The first step is to separate the heads into cloves. Peel the outermost layers off the heads and break the cloves into individual pieces. Then, peel the garlic cloves. The photos above show you how to do this quickly.

Cut the tips of the cloves where they were attached to the head, remove any bad spots, rinse well, and add to the jar, making sure to shake the jar well to settle the cloves, adding more cloves as needed to fill the jar up to the top of the shoulder.

Stir the vinegar brine ingredients together until the salt has dissolved. Pour over the garlic cloves, making sure to cover the garlic fully. Add the glass weight to keep the garlic submerged, screw the lid on and wrap the jar well with a towel to keep any light out.

Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 days or longer. Letting the first pickling process go longer gives you a more mellow flavor. We usually let the first step pickle for a month.

After the first pickling time is finished, bring the soy sauce, sugar, and water to a gentle boil for one to two minutes. Drain the vinegar brine from the jars, then pour the hot soy sauce brine over the garlic cloves. Fill the jar and use the glass weight to submerge the cloves in the soy sauce brine.

Cap the jars again, wrap the towel to keep any light out, and let stand at room temperature for three to four weeks. Unwrap and put into the refrigerator.

You can eat the garlic at this point, but it will continue to mellow and age, gaining depth of flavor as time goes on.

The garlic will easily keep in your fridge for six months or longer. We've had year-old pickled garlic that was amazing, as the flavor had deepened and become richer over time.