Fermented Garlic Honey

Garlic cloves submerged in raw honey and left to ferment slowly over weeks. The honey liquefies, the garlic mellows and turns golden, and both become extraordinary — the honey is sweet and spicy and medicinal, the garlic is mild enough to eat whole. One of the oldest folk remedies in the book.

What You Need

• 1 full head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• Raw local honey — enough to fully submerge the cloves
• A clean glass jar

Method

1. Peel all garlic cloves. Lightly bruise each one with the flat of a knife — this helps the fermentation begin.
2. Place in a clean jar. Cover completely with raw honey. The garlic will float — press it down.
3. Seal loosely (gases will build up) or cover with a cloth. Leave at room temperature.
4. Over the first week, stir or flip the jar daily to keep garlic submerged. Bubbles will appear — this is good.
5. After 2–4 weeks, the honey will have liquefied, the garlic turned golden, and the flavor will be complex and mellow.
6. Seal and store at room temperature for up to a year. Both the honey and garlic are edible.

Tips & Notes

• Raw honey must be used — pasteurized honey is dead and won't ferment.
• Eat the garlic cloves whole, use the honey as a spoonful for immune support, or drizzle it on cheese.
• If the garlic turns green, that's a normal reaction between sulfur compounds and the acid — it's safe.

More Kitchen guides →