Garlic Fermented in Honey

Garlic fermented in honey is one of the best things to have in your home during cold and flu season. But, is also amazing to have all year ‘round! There are so many amazing health benefits. Plus, you can use it in many different recipes to add some amazing flavor. The best part is, it’s one of the easiest ferments to make. Just two ingredients!

First things first, as with any recipe, prepping. Starting with crushing and peeling the garlic, the most tedious task of all. You are more than welcome to purchase already peeled garlic, it would make this step a lot easier, but, in my opinion, fresh, organic garlic is the best garlic. The best garlic would be straight from the farm at a farmers market. I always make this during farmers market season, perfect time to get the most high quality, freshest garlic and local honey.

Smashing the garlic first helps the skin peel off a lot easier. This will also help release some allicin which is very important for the fermentation process. Then, I like to cut off the ends of the garlic. This is optional. I just like to eat them whole, straight from the jar, after they ferment. This will also help release more allicin.

Make sure you also cut off any blemishes or bruises on each garlic. This will help prevent any bad bacteria growing during the fermenting process. It is a good idea to sterilize the jars and lids you are using. There are lots of different ways you can do this. I like to just soak them in some water and vinegar solution. But, you can also use your dish washer or boil them in a pot on the stove. Of course, make sure you wash them before sterilizing them.

Next, it’s time to start filling jars! Fill each jar about half way to 3/4 of the way with the garlic. Now, we will add the honey! Most of the time, the honey will be too thick to pour easily over the garlic. The best way to soften the honey is stick the jar in some boiling water for about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how big the jar of honey is. Avoid using the microwave to warm the honey as it will kill all the good micro-organisms we want. Once the honey is warm and more of a liquid consistency, use a hand mitt, or a canning jar grabber, if you have one, as the jar of honey may be too hot to grab bare handed, and pour the honey right over the garlic.

Make sure all the garlic is coated in honey. The garlic may float so watch how much honey you pour. You want to cover the garlic about an inch with honey, make sure you do leave some headspace, about a 1/2 inch to an inch above the honey for any gases being released during the ferment. It may get a little messy. If you have a weighted puck to the garlic under the honey, go ahead and put that in. If you don’t have one, that is totally fine! Just make sure you flip the jar upside down every day or every other day during the fermentation process to make sure the garlic stays coated. If you have a burping lid, put that on and screw the ring on to close. If you don’t have a burping lid, no worries! Just make sure you burp the ferment everyday. As the garlic and honey ferment, gases will be released, burping it will ensure it doesn’t explode.

Store in a cool, dark place for about a month. After a month, the fermentation process is done and you can tighten the lid. If you have the burping lid, switch to a regular lid, and it’s done! The garlic loses it’s bite and becomes very sweet once the ferment is done. They are like little candies! This will keep for about a year in a cool place. Make sure you label and date it and keep it in an air tight container.

There are so many benefits and the biggest one is its immune boosting properties. These fermented garlics are full of antioxidants to help boost your immunity. Garlic, alone, has tons of benefits, they are known to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Now that it’s fermented, it can help with digestion and inflammation as well.