of botulism associated with garlic-in-oil mixtures have been reported in North America." So, here are my questions on this topic. The only time I have seen an unusual result with an oil infusion of this kind is when I tried adding onion AND garlic to an oil infusion. This means that garlic and onion was chopped, placed at the bottom of the jar and then covered with oil. I then stirred the mixture with a wooden implement. Lastly, I covered the oil with a paper towel and placed a rubber band around the mouth of the jar. Once a day, I stirred the mixture for a few weeks. I have done this with several jars of garlic in the past. But the one that I also added onion to on this occasion began to bubble. That has never happened before. Is that evidence of botulism? How can you tell if there is botulism in the mixture? Many thanks for taking my question, Jen