Self-proclaimed foodies and garlicologists Greg Lusson and Kayla Burton stumbled into a ramen house and tried black garlic. That meal changed the trajectory of their lives.
Black garlic is less spicy than white garlic. It’s easy to digest and offers a myriad of health benefits. Lusson and Burton, the owners of Pine Cone Kitchen, moved to Graeagle during the pandemic and started their black garlic business.
“We were uprooted from our jobs and life in the Bay Area. We went to attend my brother’s wedding in Nairobi, Kenya. We packed for 21 days and stayed for eight months,” says Lusson. His family owned a cabin in Graeagle and they decided to settle there.
“We were playing with converting enzymes in the garlic. We made our first batch in a crock pot. We thought it was phenomenally spectacular. We wanted to share it so we put it in little jars and we just passed it out to everybody out here,” he says.
It was then that their grassroots black garlic business was born.
“We were playing with converting enzymes in the garlic. We made our first batch in a crock pot. We thought it was phenomenally spectacular. We wanted to share it so we put it in little jars and we just passed it out to everybody out here.” –Greg Lusson
“We start with white garlic and use low temperatures for a long time. With the right humidity, the white garlic turns black and goes from spicy to caramelized and sweet. When you eat the black garlic, you can still taste a little bit of garlic on the back end, but it’s not going to burn your tongue like raw garlic. It’s got a kind of sweet, umami richness to it,” Burton says.
The couple sources garlic from local farmers and micro-gardens from Quincy to Reno, Nev. The longer the garlic ferments, the longer the shelf life, Lusson says. The process of making black garlic takes about 60 days. And it lasts for 90 days after opening if refrigerated. Local farmers have coined it “the Caviar of the High Sierra.”
Lusson and Burton worked with Mindscape Fermentations of Rocklin and Ronin Fermentation Project, also in Graeagle, to perfect their garlic fermentation process.
“[Black garlic] is anti-cholesterol. It’s an anti-carcinogen. It has antimicrobial properties. They’re still learning about all the medicinal benefits. It’s also an aphrodisiac,” says Lusson.
Lusson and Burton hosted two black garlic recipe contests in the 18 months since starting their business. They received 75 recipes this past summer.
As well, Lusson says that the black garlic is popular with local chefs. Chef Chris Watkins of the Six Peaks Grille at Resort at Squaw Creek loves Pine Cone Kitchen’s black garlic and uses it in several of his recipes, including a Pork Tonkatsu.
“We recommend a variety of applications. We do not recommend throwing it in a marinara sauce or gravy unless you use quite a bit of it. Think of it like a truffle or a mushroom,” says Lusson, who suggests letting the black garlic solidify and using a microplane to shave it over pasta.
Black garlic adds a subtle, earthy flavor to recipes. Burton’s favorite way to use black garlic is to prepare a compound butter with the black garlic and use it on meats and vegetables. She also infuses the garlic in olive oil. Lusson’s favorite recipe is black garlic chicken liver pate. Pine Cone Kitchen black garlic can be purchased online. | pineconekitchen.com
Black Garlic Chicken Liver Pate
From the kitchen of Priya Hutner
2-4 servings
½ pound of chicken liver (approx. 6 livers)
1 medium onion, diced
3 T olive oil
4 cloves black garlic
1 t. coarse salt
½ t. fresh ground pepper
2 hard boiled eggs
Sauté diced onion in olive oil until translucent. Add two cloves black garlic and chicken livers to pan and sauté for 3 minutes on each side until browned on outside and light pink inside.
Set aside to cool for 5 minutes and transfer to food processor. Add salt and pepper, remaining black garlic cloves and eggs and blend until smooth.
Serve with crackers or toasted rye bread.
