Detailed explanation of the processing method and steps for emerald garlic cloves

Emerald garlic cloves are crystal clear, salty-sweet, crisp and tender, with a unique flavor. They are a popular nutritious and health-promoting dish and sell well on the international market. The processing method is introduced below.

1. Select raw materials: The large-hand garlic used for processing garlic cloves must be mature, dry, clean, have a complete outer skin, and be free from insect damage, mold, heating and deterioration. Remove cloves that are too small and single-clove garlic.

2. Separate cloves and soak: Separate the cloves manually, remove the outer skin, soak in clean water for 12 hours, and pay attention to changing the water in a timely manner.

3. Remove skins and rinse: After soaking, the garlic skin of the cloves becomes moist and swollen. The garlic stem can be removed by hand or with a tool, and the outer skin and the transparent garlic membrane attached to the garlic cloves can be peeled off. Be careful not to damage the garlic flesh.

4. Grade the garlic cloves: Grade according to the size of the garlic clove particles. Grade 1 is 230-300 cloves per kg; Grade 2 is 300-450 cloves per kg; Grade 3 is 450-600 cloves per kg.

5. Blanch and cool: After grading, blanch. If the blanching time is too long or too short, it will affect the color, luster and crispness of the product. Usually the blanching solution formula is: 100 kg clean water, 50 g citric acid, 75-100 g alum. The blanching temperature is about 95°C. The blanching time is judged by visually observing when small bubbles stop emerging from the garlic stem area. After blanching, immediately remove from the pot and pour into clean water to cool and rinse.

6. Brine pickling: Remove the rinsed and cooled garlic cloves and drain them. First pickle them in 7 Baume brine for 24 hours, then add brine to adjust the concentration to 11 Baume and pickle for 24 hours. Likewise, add brine again to adjust the concentration to 15 Baume and pickle for 48 hours. Finally, add salt to adjust the concentration to 22 Baume and pickle for no less than 15 days. When the brine concentration decreases, add salt promptly to maintain a stable brine concentration.

7. Proper sorting: After pickling, remove the garlic cloves from the jar and discard those that are discolored, have insect spots, scars or defects.

8. Prepare brine and pack: First prepare 28 Baume brine, boil it, filter and cool it, then add 0.35% citric acid, 0.05% sodium hexametaphosphate and 0.03% alum. The pH of the brine is 2.5-3. Then grade and portion the garlic cloves and pack them separately into bags (or barrels), pour in an appropriate amount of the prepared brine, and seal.