Taking care of my family’s health has always been a priority of mine. We try to be proactive on our health and focus on preventative care. Paying attention to gut health, eating nutritious homemade food on a regular basis.
But every winter, it’s inevitable someone’s going to get the sniffles or whatever else is going around that year.
For years, we have found a tried and true method for any sickness across the board.
Fermented garlic!
I know, it sounds scary. Have you ever eaten raw garlic? It’s not fun. My husband loves to eat raw garlic. If you’re like him, more power to you. Although extremely medicinal, it’s not my favorite activity to endure. It’s super spicy and burns the tongue while going down.
Fermented garlic could not be easier to make, using two of my favorite ingredients: honey and garlic. Not only is fermented garlic delicious, it offers so many medicinal properties. It’s anti-inflammatory, packed with antioxidants, great for allergies, and incredible for your immune system.
Garlic has been well documented by many civilizations, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese to be medicinal in many properties.
When crushed, chewed, or chopped, garlic has a completely different medicinal profile. Allicin is released and is only released when the garlic clove is smashed and left to sit from a minute to twenty minutes. The longer the better. Allicin turns the garlic very spicy and spicy is what you want in order to reap all the medicinal benefits from this vegetable.
Once smashed, chopped or chewed, the levels of vitamin C increase, it can potentially lower your cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, and can even help detox heavy metals in your body.
Combined with honey, which is not only sweet and delicious, is also incredibly nutritious. Honey is rich in antioxidants, heart healthy, and can even help with allergies. When sourcing your honey you want the best local honey you can find. It may be a little pricey , but it’s totally worth it. The kind from a farm stand, someone’s backyard, or a small mom and pop store. When sourcing local, not only are you supporting a local business but getting allergy support. Because the bees use your local plants to pollinate which in turn makes honey that’s local to your ecosystem.
At the end of day, I look at fermented garlic as medicine. High quality medicine takes a little bit of an investment. Considering that garlic is by far the cheapest ingredient in this recipe , spending a little extra on local honey will only make this more medicinal for you and your family.
The best part about this recipe, like most fermented recipes, the longer it sits, the better it is for you! 3 weeks, a month, 9 months! The honey turns the garlic shelf stable. Just store it in a cool dark spot. I find the best time to make it is at the end of the summer, right before cold and flu season. That way the moment someone feels a little scratch in their throat, you can take a spoonful and try to get ahead of it.
To make the recipe first gather as many cloves that will fit into your jar
Peel and cut off the nubs off the ends of each clove
Hot tip: don’t toss your peels, save them in a freezer bag with other vegetable peels to make a stock or broth later down the road.
Smash each clove then place in your jar
Cover with high quality local honey.
Use a chopstick, knife, or spoon to stir the honey around and remove any air gaps.
Cover with a loose fitting lid or fermenting lid.
As with any fermentation project, be sure to date it. I love using painters tape because it doesn’t leave a sticky residue on your jars.
Below, on the right, I have a batch that I made two weeks prior.
Note: the longer it sits, the honey will get darker and thinner.
Every couple of days “burp” your jar by removing the lid and letting the built up gasses escape the jar. Burp for about a week. Then store it in a cool dark place. I’ve had some sit for up to a year but we usually consume it all within 6 months.
In our home, you can always find it in our pantry. The moment I’m running low I get another batch going. I love having this around for the medicinal benefits but also to cook with. Some of my favorite applications are:
- drizzle the honey on pizza or pasta
- put a couple cloves in an Italian inspired dish when sautéing the onion or any other allium.
- take a spoonful of the honey the moment you feel the slightest bit of an illness coming on. Great for breaking up phlegm in your chest.
- swallow the garlic cloves whole with a little bit of water if the illness has already kicked in. Example: cold, flu, fever,
I hope this recipe serves you and your family well. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links which means I make a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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10-Pairs Wooden Chopsticks – https://amzn.to/3Gi02Ph
Ball Pint Mason Jar, Regular Mouth, 16 oz (3 Count) – https://amzn.to/3FN5R5I
Regular Mouth Mason Jar Fermenter Caps – https://amzn.to/3VlmLhG
Raw Premium Manuka Honey – https://amzn.to/3WsJwS3