I decided that this particular ferment deserves its own blog post. I’ll tell you about how I do one honey ferment in particular, that’s fantastic to keep around the house whenever possible.
First off, let’s talk about fermentation via honey. Pretty much ANYTHING can be fermented in honey. You have to use raw honey, the more local the better as the local yeasts in the honey will ferment better with the same local yeasts in your air. Honey will begin to ferment when the water content goes up to and above 17%. Anything from fruits, to herbs, to veggies, and more can be fermented via honey. Honey is a natural antibiotic and raw honey is a great immune boost.
Garlic is a natural astringent and antifungal/antiviral. It too is a huge boost to your immune system. To ferment garlic in honey, you want to just gently bruise (yes, gently bruise, I said that, it is possible) the garlic cloves. There is no ratio or set amount of garlic to honey. The rule is (in my mind) to add as many cloves as you can stand to peel and bruise (a gentle crunch with your hand or decent shake around in a jar with a lid) then cover all cloves with honey. Be sure to leave enough room in your vessel for expansion (I leave at least 1″ headspace). Then, just let it sit, shaking or inverting once or twice a day to ensure all cloves are covered in honey (because most will float). Burp it every day. It will bubble for a while, then the bubbling will generally stop (or it may not, depends on temperature and your ingredients) after the main fermentation has ceased. Honey is a natural preservative so this stuff will pretty much last forever. I started my honey garlic ferment about 2 months ago, and it’s to the point now where the cloves are starting to sink instead of float and it has a fantastic garlic-y, sweet odor.
Take a big spoonful if you feel a cold coming on, or if you’re working around people who are ill. Since it’s a ferment, it also has some probiotics so it’s great for gut health. Once it’s fermented long enough, you can eat the garlic cloves as well, another immune and overall health boost.
Make some, give it as a gift, keep it in your house, take it to the office, cook with it, use it however you please! You won’t regret it!
Sounds like something I should have to battle the bronchitis I’ve been dealing with for the last two weeks!