We grow garlic every year, and it’s usually soft neck and elephant garlic varieties in raised beds. We plant cloves in the fall and it overwinters (zone 7b) for harvesting the next year in June. It’s quite easy to grow, there are no pest problems…we pretty much plant it and forget it until harvesting. It’s certainly not a problem if you don’t grow your own, you can still make aged black garlic with store bought heads of garlic.
Aged black garlic tastes sweet, savory, and deeply rich with a heavy punch of umami. It completely lacks the sharp bite or pungent odor of raw garlic. Instead, it tastes like a mix of molasses, balsamic vinegar, tamarind, and caramelized onions, with a soft, chewy, and sticky texture.
Aged black garlic is frequently called fermented black garlic. However, it isn’t technically a fermented product, because the process does not use live bacteria, yeast, or microbes. Instead, it relies on a slow thermal aging process known as the maillard reaction.
Popular recipes using aged black garlic leverage its rich, sweet umami flavor to elevate foods, such as: black garlic aioli, vinaigrette, compound butter, pasta & risotto, glazed meat, ice cream, jams and jellies.
Another reason we wanted to try our hand at making aged black garlic are the purported health benefits, such as:
More Antioxidants: Contains up to twice the amount of antioxidants compared to raw white garlic, helping protect cells from damage.
Heart Protection: May help lower bad LDL cholesterol, raise good HDL cholesterol, and reduce blood pressure.
Blood Sugar Support: Helps regulate blood glucose and insulin levels, which reduces risks linked to diabetes.
Brain Health: Acts as a natural anti-inflammatory agent that may protect brain function and memory.
Although you can make your own aged black garlic using the ‘keep warm’ function on a crock pot, rice cooker or instant pot, we chose to buy an appliance specifically designed to make aged black garlic. Here’s the link to the one we bought from Amazon, https://a.co/d/0cMN38ng
