look in the forums for (harvest) thats all they talk about.

Have no fear that purple color is only temporary. Mine will have that for a few weeks and the it fades out. I will add a little tumeric to give the cloves a little yellow color. The blue/green is from the acids attacking the surface of the cloves, and has no effect on taste. Sometimes the cloves are a little immature and that can also give them that temporary color. When I buy the 3 pound jars of peeled garlic cloves at Costco, I look for cloves that are really big. I also cut off the brownish root end, as well as any spots on the outside. Adding some fresh sprigs of dill weed will give a bit more color contrast. Lastly, I also add a few red pepper flakes that rehydrate and and give a nice color contrast. Annato seeds make a deep red color.

John, if you can stoop to buying dried hot peppers, you could get 5 from the bulk section at a natural foods store for the look without much flavor, then use your own powder for the flavor & heat. I used crushed red pepper flakes. For the wine, I used whatever I had. I think in this case it was part of a bottle we hadn't gotten around to finishing, but I also keep one of those four-packs of small bottles in the basement for cooking wine. Normally they say don't cook with it if you wouldn't drink it, but here you're using it for acid, so it's even ok if it's starting to turn. I believe chardonnay would be considered dry for the purposes of this recipe, and I know that is available in the four-packs here. I'm sure white zinfandel will be good too. That's a good price on peeled garlic, not much more than fresh. Next time I'll do that too. Melissa

If all the pickles you've attempted have turned out mushy, then the recipe may or may not be the culprit. Consider these possibilities and see which might apply: "What causes soft or slippery pickles? These generally result from microbial action, which causes spoilage. Once a pickle becomes soft, it cannot be made firm. Microbial activity may be caused by too little salt or acid, cucumbers not covered with brine during fermentation, and scum scattered throughout the brine during fermentation. Other causes are insufficient heat treatment, a seal that is not airtight, and moldy garlic or spices. Blossoms, if not entirely removed from the cucumbers before fermentation, may contain fungi or yeasts responsible for enzymatic softening of pickles." Cucumbers that are not a pickling variety are also more susceptible to softening. Older pickles that are soft when picked or purchased won't firm up. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Common Canning Questions