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Lacto-Fermented Garlic Cloves

Lacto-Fermented Garlic Cloves — from Clean Food Living's cooking video Watch how it’s made · 9:29

Video by Clean Food Living on YouTube · Open on YouTube

25 min · plus 2–3 weeks fermentingMakes 28 × 2 cloves (6 g)8 kcal a portion
  • Low carb (1.7 g net carbs) but not keto: 3% of the energy is from fat, and keto meals get about 60% or more
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free ingredients
  • Nut-free

Contains: none of the common allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Fermentation usually mellows garlic's bite, so a couple of uncooked cloves add big flavour to dressings, dips and finished dishes for about 8 kcal. Most of the brine's salt stays in the jar: about 40 mg sodium a serve.

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Ingredients 4

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Stir 15 g salt (¾ tbsp fine salt) into 2 cups (500 ml) non-chlorinated water until dissolved. Wash a 1-pint (500 ml) jar and a fermenting weight in hot soapy water. 1:05
  2. Peel the garlic, trimming off any blemishes; throw away any clove with even a speck of mould. Cut up the onion slice and snip the herbs, if using. 1:30
  3. Put the onion in the bottom of the jar (it helps the fermentation start), then layer in the garlic and herbs, filling the jar about 75–80% full. 2:13
  4. Pour in brine up to the jar threads, press the weight down firmly so everything is submerged, lift out any floaters and rest a loose lid on top (no burping needed). Stand it on a towel or dish to catch overflow. 2:55
  5. Ferment on the counter, ideally 22–29°C, for 2–3 weeks, removing any floaters; start tasting around day 14. Bubbles for the first 7–10 days and blue-green cloves are normal. 4:49
  6. When it tastes good and has no mould, remove the weight, close the lid tightly and refrigerate; it keeps for many months. 6:48

Tip. Makes 1 pint jar, roughly 28 two-clove serves (our estimate). Swap the herbs for chilli flakes or a dried Italian blend. Add to food after cooking to keep the live cultures.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One portion, 2 cloves (6 g), gives you 1 of 28

Energy8 kcal30 kJ
Protein0.4 g1% of a day
Fibre0.1 g0% of a day
Carbohydrate1.8 g1.7 g net · 0.1 g sugars1% of a day
Fat0 g0 g saturated0% of a day
Sodium40 mg2% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

  • Net carbs 81%
  • Protein 19%
  • Fat 0%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

No vitamin or mineral reaches 10% of a day in one serve.

Show the other 15
Vitamin B64%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from garlic (98%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Vitamin C2%

1.8 mg a serve, mostly from garlic (94%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Calcium1%

10 mg a serve, mostly from garlic (97%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Iron1%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from garlic (93%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Zinc1%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from garlic (97%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Selenium1%

0.8 µg a serve, mostly from garlic (100%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Potassium0%

20 mg a serve, mostly from garlic (93%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Magnesium0%

1.5 mg a serve, mostly from garlic (92%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Vitamin A0%

0.3 µg a serve, mostly from fresh dill or rosemary (100%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin D0%

0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Vitamin E0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from garlic (75%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Vitamin K0%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from garlic (97%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Folate0%

0.4 µg a serve, mostly from garlic (40%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Vitamin B120%

0 µg a serve. Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Omega-30%

0 g a serve, mostly from garlic (99%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

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Recipe and video by Clean Food Living; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.