Recently I’ve been experimenting fermenting different produce; for example, I have been fermenting garlic in honey. We all know the benefits of garlic and honey and combing them has natural benefits for our immune system. And, it’s absolutely delicious! Simply combine honey and garlic cloves, leaving the garlic to ferment in the honey. Over time, the garlic cloves will gradually sink to the bottom of the jar, and the honey will darken and in colour and become runnier due to the moisture released by the garlic. The longer you leave the garlic to ferment the more delicious it will become. It is recommended to leave the garlic to ferment in the honey for 12-months. The sweetened garlic can be eaten whole or chopped and added to a salad or eaten on toast, which is particularly delicious. The honey makes an excellent glaze for chicken, different meats, fish and grilled tofu. I usually brush it onto a piece of bread or pizza bread.
Ingredients
Organic garlic cloves, peeled
Raw or organic liquid honey
Method
First step is to make sure we have a clean clip top glass jar (ideally sterilised), if you are using a glass jar with a lid, try to use a plastic lid rather than a metal lid (The ratio is approximately 1 cup of cloves to 1 cup of honey).
Slightly crush peeled garlic cloves. Add to the jar (Do not fill more than 3/4 of the jar with garlic)
Add the honey, just enough to cover the garlic in the jar and leaving about 3 centimetres of space from the top of the jar.
Close the jar and place on a plate (to catch any overflow) at room temperature, loosely cover with a kitchen towel.
The garlic cloves will naturally float in the beginning, for at least a month. To make sure all the garlic cloves are coated with honey, flip the closed jar upside down daily (once in the morning and once in the evening).
Depending on the freshness of your garlic and also the room temperature, the fermentation might begin 24 hours after you place the garlic in the honey (I have noted that sometimes the fermentation begins a little later, e.g. 3 days later so be patient) The best way to find out if the fermentation has begun is by looking at your jar to see if bubbles have formed.
At this point, you need to “burp” the jar by opening the jar slightly to let the carbon dioxide escape; do this once or twice a day (depending on how bubbly it gets); bare in mind that you just need to open/unscrew the lid of the jar slightly, just enough for the gas to release; you don’t want the air to get into our jar.
Continue this process until fermentation slows down, the honey thins out, the bubbling stops, and the garlic cloves sink to the bottom of the jar. It may take over a month for this to happen. Once it does, you can store the honey fermented garlic unrefrigerated in a cupboard to allow it to age.
For best taste, the honey fermented garlic can be used after 3 months, although it will taste better the longer it ages. It is recommended to use it after a year. The finished products can be stored in a dark place at room temperature for years.
Enjoy!
Atoosa xx