How to Prevent Blue Garlic in Pickles

Blue-tinted garlic is unsightly, but harmless to the pickling process.

Garlic, one of the spices found in pickle recipes, contains sulfur. Because of sulfur’s chemical properties, under certain circumstances the garlic bud – or even the pickle itself – can turn blue in the jar. Though blue garlic presents no health risks, you can take steps to prevent this discoloration. Does this Spark an idea?

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Glass, ceramic or stainless-steel pot
Wooden or plastic stirring utensil
Dehydrator (optional)
Drying rack (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  
  Choose fully mature garlic buds. Immature garlic, which has not dried completely, contains a pigment that can react with the vinegar, causing the bud to turn greenish-blue. Common table salt contains vinegar, so substitute sea salt in your pickling recipe.
- 2
  
  Dry immature garlic to eliminate the pigment properties. Cut the cloves into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices. Place them in a dehydrator at 130 degrees F, or on a rack at room temperature but out of direct sunlight. Dried garlic will feel hard or crisp, but still appear light.
- 3
  
  Prepare the pickle brine in a stainless-steel, enamel or glass-ceramic pot. A copper pot transfers trace enzymes of copper into the brine. Sulfur’s reaction to the copper can result in the garlic turning blue.
- 4
  
  Stir the brine with wooden or plastic utensils. Dipping a copper, iron or tin mixing spoon into the brine may cause a reaction with the garlic’s sulfur properties.