The green/blue color tinge change is usually only temporary. Its attributed to some enzymes within the cloves, especially if they have been freshly dug and dried a week or two. Most garlic cloves would have that normal creamish color inside, and maybe even a purple paper skin. With colors like these within a clove is when acids in vinegar and heat of processing come into play. Ever drop iodine on a potato? It turns blue. I wonder what happens when you do the same with a true blue potato? Does it turn white? Hmmm food for thought. As to vinegar strength. I usually do ALL my vinegar based pickles with full strength 5% acidity distilled white vinegar. Even for that, more sweet and spicy B&B, sweet mixed, and a few other pickles that benefit from using some cider vinegar to be a bit more 'mello', may see a bit of water added. My pickled pepproncini are full strength vinegar too. With a full quart of pickled garlic, and full strength vinegar, you have a safer canning combination for that larger quart size mass. Was at a web site (canning pantry) where they offer many more Mrs. Wages pickle mixes. Apparently they realized that Ball as 'droppped the ball', when it comes to a bigger variety of mix flavors. There is one for making 'dilly' beans, pickled beets, and and also one for pickling all kinds of garden veggies. Additionally choices for refrigerater pickles, where you do no heat processing at all. Also found that, yes, Ball appears to have sugar in their dill pickle mixes (even as the first ingredient), hardly a true dill pickle. Polish dills use a few peppercorns in that style (Grandma did too).

No scapes here yet. However, its worth noting that the garlic bed where i put something ridiculous like 6 inches of grass clipping mulch last fall is looking fabulous, stalks twice the dia of the non-mulched bed.

That's because my scapes had been cut about 5 minutes before that picture was taken, LOL, they were VERY fresh. Here we plant garlic in October, it overwinters and then about late May or early June, sends up scapes. It's ready to dig in July or August. Because of that time frame I don't plant in my garden, it always gets plowed up in the spring somehow. I plant it right in the backyard, where I can keep track of it! Enjoy the scapes, this is the first year I've frozen them, now I just have to remember to use them up. Annie

Hey Dianna great to hear from you! Hope all is well even if hectic. Stacy made this recipe awhile back and raved about it. Absorption Pasta with Garlic Scapes and Wild Mushrooms Serves 4 as a side dish, or 2 as a main course. 8 oz pasta (I used orecchiette) 1 medium onion, 1/4" dice 2 C low sodium chicken stock, simmering 1 C heavy cream olive oil 2 T butter 4 oz assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced irregularly 4-6 garlic scapes 1 oz Parmeggiano-Reggiano, shredded 1 T truffle oil 3 oz baby Swiss chard, stems removed, chopped coarsely salt hot sauce, to taste Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium low heat and allow to boil gently until reduced by half. Sauté the onion in two tablespoons olive oil about 6 minutes on medium heat, stirring, until translucent. Add the pasta and toss in the oil until the pasta pieces are well coated with oil. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock, stir and cover tightly. Reduce heat to medium low and allow the pasta to simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. After about 10 minutes, give the pasta a stir and see that there is still adequate liquid in the pan. Add more stock if necessary  different pastas will absorb different amounts of liquid. ItÂs not necessary that all the liquid is absorbed so keep the bottom of the pan wet throughout the cooking. While the pasta is simmering, heat some olive oil in a sauté pan until very hot but not smoking and sear the mushrooms, tossing constantly, until they are browned at the edges. Remove to a side plate. Toss in the scapes and sear on all sides until they start to show some black blisters. Remove to a side plate. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and stir, scraping up any bits from the pan, until the butter turns a golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in the reduced cream. When the pasta is cooked, stir in the butter/cream mixture, the cheese, the Swiss chard and the mushrooms. Allow to stand for a minute or two to let the chard cook, correct seasoning if necessary and then turn into the serving bowl. Arrange the seared garlic scapes on top.