Canning Garlic from Arkansas

A family recipe from Becky Adams.

Getting ready: 1 hr · Cooking: 30 min · Feeds: 8

Ingredients

• 4 quarts garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 gallon cold water
• 8 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup pickling spices (optional)
• 1 or 2 dried hot peppers per jar (optional)

Directions

1. Simply peel the individual cloves of garlic, then soak them overnight in a brine of 1/2 cup salt to a gallon of cold water. Weight down the cloves so they remain under the brine.
2. In the morning, rinse the cloves well with fresh water.
3. To four quarts of garlic cloves, you will need 8 cups white vinegar, 2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup pickling spices (optional). Tie pickling spices in a cloth bag and add to vinegar and sugar in a large pot.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Pack garlic cloves in sterilized, hot pint jars to within an inch of the top.
6. Remove spice bag from simmering pot and pour boiling syrup over garlic cloves, filling to within 1/2" of top of jar.
7. Wipe jar rim and place hot, previously boiled new jar lid on jar and tighten ring down firmly tight.
8. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.
9. Tip: If you like hotter garlic, you may add one or two dried hot peppers to each jar before putting the boiling syrup on.