Pickled Garlic With Chili And Herbs

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 12 large head garlic (about 6 cups of peeled cloves)
• 4 cups vinegar, 5% acidty
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano or 3 tablespoons fresh oregano
• fresh thyme
• fresh rosemary, stem discarded
• 9 whole chili peppers (sliced down the middle leaving it joined at stem your choice from a mellow one like fresh peperoncin)
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon peppercorn

Recipe

• 1 separate garlic bulbs into cloves. to soften and loosen skins, blanch garlic cloves in rapidly boiling water 30 seconds; immediately immerse in cold water, drain and peel cloves.
• 2 in a large stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar, pickling salt, mustard seeds, peppercorns, sugar and oregano, rosemary, thyme.
• 3 bring to a boil; boil gently 1 minute; remove from heat.
• 4 add peeled garlic cloves and chili’s to hot vinegar mixture. stir constantly 1 minute.
• 5 pack garlic and 1 whole chili pepper into a hot jar to within 3/4-inch of top rim. add hot liquid to cover garlic to 1/2-inch of top rim (head space). using rubber spatula, remove air bubbles. wipe jar rim removing any stickiness. center and place lids on jar; apply screw band just until fingertip tight. place jar in canner. repeat for remaining garlic and liquid.
• 6 cover canner; return water to a boil. process -- boil filled jars -- 10 minutes. remove lid and leave jars till bubbles subside about 5 minutes.
• 7 remove jars. cool undisturbed 24 hours in a draft free spot.
• 8 check jars seals. sealed lids curve downward. remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired.
• 9 label and store in a cool, dark place.
• 10 it takes anywhere from 2-4 weeks to pickle garlic so that it has a good rich spicy taste.
• 11 note: at elevations higher than (1,000 ft) increase processing time. add 5 minutes at (1,000-3,000 ft); add 10 minutes at (3,001-6,000 ft); add 15 minutes at elevations higher than (6,0001 ft).
• 12 fyi: this recipe was specially formulated to allow home canners to preserve a low acid food -- garlic -- in a commonly available boiling water canner. please do not deviate from the recipe ingredients; quantities, jar size and processing method and time. any change could affect the safety of the end product.