Knowledgebase
Picking Garlic without boiling #896053
Asked April 01, 2025, 12:02 AM EDT
Are there any safe recipes to pickle garlic with simply garlic and vinegar (no boiling or other ingredients - like how you pickle red onions)? I've seen lots of videos and blogs online of people simply covering garlic cloves with white vinegar in a mason jar, leaving on the counter for a few days and eating it. It seems to be a widely spread practice, but I have been unable to find this method on a university or extension webpage.
Is this method safe? Does it need to be refrigerated and what is the shelf life for this method? Risk of botulism?
I would like to teach something like this at a event and want to make sure the method is safe. Also want to make blue pickled garlic as sort of a science experiment.
Thank you! Cora
Washington County Minnesota
Expert Response
This is from the University of California Extension:
Peeled cloves may be submerged in undiluted (full-strength) wine or vinegar and stored in the refrigerator. Adding wine or vinegar to garlic provides an acidic environment (less than pH 4.6) so that Clostridium botulinum cannot grow. A dry white or red wine is suggested; white or wine vinegars also work well, but balsamic vinegar may be too strongly flavored. You may also add a small amount of dried spices, such as peppercorns, hot chili flakes, cumin seeds, or bay leaves, if desired. The garlic-flavored liquid and the garlic cloves may be used to flavor dishes. The garlic–liquid mixture should keep for about 4 months in the refrigerator. Label the refrigerated garlic–liquid mixtures to show the preparation date and a “best before” date. Longer storage should not result in an unsafe product, but mold growth may develop and flavors may change. Do not store the garlic–liquid mixture at room temperature because it will rapidly develop mold growth. Discard both the cloves and the liquid if there are signs of mold or yeast growth on the surface of the wine or vinegar.
