Honey fermented garlic can be used to combat cold and flu in the winter season or simply as a condiment to add a honey garlic flavour to any dish.
Honey fermented garlic? Yes, you heard it right!
This recipe is long over due. I first learned about the method to ferment garlic and honey together from the WFU Facebook group. I was immediately intrigued. At that time I didn’t have this blog yet, but I knew that more people should be making this honey fermented garlic. Now I have a blog, I can’t wait to share the recipe with you.
What Does Fermented Honey Garlic Taste Like?
Most fermenters call it “fermented honey garlic”, but I think “honey fermented garlic” is more technically precise. It’s just my personal preference for naming. Essentially “fermented honey garlic” and “honey fermented garlic” are the same thing.
Some call it “honey infused garlic” or “garlic infused honey”, because this recipe works much like an infusion in addition to fermentation. I think these names give you a good idea of what the final product may taste like. Both the flavours of honey and garlic will have infused into each other, and you will end up with a garlicky honey and sweet mellowed garlics.
Why Should You Make Honey Fermented Garlic?
Reasons to Ferment Garlic and Honey
If you fall into one of the following situations, you may want to try fermenting honey and garlic.
- New to fermentation and want to start with something super easy. Honey fermented garlic is one of the easiest fermentation recipes, thus one of the firsts you should try.
- You appreciate the medicinal properties of honey and garlic and want to combine their anti-bacterial, anti-viral and immune boosting properties together. Honey fermented garlic is a perfect preventative remedy for the cold and flu season.
- If you grow and harvest a lot of garlics at once and want a way to naturally preserve your garlics for long term storage without refrigeration.
- You want to eat more raw garlics for the health benefits but can’t tolerate the pungent taste. After a period of fermentation and infusion, the garlics will be mellowed and sweetened significantly for direct consumption.
- You love honey garlic flavoured foods and want to have a naturally preserved honey garlic condiment on hand to add to your dishes.
Honey Fermented Garlic as a Cold and Flu Remedy
I should add that most people I know who make honey fermented garlic do so to use it as a cold and flu remedy. It works for them based on anecdotal evidence. We all know how honey and garlic are powerful antimicrobials against infections in the mouth and throat. Honey is also a natural cough suppressant. Although I would use honey and garlic fermented or not, it is definitely a lot more palatable to eat a larger amount of honey fermented garlic. Especially at times you want to pump up your garlic consumption, for example, at the first sign of a flu. Due to the sweet taste, this is also a great remedy you can give to children.
Related: More Preventative Remedies for the Flu Season
- Ginger Orange Pickled Daikon + Immune Shot (Paleo, Whole30, Vegan)
- Honeysuckle, Monk Fruit and Chrysanthemum Tea
- Sichuan Fritillaria Steamed Pear (川贝雪梨): Natural Cough Remedy of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Instant Pot Shiitake Ginger Chicken Bone Broth
- Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth
Fermentation Tips and Trouble-Shooting
This recipe seems very easy from the ingredient list, but getting it done right requires some understanding of how fermentation works. If anything, this section is the most important of the post, explaining the key points of this fermentation.
How Much Honey Should I Use?
You want just enough honey to cover the garlic, not too much. The garlic will release moisture into the honey to set stage for fermentation to start. If you use too much honey, the mixture may not reach the moisture content necessary (18-20%) for the fermentation process to begin. In that case, you may add a couple spoons of water into the mixture when you see no signs of fermentation (bubbles) in a few days.
Keeping Garlic Under Liquid
Like other vegetables you ferment, you should keep the garlic under the liquid to prevent mold growth. Since garlic naturally floats on top of the honey, you can stir with a spoon or chopsticks daily or flip the jar upside down a few times a day (as shown in photo above). This is to ensure that all garlic cloves are coated in honey. You should continue this until the garlic no longer floats.
Bubbling During Active Fermentation Phase
Once the fermentation begins in a few days, it will produce bubbles varying from a little to a lot. Sometimes, the bubbling can be so active that it overflows the jar. Therefore, leaving plenty of head space in the jar when fermenting honey and garlic is crucial in saving yourself from ending up a sticky mess. It’s also crucial to open the lid of the jar daily to “burp” the jar by releasing the carbon dioxide. The bubbling will subside over the weeks. Eventually you will not see bubbles produced nor will you need to release carbon dioxide from the jar.
Change of Appearance and Consistency
As you can see from the photos below, honey fermented garlic changes colour over time. On the left is freshly combined honey and garlic – the garlic cloves float on top of the honey for the first many weeks. On the right is a jar of my honey fermented garlic aged for 1+ year. Over time, the garlic cloves will gradually sink to the bottom of the jar, and the colour of honey will gradually darken. What you can’t see from the photos is the change of the thickness of the honey. The honey will thin out over time as the garlic releases moisture.

Should Botulism be a Concern in Honey Fermented Garlic?
What I learned is that in order for botulism to occur, it has to meet a list of right conditions. One of these conditions is the PH level. The average PH level of honey is too acidic for botulism spore to produce. Therefore, the concern for botulism is close to none in acidic environment and fermented foods. The actual risk for botulism is much higher in canned or packaged pre-made food items, or non-acidic foods preserved in oil before they had a chance to ferment to reach the <4.6 PH level.
Personally I am comfortably not worrying about botulism in honey fermented garlic. However, I am someone who would not use oil topper for vegetable ferments due to the risk of non-acidic foods trapped in the oil layer that may lead to botulism. If you are still concerned about honey fermented garlic, I know some add a splash of apple cider vinegar to keep the PH level low. I encourage you to do your own research and decide on your comfort level.
Everything I learned about this topic comes from reading in the WFU Facebook group. I simply summarized what I have learned there with my personal understanding.
Related: More Fermentation Recipes to Try
- Fermented Pickles /w Green Tea and Dill Flowers
- Pineapple-Turmeric-Ginger Probiotic Sauerkraut
- Homemade Fermented Sauerkraut /w Caraway Seeds
- Wild Fermented Salsa
- 11 Important Things To Know for a Successful Kombucha Brew
- Kefir Fermented Honey Thyme Sourdough Cornbread
- Injera (Fermented Ethiopian Teff Flatbread)
- Overnight Banana Spelt Pancakes: Fermented for Better Nutrition and Digestion
- Raspberry Kefir Cream Cheese Spread


Honey Fermented Garlic
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup garlic cloves peeled
- 1 to 1 1/2 cup liquid raw honey (see recipe notes below)
- water (optional)
Instructions
- Combine garlic cloves and just enough liquid raw honey to cover the garlic in a glass jar. The glass jar should be large enough to roughly double the capacity of your ingredients to leave room for expansion. Close the jar with a lid.
- Stir the mixture or flip the closed jar upside down daily to ensure all garlic cloves are coated with honey.
- Within a few days, air bubbles should be forming. This is a sign of active fermentation. Open the jar daily to release excess carbon dioxide. If fermentation doesn't begin, then add a spoon or 2 of water into the mixture. Repeat step 2.
- Continue the 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. At this point, you can store the honey fermented garlic in a sealed jar, unrefrigerated, to let it age.
- For best taste, the honey fermented garlic can be consumed after 3 months. The finished products can be stored in a dark place in room temperature for years.
Notes
- If you prefer more honey than garlic in your finished product, you may use more honey than indicated in the recipe as you wish. Just note that you will more likely to need to add some water in order to start the process of fermentation.
- I recommend using a glass jar with plastic lid to avoid honey being in contact with metal, if you plan to turn the content upside down.
Nutrition


Hello. At this time, at my location, the best organic garlic I can get has tiny green sprouts beginning to emerge. When a clove is cut open, I find the majority of the garlic clove inside is mostly a sprout-body.
I know spouted things are supposed to be nutritionally power-packed, but that nutrition is in the sprout, not the “jacket” surrounding the sprout. The jacket (i.e. seed husk, or garlic clove) surrounding the sprout is generally depleted as the sprout grows…. isn’t it?
My reason for fermenting the garlic is medicinal, not culinary; so the potency of the end product is all that matters to me.
Now, I have a pound of garlic but all the cloves have begun to sprout a little and I am wondering if I should use the garlic in a honey ferment…. or, would this produce a weak medicinal; not as potent in Allicin(?)
I don’t want to waste honey producing a weak medicinal. So, I’m wondering, if the sprout would add to, or take away from, the allicin potency/content of the garlic clove?
I’m trying to decide whether to ferment the garlic with the sprouts fully intact; or should I just remove the sprouted part; or, should I just wait for fresh unsprouted garlic cloves?
Wish I knew the actual botanical-science answer.
What do you think?
Kim
Hi, I’m anxious to try this however we follow a keto lifestyle – any ideas on how much of the sugar is actually fermented out of the garlic in a month? Two months? Normally we avoid honey due to the sugars it contains! Thanks!
Hi. I do want to try recipe but I am concerned about botulism even though some sources on Google say that you cannot get botulism from this mixture. Not sure if it’s true or no. Also just wondering what makes fermented garlic honey so special? Will I not get same benefit from mixing fresh garlic and honey and eating it without fermentation?
Thank you
My personal opinion is that you can get the benefits from eating garlic and honey without fermentation. I don’t think you get significantly more benefits. But many people (especially kids) prefer the mellowed out garlic and it’s also a way to preserve fresh garlic if you harvest a lot in the late summer.
How long of a shelf life would you say a jar has? I have some a few years old wondering if it would still be safe to use. Thank you
I don’t have a scientific answer. I have kept mine for a few years and they are fine. If they look, smell and taste normal, I think they would still be safe to use.
My honey never bubbled, however it thinned out, darkened and garlic sank. I added peeled garlic from a bag I bought at Sam’s Club. Other than no bubbling, it looks great after a couple of months. I did add a bit of water. still no fermented bubbles. Do you think it’s good?
I think it would be fine. Enjoy!
What is the best way to take this? Eat 1-2 cloves a day or like 1 tsp of the liquid OK?
Great post, everybody should have this in their home. One thing that has been bugging me though is you saying that the more technical name would be honey fermented garlic, but it is garlic fermented honey if you wanted to be factually correct. The sugars in the honey are what ferments and this occurs due to the microbes on the garlic. Nothing big just bugging my brewer ADHD.
I have been fermenting mine for about 3 weeks now and it has stopped bubbling. It started having a cloudy white layer on the bottom. It seems to be a thick layer and doesn’t mix easily when I shake the jar. Any idea what it is? (Aside from the white layer on the bottom, everything else about my jar looks fine!)
Hi Yang!
Thank you for the detailed post.
I made my first batch of honey garlic about 2.5 months ago (but triple the recipe because I live in a group home and people eat a lot of food!). I did see bubbling (no foaming) for the first 1.5 months. The honey is certainly more liquid-like and sloshes around when I move it – more so at the top and less so at the bottom where it seems more dense. My main concern is that my garlic has not sunk. I’m wondering how long it can take a big batch to sink, and if it’s unsafe to eat if it never sinks – would this mean there was too much honey and not enough fermentation occurred for the ferment to become acidic enough to prevent botulinum toxin growth?
Thanks,
C
Hi! I am so happy to read that you made a big batch! It’s normal your garlics haven’t sunk after 2.5 months. They will eventually when you wait a few more months. They should be safe to eat, but probably still pungent and spicy at this point. I can’t comment on the botulism issue .. I think there is always a small risk, it’s just that I am not too concerned about it personally. Hope this helps. Happy fermenting!!
What a natural remedy for winter season! If there any video tutorial for doing this… However, I’m Lazy person but read Yang’s post 🙂 Thank’s for this interesting tone!
I made this about a year ago. My honey is a nice thin dark brown. Mt garlic cloves, however, have a few black spots here and there on them. Is this a cause for concern or is this just a normal variation?
I am not sure what kind of dark spots you have on your garlic cloves. Are they just change of colour as the garlic cloves age, or do you think something is growing on your garlic?
I just prepared my first FHG Jan 31. At first i was going to use this $5/kg jar of raw honey. But reading the comments, i understand quality matters. So off to Amazon and got a $20/500 g Canadian Buckwheat Raw Honey. LOL I know it’s way more expensive but quality matters time and time again. Supposedly comparable or even better than Manuka. That’s quality enough. I cannot wait. since it takes awhile.
Hello! Is it normal for it to stink? I think it smells terrible, but my husband has eaten it and said it tastes great! I’m just wondering if it’s normal for it to smell really bad?
Ummm… sounds like it’s a personal taste/preference thing? Certainly not everyone would like the smell of it. Does your husband also think they stink?
thank you for sharing such a nice info.
Hello,
Can kids eat? From what age and how much can be given?
Yes, kids can eat it. Whatever age you are comfortable giving your children both honey and garlic. At least 1 year or older.
Hi there! I’ve started making my own jars. The first jar i made was with pure honey. After about 1 week or 2, the garlic became really coated and chewy. The for my second bottle, i used raw honey. But i noticed that after 3 weeks for fermenting, my garlic still tastes really fresh, crunchy and still very garlicky where on my first go, garlic taste was gone after a week or so.. Is this because i used raw honey this time around? Is this a sign that it didn’t ferment well?
Honestly I am not sure why the difference. It could be the garlic you used as well. But 3 weeks isn’t a very long time. You can continue letting it ferment/infuse.
I am using this and its ex eptionally excellent
Hi, I tried your recipe about a month ago. I was a bit worried about Botulinum growing so I bought some pH strips and tested my honey. It read at about 5. I added apple cider vinegar and brought it down to about 3. My main concern now is whether botulinum may have been present and if it’s still there even after the vinegar was added. Should I throw it out and start over or am I being paranoid? I’ve done some research online but nothing touches on this.
I don’t have a scientific answer for you, except saying this is a common remedy that had been made by many people and no one that I know of has died from it.
Hello. I mince 3 heads of garlic and pour over raw honey and put into a jar. I stir , and after a week, I take a tsp of the mixture each day. I store in a cupboard. Kind regards Dave
LOVE THIS! It is so tasty. Question….if you have used up the garlic and have excess honey, can you add fresh garlic and start a new fermentation cycle with the old honey? Or is this a “one and done” type of thing.
Thanks, Rebecca! You can add more garlic to your honey. Personally I will start a new batch, only because I love the honey portion. 🙂
Hi
Made this about two months ago. It’s great but wondering….the honey is being used faster than the garlic and now alot of garlic is not submerged. Can I add more honey? Or what can I do with garlic in meantime so it can be used later? Any help appreciated. Ty
Hi Cindy, you can add more honey right now. Next time, you can just use a higher honey to garlic ratio.
I have a question some pictures that I want to attach. I made About 24 jars of this honey garlic April 14.The honey is very thin but some of the garlic still seems to be floating near the top. Is this normal for A 6 week Product. Also Some of them had some kind of fungus on top unfortunately I’ve found this side after I can way. It look like a solid white phone but not phone like the white part of mail do without the green but it was shaped weirdly so I just talked those so I just wanna show you my jar Some of them are bubbling some are not.I’m not too computer savvy how do I send you some photos?
Ok vox typos Unfortunately I found your sight after I had thrown away the jars that look like they had fungus on them It looked like foam But solid like the white part of Fungus that did Have the green. It look like it would have been Liquidity if I had touched it but I did not.I want to show you some of my jars some are bubbling some are not
HI Lynette. I’m curious if you ever got an answer or figured out the fungus issue?
Hi there! Thank you for the recipe – I started my batch on March 12th. I never had a crazy bubbler, but did see fermentation (especially when I released the lid.) Anyway, it seems the bubbling has slowed…has my batch reached the point of time where that should be happening? Or is this too soon? Thanks!
Lacie, it’s hard to predict how things progress when it comes to fermenting wild. Some batches are more active than others, for longer. From the sound of it, I think yours is fine.
I MADE A JAR OF HONEY GARLIC MIX 3 WEEKS AGO, THEE WAS NO BUBBLING AT ALL, THE GARLIC HAS SHRUNK IN SIZE. a FEW DAYS AGO i MADE UP ANOTHER JAR BUT ADDED SOME APPLE CIDER VINEGAR TO THE HONEY. STILL NO BUBBLING. THE HONEY IS PURE UNPROCESSED FROM MY FARMERS MARKET AND SO IS THE GARLIC. i AM NOT SURE IF i AM GAME TO EAT THIS NOW AS I DONT KNOW IF FERMENTATION HAS TAKEN PLACE. COULD YOU GIVE ME ANY ADVICE PLEASE
the garlic will almost look transparent – no longer white – and that’s how you’ll know it’s fully fermented. my 1st batch bubbled but my 2nd batch didn’t. not a big deal.
Thanks for the recipe! I made this about 2 weeks ago and noticed that some of the Garlic has turned green. It doesn’t look like mold, more like a bruise. I was just wondering if this is common or not.
It’s not very common to have garlic in honey turn green; this usually happens when exposed to acid. But garlic turned green should be perfectly safe to eat.
Hi, thanks for this recipe will try out !
Is there any worries about BOTULISM with this?
Please see section “SHOULD BOTULISM BE A CONCERN IN HONEY FERMENTED GARLIC?” above.
Hello,
Thank you for your recipe. I have just started a batch and am wondering… do I need to keep it in a dark place through the whole process?
Thank you.
It’s best to keep in a dark place. But countertop is fine, if your kitchen is kind of dim and not in direct sunlight.
why should I leave it away from sunlight ?
Even a brown paper bag on the counter helps
Wow… Thanks a lot. I was searching this answer on Google for last one month. I need to make this combo but I was not aware about the shelf life of this combo. Well you gave me the answer that I can store it for a very long time. Thanks
Devendra saini
You are welcome, Devendra! So glad I could help.
When it’s finished fermenting do I leave it all together in the jar or separate them?
Tayler, you can leave them all together. Enjoy!!
Is it good if the garlic is dried
Can I add sliced ginger to the mixture?
Yes, you can!
I made two batches of this yesterday. I can’t wait to see the results in a months time. What kind of recipes can this be used in for cooking? I’m doing some research now but it’s all recipes on how to make this lol
Good post!
Mostly, people eat the honey fermented garlic as-is. But you could use in any recipe that works with a sweet garlic flavour.
I make lacto-fermented veggies, and often give each batch a jump start with probiotic-rich brine from a previous batch. Could I use just a splash of kraut brine to get things rolling with the honey?
Jordan, I wouldn’t. Don’t quote me on it, but I think these are different type of ferments. Besides, the kraut brine may ruin the flavour of the honey and garlic.
Hi. When can I start taking/eating the honey garlic? 🙂
I STARTED THE HONEY GARLIC MIXTURE OVER A WEEK AGO, AND STILL NO BUBBLING INDICATING FERMENTATION, ADDED 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS OF WATER 2 DAYS AGO, STILL NOT BUBBLING…???? I WONDERED, HOW CAN GARLIC FERMENT, IF GARLIC IS ANTIBACTERIAL IN THE FIRST PLACE, DUE TO INHERENT ENZYMES. PLEASE… WHAT HAVE I DONE WRONG, IF ANY?
What I believe is this recipe is mainly a yeast ferment. Besides there is naturally bacteria on the surface of the garlic. The anti-bacterial properties of the garlic is only unleashed when you crush the garlic. I honestly don’t know if this property of the garlic affects the bacteria in the recipe at all. But I do know many people has made the recipe work. Have you checked to see if you are using a good quality raw honey or pasteurized honey?
Can I grind my garlic up in a food processor before I start the processor that’s how I’ve been doing it is that wrong?
How often do you eat the garlic clove? One per day per week, only when feeling sick?
Thank you for your information and recipe.
I only eat them when I feel sick. Some people eat them daily or weekly.
Thanks for your article. It helped me a lot. I use a lot of garlic and honey myself, it has many benefits for lean though it’s a strange combination of garlic and honey. Of course, in this article I read that it is boring
http://shimbal.org/garlic-and-honey-for-slimming/
Thank you for such a informative recipe. I had a Korean acquaintance tell me about this. She showed me a video in Korean before she left town for the next month. Her method called for steaming the garlic for 10 minutes and then letting it cool before putting in the jars. I have not found any recipes that call for steaming the garlic first. Can you tell me why that would help or hurt to steam the garlic? I really want to get started on this since it takes longer than I had thought.
What you shared is interesting! I honestly don’t know about the Korean practice and have not heard about steaming garlic before using in the recipe. To your question, here is my guess: the benefits of steaming garlic is #1 killing off potential mold spores and #2 making the garlic taste less pungent; the disadvantage of steaming garlic is killing off the enzymes that produce cancer fighting and anti-inflammatory properties.
I made a jar of honey and crushed garlic to ferment two days ago…and on reading up on the topic further- I learnt about botulism. But after doing further research on it, I found out that even though both honey and garlic usually contain the bacteria spores….the danger only exists when the spores become active and release toxins…which it can only do under specific conditions. 1) low oxygen 2) ambient temperatures 3) ph above 4.6, 4) low salt 5) protein source 6) low sugar environment. Honey ferments are definitely high sugar environments and after fermentation begins, it eventually becomes a highly acid (low ph) environment, so no need to worry about botulism….even though the bacteria is most likely present, it cannot release toxins in such a high sugar AND high acid (after fermentation) environment. Pheww…
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and findings. I think many others will find it helpful!
I started a batch a little over a week ago, but a couple of days later I turned the containter upside down to cover all the cloves and forgot to turn it back right side up. When I arrived home later that day, a lot of honey spilled from the container. I tried to fix the batch by adding more honey, but I’m not sure if it’s still fermenting. The honey seems a lot more liquidy than before, but it’s not really bubbling and the garlic is still floating.
I’ll leave it as it is for a little longer, but I was wondering, are there any other ways I can tell if the process is still happening?
Thanks in advance!
You mentioned it’s most effective after 3 months. I’m so impatient! Wanting to help my littles with cold and allergy issues. They already eat minced garlic in a spoon of honey, so hoping they will tolerate this even better! Do I have to wait the 3 months or will it be fermented and beneficial (more than unfermenetsd honey and garlic already are) any sooner?
Please see instruction #5: “For best taste, the honey fermented garlic can be consumed after 3 months.” I don’t think we have the scientific data on when it’s most effective. If you don’t have issues with how pungent raw garlics are, you don’t have to wait that long for the flavour to infuse.
Hi, i tried to make one batch, and just after one day i saw mold start forming on the garlic. Should i worry about it? Is it possible to salvage it?
*Sorry didn’t mean to double post. But i accidentally reply on other comment, instead of new comment. So sorry about it.
Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that! This is a tough case too. Both garlic and honey are so expensive! Well, if it’s only 1 garlic affected, maybe I will threw that one away and the honey around it, just because the materials aren’t cheap. If more serious, I will have to let the whole jar go. Mould isn’t good and worth taking the risks for in general. Well, I am wondering how did that happen? It usually takes more than a day for mould to develop. In this case, maybe the mould was already starting to form on the garlic before going into the jar? Also flipping the jar to ensure garlics are fulled covered in honey and not exposed to air is to prevent being affected by mould.
myabe, i think i need to start a new batch, luckily i only used only a small amount of honey and garlic to start. thanks.
I’m wondering if it is mold at all. I started some with garlic that I harvested last July and I noticed after I put it in the jar(with the honey) that some of the garlic cloves had actually started to sprout new growth within the bulb. No worries, new green growth of plant will not hurt you or take away from the finished product. Adds a little color in the process. At least until it turns dark, that is. Hope this helps.
If you wanted to add the apple cider vinegar at what point would you add it just to be safe. Before or after ofermentation. Thank you.
You will add it before the fermentation.
Hello, I started a batch about a month ago and I opened a jar to try it and tasted metallic? It’s that normal? I asked on a different forum and one person said it was because of using metal lids and that I needed to throw all the batches away. (I used a Kerr glass jars with the lids they come with) Do you know if that’s true? Or what’s going?
If you used a metal lid and the lid was in contact with the contents, it’s possible the metal reacted to the fermentation and changed the taste of your contents. Only you can decide whether you are comfortable consuming the products, given that it now taste metallic to you.
I used the Kerr lids the bottom looks like it’s coated though, unless it’s from the rings somehow? Which kind of lids do you use?
Sorry about the late response. This is a tough one, I really don’t know about Kerr lids. You can see from one of my photos, I saved a plastic lid from the nut butter jar to reuse for fermenting my garlics. I really don’t like using plastic in general, but in the case of making contact with fermenting garlic and honey, it’s probably better to go with a plastic lid than a metal.
Hello, started this about a week ago; had some bubbling (and even some honey dripping through the sealed lid!) – it looks like the garlic is shrinking, is this possible? Alsoi, the bubbling seems to have stopped. Any advice or does this all sound normal?
Everything you described sound normal. The garlics will release some moisture into the honey, and fermenting / bubbling will gradually slow down and stop too. Sounds like you have a successful batch on the way, exciting!
Help. I’ve made this and have added some vinegar to lower the pH. But my garlic is browning a bit and has a slight smell to it. Only some of the garlic has sank to the bottom (I made a large jar) is this all too far gone and should be tossed? Or am I being too impatient. Like I said it’s a large jar. But it’s been a month or so.
Everything you described sounds fine, unless there is something specific you are concerned about.
Can you reuse the leftover honey from fermenting to start another batch along with more fresh honey?
I’d like to know this, too. I’m assuming if the pH is still high enough?
I have never heard of anyone re-using the honey, to be honest. My thoughts are: 1) the garlic infused honey is a finished product we want, I would eat it rather than using it again. 2) the leftover honey is also a lot more watery than pure honey due to the moisture content released from the garlics. Adding more garlic will increase the water content further.. at some point it will start to ferment into wine? But I have never tried, so I don’t know what will happen for sure. Does this help?
I made this a few weeks ago and my garlic is still floating. Ive added 2 tbs of water and its still floating. Anything else I can do? I hope I didn’t waste it.
Did your honey bubble up? If so, you are doing things right. Adding water won’t make your garlic sink, it only helps to kick start the fermentation process if there isn’t enough moisture in the honey. The garlic will sink over time.
It was bubbling a small amount. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you
I’m using raw unfiltered honey and it’s very thick. Will it still work?
Nice going! Good advice on this ferment and good you mentioned the bit about adding vinegar in if the pH of the honey is over 4.6 as some are these days! So good advice and you have a nice site here! 🙂
I am thinking about fermenting some honey and garlic for the first time. . My question is: it is OK to have the honey/garlic fermenting jar sitting right next to my Kombucha jar or do they have to be separated? I dont want to cross contaminate, but with the honey jar being sealed I was wondering if that will be a problem. I have a nice open shelving unit that I would like to use where I can keep on eye on both of these fermentation.s. Thanks, Judy
Hello I was wondering if I could swap the honey for maple or agave syrup because I am vegan and I don’t eat consume honey.