Where are my fellow garlic lovers? Homemade fermented garlic honey is a fall & winter wellness staple that you can make with ingredients in your pantry. This wellness staple is not a new trend, it’s a revival of grandma’s wisdom, straight from her kitchen cabinet.
Garlic is a powerhouse when it comes to infections, immune support and inflammation. With other benefits ranging from hair loss to hypertension and oxidative stress.
Take away the word “fermentation” – part that can sound involved.. It’s simply garlic cloves in raw honey. It’s left to sit and ferment, which happens naturally for 3-4 weeks.
Garlic has been traditionally used to alleviate respiratory problems, including coughs and colds. while the fermented honey soothing properties may provide relief from throat irritation and coughs.
Both raw honey and garlic are packed with antioxidants that combat free radicals in the body – antioxidants are essential for reducing oxidative stress.
I also keep garlic capsules and tincture on hand, but when we caught the virus going around the past couple years, I was out of capsules so I diced up a couple garlic cloves and put them on toast to get it in and help curb severity of symptoms.
FERMENTED GARLIC HONEY
+ 3 garlic bulbs
+ Raw honey
I peel and separate the cloves from fresh garlic bulbs. Then add your garlic cloves to a clean, dry pint jar then cover the cloves with raw honey, it’ll be 1/2-2/3 full.
Stir well with a clean, dry spoon to make sure all of the garlic is covered.
Loosely cap and label the jar and place in a cool, dry place.
TIPS:
+ “Burping” the jar (opening the lid every 1-2 days) is a good idea to avoid pressure building up in your jar (and a mess). You will not have to do this once it’s fully fermented.
+ Eat the cloves or the honey! The cloves will give you quicker relief and the honey is great for sore throats and mixing into tea. Both work to fight off sickness.
+ Use as needed, 3-6x a day to calm a cough or sore throat and soothe bothersome ears.
+ Consider storing in the fridge after 1 month of fermentation to insure the ph stays below 4.6. I have never had issues with the ph getting too high when stored out of sunlight, in a cool, dry spot, but if you don’t want to take the risk, store in the fridge.
+ Keep your garlic skins for soups, tea or making bone broth. They are high in quercetin which is anti-inflammatory.
*Keep in mind, honey is not recommended for babies under a year old.
And due to a chemical reaction & the amount of water in your garlic, your honey may thin overtime and garlic may (or may not) change to a blue/green hue, but it is safe to use!
Tag me on insta when you make this! I cannot wait to hear how much you use & love this over the fall & winter months! Find more wellness recipes on the blog!
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How long does this need to ferment before using?
No hard and fast rules, you can use it at anytime. But ideally, allow to ferment about a month. It’ll be done with no gas is released when you open the seal.
During fermentation, which I assume is for about a month (?), if the garlic starts to float to the point where it’s not covered by honey anymore, should I open it and stir the garlic around? Or should I let it sit?
Floating is normal due to the density differences. I tend to crack the seal to allow gases to escape, reseal and swirl or flip the jar gently a time or two then set back o she shelf. You can loosen the seal again if you like.