Fermented garlic honey is a staple in our home for several reasons, and it is literally just two ingredients–garlic and honey. But when you put any form of sugar with another ingredient and oneof both has bacteria or yeast,  chemical change starts happening.  As with anything fermented, the complexity of flavor grows exponentially when these reactions starts (aka did I just hear umami?!).

When garlic cloves sit in honey, the honey draws water from the garlic through osmosis, creating a more liquid environment, perfect for the natural yeast and bacteria in raw honey to start growing and kick-start the fermentation process. Note this works best with raw honey. While I’ve used both, I’ve found that processed commercial honey has been heated to a level prior to packaging that kills lots of the good bacteria and yeast needed for fermentation.

Raw honey allows the bacteria and yeast to ferment the glucose in the honey, producing carbon dioxide, alcohol, and lactic acid. This creates a more acidic environment from the enzymes in the garlic (and in the honey if it’s raw) by lowering the pH level. Bacteria love acidic environments, so they work together to create the perfect growing space. Over time, the garlic cloves begins to soften, absorbing the honey-liquid, turning them into chewy, amber-colored candy, still having the flavor profile of garlic, but with their spicy pungent bite gone. This gives the entire mixture a sweet and savory umami-punch, ready to use in a plethora of ways.

I’ve used the honey in meat dishes with braising liquids, with confit duck, in sauces or marinades, dressings, drizzled over fish, tossed into fresh herbs or chimichurri and green sauce, added enhancement to relishes or salsas, even in a cocktail! The garlic can be minced or used whole as well and any similar dishes. What’s more interesting–the reason I started making this condiment in the first place, wasn’t for cooking at all, but for its antimicrobial properties to use while sick. Pop whole, candied, garlic cloves in your mouth and kill those colds a lot quicker.

Garlic is one of the most potent ingredients we have (alongside ginger and oregano) to combat the cold and flue season. With fermenting it in raw honey (also full of antimicrobial properties) the good bacteria from fermentation help boost your immune with beneficial probiotics.

Long intro to a very simple recipe… but the science and background matter!

Fermented Honey Garlic 

• 4 garlic heads or 10oz pre-peeled organic garlic
  **Organic is important here. Garlic bulbs, particularly those that don’t have roots, are often grown in some pretty gross (sewage!!) stuff. So just check the labels for country of origin and get U.S grown and organic to be safe.
• 16-20 oz raw honey

Directions
Using a jar large enough to fit the garlic with space for the honey, toss pealed and separated garlic cloves into it. Pour the honey over the garlic, letting it slip down and settle into all the cracks and crannies. If it doesn’t slide down into everything just yet, don’t worry. As the enzymes begin to work, the honey will liquify more and fall into place.

Screw a secure lid on, and let sit on the counter for at least two weeks, but you can test the honey any time in-between this timeframe. Unlike some fermentation processes, opening the lid won’t mess this up, it’s very fool-proof. The fermentation will let off some gasses, so unscrewing  the lid especially during days three-six, or when you notice most of the “action” happening, will let this extra pressure escape. Depending on the temperature and geographic location of your home, the time it takes for the garlic to ferment will vary slightly. But around two weeks is generally a good place to start.

After this time the honey will be quite liquid and the flavor in this won’t change much, no matter how much longer you ferment it, so it is ready for culinary use. The garlic will still have a little bit of a bite to it, and over time, will slowly start sinking to the bottom of the jar. (This is the large jar in the above picture) This can take months, and you may store the jar in the fridge now, as it will continue fermenting slowly for the rest of it’s life. I’ve had a jar in my fridge for over a year and the garlic just gets better and better.

**The recipe amounts really don’t matter, I’ve honestly never measured, so the above quantities are estimates haha.  All that matters is that the garlic cloves are completely covered in honey. You can make as much or as little as you like following that guideline.