Honeyed Garlic

Intro: Honeyed Garlic

Honey and Garlic -- two great things that go great together!

Honey is about about 82% sugar and 18% moisture, so it is very shelf-stable -- in fact, it will never go bad. It even has antibiotic properties. But when you increase the moisture (even by a little bit), the wild yeasts present in the honey will start the fermentation process.

In this case, the juice from the garlic is just enough to start the fermentation, but not enough to produce a noticeable amount of alcohol.

What you get instead is a transformation of both the garlic and the honey: the garlic mellows in flavor, and the honey gets very liquidy and is infused throughout with garlicky goodness.

STEP 1: Gather Your Ingredients

Garlic: Use quality garlic that is not dried out or sprouting. It'll take about 6-8 heads of garlic to fill a one-pint mason jar.

Honey: Use raw honey, preferably from your local beekeeper or farmer's market. About a cup or so should do it.

Apple Cider Vinegar: You may need to add a couple of tablespoons at the end so that the pH is less than 4.6. Although your end result will probably be fine without it, keeping the pH under 4.6 guarantees that botulism won't get you.

pH Test Strips: Use these to test the pH of your honeyed garlic every once in a while. I purchased a 100-pack of test strips (a lifetime supply!) for about $5 online.

STEP 2: Combine the Garlic and Honey

Peel the garlic and fill a pint glass jar to about an inch from the top with the peeled garlic cloves.

Add enough honey to completely cover the garlic cloves and stir to make sure they're all coated. Make sure to leave 1/2 - 1 inch at the top so that there's room for the bubbly action.

Put the lid on the jar and place in a cupboard for 4 weeks. Make sure to "burp" the jar every few days (open the lid and let the gases out). The garlic will darken slightly and the honey will be very runny. It may separate a bit (there might be a cloudy layer near the bottom) -- just stir it before use it you want.

After the 28 days, check the pH of the honey. If needed, add apple cider vinegar (a couple tablespoons at a time) until the pH is 4.6 or less.

STEP 3: Using Your Honeyed Garlic

Once fermented, you can pop that garlic in your mouth -- it's delicious and sweet. Or add the raw honey to hot water or tea to soothe a sore throat. Both garlic and honey are thought to be good for your immune system.

It’s also excellent in cooking that requires a little bit of sweetness -- try using it in dressings, sauces, and marinades, and it’s a natural choice for many kinds of Asian cooking. Try chopping up a bit of the garlic, mix it with some of the honey and drizzle it over pork loin...yum!

Note: Raw honey should never be eaten by children under 1 year of age.

Comments

[maecrab]

This is so cool! What I've done before is roast garlic and add it to a honey bear just to infuse the honey with the garlic flavor...and holy hell it was delicious. Put it on some buttered toast??? Best ever. This seems even better because of how good fermentation is supposed to be for your guts! Can't wait to try it out!

[jimwi]

This is awesome. will have to try this.

How long will it keep.

Do you have to refrigerate after opening or to slow down the fermentation process.

[BionicProfessor]

You'll want to store it in a cool place, so I find the fridge the most convenient (I could also put it in my garage or basement, but then it wouldn't be as handy when I wanted some).

It should last for many months (or longer!).

[samjay04]

its also good for colds.

[BionicProfessor]

Although honey hasn't been shown to reduce the duration of a cold, it can help soothe some symptoms (such as a sore throat or cough). Here's an interesting article -- The Truth Behind Natural Cold "Remedies" (http://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/natural-...

There's a paragraph near the end of this scientific paper (just before the conclusion) that addresses the potential antiviral properties of garlic and whether it has an effect on the common cold -- Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103721/#B30)

So it looks like it may or may not have a positive effect, but it probably does. Either way...it's delicious! :-)