I absolutely LOVE growing hardneck garlic. It goes into the ground in the fall when most of your homesteading preservation is done for the year and then it pretty much takes care of itself until harvesting. Plus you get the added bonus crop of garlic scapes!
Garlic scapes are the flower portion of all hardneck garlic varieties. In order the ensure the best garlic crop possible, it’s wise to remove the flowering heads. We don’t want the plant expending energy producing flowers, instead we want to store as much energy in the bulb (the main reason we grew garlic).
Now we don’t just discard these flower stalks! They are incredibly tasty with their garlicky flavour and are very versatile. We use them in pesto, scrambled eggs, stir fry and of course, we ferment lots.
What are Fermented Foods?
A food is fermented when it undergoes a process known as lacto-fermentation; lactic acid is created when natural bacteria consumes the starch and sugar in food. This process creates loads of probiotics, beneficial enzymes to aid in digestion, b vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids. In addition this will also preserve whatever you are making.
Fermented foods are delicious, versatile and have been shown to increase overall health:
- probiotics: this introduces beneficial bacteria to your digestive system resulting in a healthy balance of gut flora
- nutrient absorption: in order to properly digest and absorb your food you need healthy levels of probitocs and digestive enzymes, both of which can be accomplished eating fermented foods
Supplies
- Mason jar – size of choice (I used 1 litre)
- A good chopping knife
Optional
Pickle Pebble/Fermentation Weight
I’ve written about how much I love my Pickle Pipes and accompanying fermentation weights many times. While they certainly are not necessary, the make the job fool-proof for me. My first batch of carrots failed because I had a lone carrot float above the brine and go moldy. While some folks say I could have just taken that carrot out and the rest of the batch would be fine… I just don’t chance it with mold. This problem is completely solved with the fermentation weights and the use of the Pickle Pipe means you don’t have to remember to burp your jars.
- 1 large bunch garlic scapes
- 3 sprigs fresh dill weed
- 1/2 tsp dill seed to taste
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes to taste
- 4 tsp Himalayan sea salt Himalayan sea salt or sea salt
- Chop your garlic scapes to your desired size/length. If you want bite sized pieces, chop them in one inch pieces. We love them as a side, so I keep them nice and long.
- Prepare your brine in a separate mason jar or measuring cup. You will need 4 tsp of good quality salt per 1 litre of water. DO NOT use a salt with iodine and ensure your water is clean and without chlorine or flouride.
- Fill your jar with your garlic scapes, stopping every 1/3 of the way to add spices and a sprig of dill. The amount of dill seed and red pepper flakes is very much to taste. If you like spice, add more red pepper flakes. Remember to leave head space!
- If you choose to add a fermentation weight, place it on top of your garlic scapes now. Pour the salt water brine over ensuring your vegetables are submerged.
- Place your Pickle Pipe on top and seal with a mason jar ring. If you don't have a fermentation top, you can just use a regular mason jar lid but you will have to remember to burp it (1-2x a day will do it).
- Allow to ferment on the counter for a minimum of 7 days. Sneak a taste and see if you enjoy the texture and flavour. You can leave them to ferment for up to 2 weeks. Once they are fermented to your satisfaction replace your fermentation top/Pickle Pipe with a regular lid and place them in the fridge.
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I was wondering ..(I do that a lot) whether I could shred my garlic (I already froze the garlic scapes this year for use in eggs, beans, or sourdough bread) and make lacto-fermented garlic instead? I say shred, because I would use it more if it’s ready to use. A whole clove I would most likely cut up before adding to food. I shred garlic in my salad shooter when making sauerkraut (I usually add a couple of cloves) or when I cook shredded tempeh. I just shred the garlic with it. So, shredding enough garlic to lacto-ferment a liter jar, spiced with rosemary and one whole rocoto pepper (since I grow those too) for heat sounds good to me. What do you think? Would that work? We just pulled up all the garlic, so I have more than enough I believe. Last year’s crop partially dried up cause I didn’t use it enough (weird– we eat a lot of garlic!!)
Hi Sabine,
Thank you for reading my blog and leaving a comment. While I do ferment a lot, I am not an expert per say. So because I have fermented garlic cloves I am uncertain if it would work, but my theory is the following: If you had leftover garlic last year it is worth a try! I have fermented garlic with honey before but not in a salt brine. My thoughts are that it would work, but not having done it myself I cannot speak in certainties. Good luck and let me know if you decide to try it!