Garlic

recruiterg · August 8, 2014

I made a batch of refrigerator pickles and the garlic on the bottom of the glass jars turned blue. Apparently, the enzymes and amino acids react with vinegar causing ths reaction. Needless to say, the blue garlic kind of freaked me out.

feldon30 · August 8, 2014

I just heard about this the other day. It's apparently harmless but still freaky.

**coronabarb** · August 8, 2014

I just recently learned about this as well. Garlic contains Anthocyaninins, water-soluble pigments. With acid conditions, it may turn blue or purple. It also contains sulfur compounds, which may react with copper in water to form copper sulfate, a blue compound. Often occurs in jars of pickle, it is recommended to eat the pickles and discard the garlic.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/jos..._solutions.pdf

trainwreckz5 · August 9, 2014

I believe it only turns blue when using iodized salt. The pickling salt should not make it turn blue.

recruiterg · August 9, 2014

I only used pickling salt. I believe the reaction is to acid in the vinegar.

Worth1 · August 9, 2014

I read it was old garlic that did it.
Worth

recruiterg · August 9, 2014

I don't think that is the case either. It appears pretty fresh. It is a purple garlic variety. Not sure if that has anything to do with it...

Worth1 · August 9, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by recruiterg

I don't think that is the case either. It appears pretty fresh. It is a purple garlic variety. Not sure if that has anything to do with it...

I look on Google as I am sure you have.
It seems there is a whole new internet just for blue garlic.

I have had it happen a few times and it is safe to eat.

Worth

Mojave · August 10, 2014

In my experience it usually happens if the garlic has been banged up a bit before pickling. Try rolling a couple of cloves together in your hands to loosen up the skin and those cloves are almost guaranteed to turn blue. I always use/eat these, they taste the same as white ones.

ramapojoe · December 29, 2014

I pickle green tomatoes every year and always use extra garlic as fresh as i can buy.
they turn blue/green almost always. They taste the same as the few cloves that stay white.
It must have something to do with the salt or the vineger but i wouldnt worry about it

heirloomtomaguy · December 30, 2014

My mom makes a ton of jars of pickles every year, it is her specialty, and it happens about 1 out of 10 jars. We still eat the pickles and the blue garlic.

henry · December 31, 2014

Link and information we use when folks ask our garlic farm about blue garlic.

http://www.csiro.au/resources/preser...in-oil-vinegar
Discolouration of bottled garlic in vinegar

Users of bottled garlic in vinegar are occasionally alarmed to find that the product has turned green or blue-green. These colour changes do not make the product unsafe but are obviously undesirable.
The problem of garlic changing colour is associated with the addition of acid which changes the normal pH of the product. This is precisely what is required to ensure that the garlic remains safe but the change in acidity brings about chemical changes in pigments in the garlic.
All plant materials contain various pigments some of which change colour as the pH of the plant tissue is changed by the addition of vinegar or other acids. The most common of these pigments are the anthocyanins which may be blue, colourless or red depending on the pH.
These pigments may be involved in some colour changes observed in preserved garlic but American scientists have identified another more general explanation.
Certain amino acids, natural components of foods, are responsible for many of the pigment characteristics of the onion family which includes garlic. The American scientists have shown that the outstanding difference in composition between garlic which turns green and garlic which does not is the presence of much higher levels of one particular amino acid in the green garlic.
It is not possible to tell by looking at untreated garlic whether it is likely to become green on crushing and acidification. However the work reported indicates that if garlic bulbs are stored for four weeks at a temperature above 23°C prior to processing, the production of the green pigment is prevented.
This may not be practical at the domestic level, but could be a valuable precaution for commercial producers.
Find out more about Food Quality & Safety.

Durgan · August 23, 2015

http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%20...HTML/index.htm 23 August 2015 Mortar and Pestle
Garlic prior for use should be crushed and allowed to sit for at least 15 minutes or longer. Crushing, or pressing garlic and allowing it to sit for ~15 minutes provides enough time for the alliinase and alliin,released from the process,to interact and form allicin,the beneficial product. My method of crushing is to utilize a tortilla press for the initial crush, then hone the process in a mortar and pestle. This method can easily be adapted to processing large quantities of garlic or down to a single clove. The method is efficient and easy to implement, and clean up is simple.

Noreaster · November 10, 2015

Very nice thread. Appreciate the input

henry · November 11, 2015

Cracking garlic, this is a time saver. Hold hardneck garlic upside down in hand and give a good hit on a solid surface.

August 8, 2014	#1
recruiterg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Edina, MN (Zone 4) Posts: 945	Garlic I made a batch of refrigerator pickles and the garlic on the bottom of the glass jars turned blue. Apparently, the enzymes and amino acids react with vinegar causing ths reaction. Needless to say, the blue garlic kind of freaked me out.

August 8, 2014	#2
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I just heard about this the other day. It's apparently harmless but still freaky. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

August 8, 2014	#3
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	I just recently learned about this as well. Garlic contains Anthocyaninins, water-soluble pigments. With acid conditions, it may turn blue or purple. It also contains sulfur compounds, which may react with copper in water to form copper sulfate, a blue compound. Often occurs in jars of pickle, it is recommended to eat the pickles and discard the garlic. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/jos..._solutions.pdf __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

August 10, 2014	#9
Mojave Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SF Bay area Z9a Posts: 821	In my experience it usually happens if the garlic has been banged up a bit before pickling. Try rolling a couple of cloves together in your hands to loosen up the skin and those cloves are almost guaranteed to turn blue. I always use/eat these, they taste the same as white ones. __________________ Bill _______________________________________________ When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. -John Muir Believe those who seek the Truth: Doubt those who find it. -André Gide

December 30, 2014	#11
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	My mom makes a ton of jars of pickles every year, it is her specialty, and it happens about 1 out of 10 jars. We still eat the pickles and the blue garlic. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

August 9, 2014	#4
trainwreckz5 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: UP Michigan Posts: 17	I believe it only turns blue when using iodized salt. The pickling salt should not make it turn blue.

August 9, 2014	#6
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I read it was old garlic that did it. Worth

December 29, 2014	#10
ramapojoe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: new jersey Posts: 97	I pickle green tomatoes every year and always use extra garlic as fresh as i can buy. they turn blue/green almost always. They taste the same as the few cloves that stay white. It must have something to do with the salt or the vineger but i wouldnt worry about it

December 31, 2014	#12
henry Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Midway B.C. Canada Posts: 311	Link and information we use when folks ask our garlic farm about blue garlic. http://www.csiro.au/resources/preser...in-oil-vinegar Discolouration of bottled garlic in vinegar Users of bottled garlic in vinegar are occasionally alarmed to find that the product has turned green or blue-green. These colour changes do not make the product unsafe but are obviously undesirable. The problem of garlic changing colour is associated with the addition of acid which changes the normal pH of the product. This is precisely what is required to ensure that the garlic remains safe but the change in acidity brings about chemical changes in pigments in the garlic. All plant materials contain various pigments some of which change colour as the pH of the plant tissue is changed by the addition of vinegar or other acids. The most common of these pigments are the anthocyanins which may be blue, colourless or red depending on the pH. These pigments may be involved in some colour changes observed in preserved garlic but American scientists have identified another more general explanation. Certain amino acids, natural components of foods, are responsible for many of the pigment characteristics of the onion family which includes garlic. The American scientists have shown that the outstanding difference in composition between garlic which turns green and garlic which does not is the presence of much higher levels of one particular amino acid in the green garlic. It is not possible to tell by looking at untreated garlic whether it is likely to become green on crushing and acidification. However the work reported indicates that if garlic bulbs are stored for four weeks at a temperature above 23°C prior to processing, the production of the green pigment is prevented. This may not be practical at the domestic level, but could be a valuable precaution for commercial producers. Find out more about Food Quality & Safety. __________________ Henry

August 23, 2015	#13
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	23 August 2015 Mortar and Pestle http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%20...HTML/index.htm 23 August 2015 Mortar and Pestle Garlic prior for use should be crushed and allowed to sit for at least 15 minutes or longer. Crushing, or pressing garlic and allowing it to sit for ~15 minutes provides enough time for the alliinase and alliin,released from the process,to interact and form allicin,the beneficial product. My method of crushing is to utilize a tortilla press for the initial crush, then hone the process in a mortar and pestle. This method can easily be adapted to processing large quantities of garlic or down to a single clove. The method is efficient and easy to implement, and clean up is simple.

November 10, 2015	#14
Noreaster Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northeast Posts: 260	Very nice thread. Appreciate the input