I quick-picked some green beans and a week later, the garlic in the jar had turned blue green, turquoise, smurf color. I googled it and brought up a reddit thread that said it's safe to eat.
I did not eat it.
this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2026
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Mildly Interesting
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Sorry couldn't upload in an edit.
Excerpt from "the art of fermentation". About fermented (not necessarily pickled) garlic.
Oops, not sure how to fix the rotation
Dude, nice source. I rotated and highlighted for the next pickler that has never seen blue garlic before.
This is true! I'm no chemist but I make paint pigments from plants rich in anthocyanins, which give them colour. Popular mordants (things that helps a colour stick to fibre) are copper salts, which can brighten the colour or make it more blue/green.
And, an old kind of pigment, verdigris, was made by hanging pieces of copper in closed containers with vinegar, where the vapour would cause a blue/green/gray salt to form.
Super interesting!
When I saw the post thumbnail on my feed and opened the post, I guessed it's some kind of copper reaction. Neat
Thank you!