Black Garlic and the first batch

Most of the people who know me, know that two years ago I went on a health/morality change regarding my diet and health aspects. Being vegetarian was not only a great choice for my conscience and the well-being of animals, but it also gave me the opportunity to start doing one of the big passions in my life. Being an artist, I see cooking as an art as well. After a year of being vegetarian, and taking Vitamin B12 supplements I found that I was actually overdosing on the stuff. I was way over the limit in a bloodtest, and this was due to the fact that here where I live in Greece, the term vegetarian is conjoined with the term vegan. So I was advised to take B12 as people thought I was vegan. You should not take B12 if you are a lacto-vegetarian like myself. Apart from that my results were perfect. That said I felt weaknesses in my muscles and other minor ailments, so I went on a research campaign to see what could be done. I am a big loather of taking pharmaceuticals. I rather like the idea that the body strengthens itself naturally. And I can say that over the two years I have been vegetarian I have only had one, one week session on antibiotics (due to dangerously high body temperature).

So, what I have found is that working on the computer all day and rarely venturing out into the sun was a little detrimental to my health. So, I found that I could take some additional supplements to help on this level. These consist of Vitamin D and Vitamin E (synthesised). My health has improved a lot more since that point. So, the next part was my bad sleeping pattern. I thought it could be nutrition, but it seemed it wasn’t. Instead it was a combination of lack of sun and may lifestyle. The cure was simple, but was only found by chance. I can recommend this to anyone who wants to avoid barbiturate sleeping tablets, which are pretty much addictive and unhealthy. I found that taking two melatonin tablets an hour before sleep, put me into a great deep sleep very quickly. I feel much more refreshed from this and can function better as well. The good part as well is that the tablets are basically a synthesised version of what we already have in our own system, plus they are vegan and non-addictive. After all that was done I was having a conversation about garlic. Something I always add to my meals, as I love the stuff. My wife then sent me an article about black garlic, and it’s wondrous properties.

I did some research and found that there was a supplier in my country, but the cost weighed in at €14 per 100gms. This was a lot for a poor artists, so I felt that the opportunity to reap it’s benefits was lost. Then, by chance I found that you can buy fermenters for your home and make it yourself. I instantly bought one and awaited eagerly for it’s arrival. The following is a description of the machine and process.

I purchased this item; a NEX Professional Black Garlic Fermenter from Amazon UK. It arrived two days early and I walked down to my local top-notch supermarket, AB Basalopoulos to seek out some quality garlic. I say this, as I believe that the quality of the garlic matters in this process. I bought the more expensive pure white buds, that came in a two pack. So, each bud turned out to be €0,60. The machine holds 15 of these bulbs, but could hold more if smaller. The process is as simple as that. You add them to the trays and place inside the cooker and shut the lid. Follow the brief instructions and everything is automated. It starts cooking. The process takes 12 days. During that time the temperature changes from a starting 78°C to a low of 30°C. And the timer shows the temperature and the time remaining, and eventually turns itself off. If there was one complaint, the devise sends out a strong garlic smell for the first three days that permeates the entire house. I have no issue with the smell of garlic, but some do and it was a little annoying for them.

Waiting in anticipation the twelve days finally came. Today I opened the lid and took out the trays. There before me were 15 buds of brown garlic. I took the first one, which was a little frail from the process and managed to open a segment and took out the clove. Took it in and chewed. The first impression was that it tasted of cooked plum (δαμάσκηνα). It had a sweet taste, which was quite strong, but not bad and was easy to eat. So, I have a fridge full of black garlic now and a new outlook on my health. If you are interested in why there is benefits to be taken from black garlic there is this fact sheet that explains everything.

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