How to Make Black Garlic Quickly and Easily at Home

How to Make Black Garlic Quickly and Easily at Home

Famed for its many health and medicinal benefits, as well as its skill for warding off vampires, garlic has long been touted as a must-have dietary ingredient for ultimate health. Not only may garlic be able to boost the immune system, reduce blood pressure, and lower the risk of heart disease, but it may also help people live longer with reduced risks of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.  

Sounds great, right? Let’s eat all the garlic! The problem is that consuming copious amounts of garlic often comes at a cost – bad breath, aftertaste, and sometimes horrible body stench. 

What if it were possible to get all the healthy benefits of garlic without the raw, potent aftertaste and stench? Thankfully it is! Enter black garlic! 

What is Black Garlic?

Simply put, black garlic is garlic that has been changed through a chemical reaction called the Maillard reaction, the same process you use to sear meat. It’s not something you grow – but it is something you can make yourself using fresh garlic, lots of time, a constant heat, and the just the right humidity.

Black garlic is a fairly new concept in the United States, but it has been around for centuries. Originally from Asia, the popularity of black garlic is growing in high-end US markets and fancy restaurants. 

Not only is black garlic extremely versatile, but it tastes divine. The problem is, black garlic can be hard to find and quite expensive to buy. Luckily, it’s not hard to make your own black garlic at home with Roots and Harvest new Black Garlic Multi-Purpose Fermenter.

How to Make Black Garlic Quickly and Easily at Home

You will love how easy it is to make black garlic with this fermenter. Simply fill the included metal basket with three to four pounds of fresh garlic, put the basket in the garlic fermenter, and turn the machine on for the proper number of days. 

A word of caution, the garlic smell is intense for the first few days of fermenting. If you would prefer not to smell the garlic, it might be wise to put the fermenter in a pantry or basement. If you don’t mind the garlic smell, I recommend leaving the fermenter out where you can check on it easily.

Steps to Making Black Garlic

Supplies

3 – 4 pounds of fresh garlic

Black Garlic Multi-Purpose Fermenter

Process

• Gently wipe any dirt off garlic bulbs, but do not wash the bulbs or get them wet. 
• If the garlic bulbs have long stems, cut them down, being careful not to separate cloves from bulb.
• Fill the garlic cage and shake it to settle the garlic. Note that the garlic will ferment better if the cage is full, so use enough garlic to fill the cage.
• Press the FUNCTION BUTTON until GARLIC is illuminated. 
• Press the TIME BUTTON to set the fermenter for seven days. 
• Press the ENTER BUTTON to start the fermentation process. 
• Note that a countdown timer will illuminate, showing temperature, hours, and days remaining in the ferment.
• After five days, carefully open the fermenter lid away from your face so any hot air will blow away from your body.
• Remove the basket and one bulb of garlic. Examine one clove of garlic. It should be a rich, brown-black color, have a gummy consistency, and a pleasant taste. If it looks right and tastes good, it’s ready. If you think it needs more time, place the garlic cage back in the fermenter and let it finish the entire seven days.
• Your homemade black garlic can be eaten right away after it’s fermented, but it’s better after aging for five to ten days.
• After aging, store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about a month, or seal it for up to three months of shelf-life. 

What to do with Black Garlic

The great thing about black garlic is that it’s so versatile. It makes delicious garlic bread, can be eaten raw, or used in place of garlic in just about any recipe. I was a little worried about how it would taste as I’d heard that it can have a black licorice taste, but that’s not how I would describe the black garlic at all. Rather, I think black garlic has an almost sweet, yet pleasantly earthy and mild garlic taste. Simply put – it’s fantastic and a great way to eat garlic without scaring away family and friends.

About the Author 

Michelle Marine is an Eastern Iowa based writer and content creator focusing on eco-conscious family living and travel. Simplify, Live, Love encourages busy families to lead healthier lives and to focus on what matters – good food, fun memories, and dear family and friends.