black garlic

[nrgmassage]

Hello, I am looking for any information pertaining to fermented garlic..called black garlic. I currently make my own fermented garlic, like I do my own pickles and kraut. Food processed garlic, brine and a couple days on the "lizard mat" (we live in Wisconsin and I have better success during fall and winter with a mat). This turns the garlic golden and is delicious in anything raw or cooked. Recently, I have seen sites selling black garlic and am curious as to the health benefits. I like to learn the scientific stuff when possible. Alton Brown style. Anyone with some info.? I am going to experiment with a longer fermenting period. I have an airlock on a widemouth jar and will wait a month and see what happens????

[Juniperarrow]

Hello! (also from Wisconsin :) )

At first I thought you were talking about a method of fermenting garlic that is traditional in Okinawa, Japan which involves fermenting garlic (I think traditionally whole but cloves work too) in a salt solution for a few days then is drained and covered with black sugar and fermented. Sometimes the local traditional spirit (Awamori) was added too. The whole thing sat for several months before eating and supposedly lasted for 2-3 years. In the process the garlic gets stained black. This fermentation method was done with other vegetables such as daikon radishes etc as well. Black sugar is nearly impossible to get here in the States but I am experimenting with a close cousin- molasses.

Anyways upon a quick google search I realized you were probably talking about something else-about fermented garlic where the cloves turn black but the skin is still mostly white.

It is made by fermenting whole cloves of garlic at high heat.
It seems like basically you have to find a way to keep a bunch of cloves of garlic at 130-150 degrees for 40 days or so (so using an oven, or food dehydrator with only one tray, or a plate warmer, or a rice cooker, etc might work)

Here is the Wikipedia page about Black Garlic-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_garlic_%28food%29

Recipes and Instructions-
http://www.ehow.com/how_5902625_make-black-garlic.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Fermented-Garlic-Black-Garlic/step2/Assembling-the-Fermenting-Box/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_make_your_own_black_garlic

Other Black Garlic Related Links
(Including some science and health info)-
http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/02/09/digging-up-the-dirt-on-black-garlic/
http://www.steamykitchen.com/2927-black-garlic-with-scallops.html
http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Black_Garlic_6248.php
http://nordicfoodlab.org/blog/2013/2/black-garlic
http://www.sgh.com.sg/about-us/newsroom/News-Articles-Reports/Pages/Healthmagicinblackgarlic.aspx
http://www.healwithfood.org/allergies/aged-garlic-treatment.php
http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Black_Garlic_6248.php
http://www.sgh.com.sg/about-us/newsroom/News-Articles-Reports/Pages/Healthmagicinblackgarlic.aspx
http://med.wanfangdata.com.cn/KeyWords/Info_KWD.aspx?KWDS=black+garlic

[Naturalremedy]

I ate fermented black garlic aka aged black garlic from 11/10/12 through 2/20/13 and updated my blood test to see how the fermented black garlic worked.

Compared to my blood test from 9/11/12, total cholesterol changed from 214 to 151, TC 57 to 54, HDL 67 to 59, LDL 135 to 81, Glucose 105 to 76.

I was very pleased with the change and told several friends about it. One of my friends tried the black garlic for about 3 weeks and updated her blood test. The test result showed her total cholesterol changed from 280 to 203 and glucose from 300 to 87. Wow, that is just fantastic!

How to make this wonderful fermented black garlic at home.

1. Buy 15-20 bulbs of organic garlic. RECOMMEND USING DOMESTIC ORGANIC GARLIC ONLY.

2. In an electrical rice cooker for 10 cups that has cook and warm settings, place a steamer basket at the bottom of the rice cooker. Do not wash the garlic. Place the whole garlic bulbs with skin, about 15-20 bulbs in an upright position in the rice cooker.

3. Spray the garlic lightly with Asahi draft Japanese beer.

4. Closed the lid and plug in the rice cooker, put it to warm setting. I recommend keeping the rice cooker outside. It smells really strong. I kept mine on the deck under the patio table to keep the snow and rain out.

5. Leave it alone for 14 days. DO NOT OPEN FOR 14 DAYS.

6. Take the garlic out and place them on a tray or wire rack and let it dry for 14 days in a cool, dark, and well ventilated place. I dried mine in the garage.

7. Put the garlic in a ziplock bag and store in the refrigerator.

8. Peel one bulb at a time and eat 2 cloves with food three times a day.

9. Drink plenty of water.

10. Please consult with your doctor before you add the fermented black garlic to your diet.

[Nerium]

A couple of years ago, my local Loblaws sold black garlic regularly and I loved it! You would typically get two whole bulbs in a package and on the outside, it looked like a regular garlic bulb, but the cloves were indeed black and had the most unique taste that I can't really describe. I will say that I would eat an entire bulb in one sitting and was very disappointed when they stopped carrying it. I would be tempted to try to do it myself...

[blenderbender]

I've been experimenting making black garlic and have had some good results along with some mediocre results. The first batch done in a rice cooker and controlled to hold at 140 deg. for 30 days was perfect.... not too mushy, a bit chewy, and not too dry (subjective, I know). The rice cooker was a small one and could only hold 4 large bulbs in a single layer. So I upped the ante and got me a slow cooker casserole. It had a nice gasket sealed lid and I could get about 20 bubs in a single layer. I tried 120 deg. this time and after 30 days it wasn't black enough, wasn't sweet enough so I left it another 10 days. Didn't make much difference so I came to the conclusion it just wasn't enough heat to turn the trick. While this batch was working I started another in the little rice cooker. I only had one temperature controller at the time which was on the aforementioned cooker, so I figured I'd try something altogether different and skinned a bunch of cloves and popped them in on the warm setting which turns out to 165 deg for most of these appliances such as rice cookers and slow cookers (on their warm setting). I checked them at 14 days and they were definitely black but after tasting realized why. 165 deg. must be a bit too hot as they definitely had a slight burned flavor. Not "throw out in the compost burned", but definitely not what I was looking for. I since have got another controller and am going to try another "naked clove" batch at 140 deg. When it's good it's hard to stay away from. I find myself popping them like chocolate truffles. I'll come back when I've got a few more batches under my belt and report. Id hate to have to start paying the going retail rate for this addiction!