Fermented Garlic Infused Honey with Precautions and Instructions

Fermented garlic infused honey is going to be the best tasting way you’ve ever found to fight sickness! Packed with immune-boosting properties, this healthy garlic infused honey is easy to make and even easier to eat.

Recently, I shared with you how to make elderberry juice and how to make homemade fire cider . Those are both fantastic methods for boosting the immune system and fighting off illnesses naturally. I use both elderberry juice and fire cider in my home with great success.

But, I’m not done yet! I have another trick up my sleeve that I must share with you.

It’s fermented garlic infused honey and it’s really good! Trust me, this isn’t one of those healthy concoctions that you have to force yourself to take. It’s actually something worth making and eating even if you don’t care about the health benefits because it just tastes great!

For those of you who do care about the health benefits of garlic infused honey, you are in luck because garlic infused honey is amazing! Keep reading to find out why and how to make to make it for yourself.

What is Fermented Garlic Infused Honey?

Fermented garlic infused honey is exactly what it sounds like. It’s an infusion made of garlic cloves that have been submerged in raw honey and left to ferment. You can also add a bit of apple cider vinegar to your garlic honey, but we’ll talk more about that part later.

What is Garlic Infused Honey Used for?

Garlic infused honey is used for two things – eating for its flavor and eating for its many health benefits. I recommend it for both reasons.

Garlic infused honey is super delicious. It’s a classic flavor combination that is often used in cooking as a marinade, glaze, sauce or dressing. I love the flavor of garlic infused honey!

It’s also common for people to keep fermented garlic honey on hand to use as a health tonic or natural health remedy. This is my favorite thing about infused garlic honey. It’s fantastic for boosting the immune system and fighting illness. In fact, garlic is the best thing I’ve found to kick sickness to the curb.

Before I made this honey, I would swallow pieces of garlic straight, and avoid many illnesses passing through. The problem with that method is that kids aren’t too apt to popping a “garlic pill” and it is rather potent. But as they say – a spoon full of sugar, makes the medicine go down!

You’ll definitely want some of this magical garlic honey around for cold and flu season!

Health Benefits

Garlic and honey both have several well known health benefits. Put those two ingredients together and you have a natural remedy dream team that is antimicrobial, antibacterial and can enhance immune system function.

Let’s take a look at why garlic and honey are both so great. If you want to read even more about them, click over to this article from Healthline about the benefits of garlic and honey.

Garlic Health Benefits

Garlic is great for many reasons including:

• Rich in Antioxidants: Garlic is a good source of antioxidants that fight free radicals and protect against cellular damage.
• Anti-inflammatory Effects: Inflammation in the body may be helped by garlic.
• Cancer Prevention: Garlic is potentially helpful at preventing cancer due to the presence of allicin compounds, which have defensive properties.
• Digestive Aid: Promoting digestive health through beneficial gut bacteria makes garlic a potential digestive aid.
• Detoxifying: Thanks to its sulfur compounds, garlic can be helpful in detoxifying.
• Anti-viral: Garlic contains sickness-fighting anti-viral properties.
• Promoting Heart Health: By potentially lowering bad cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of blood clots, garlic may promote heart health.
• Antibacterial and Anti-fungal: Garlic contains both antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.
• Boosts Immune System: Thanks to all the reasons listed above, garlic can be helpful at boosting the immune system and aiding in overall health.

Honey Health Benefits

Honey is amazing for several reasons as well:

• Helps Heal Wounds: Honey’s texture, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties make it a favorite for wound care.
• Soothes Throat Irritation: Honey can feel great on a soar or irritated throat.
• Energy: Honey is a good source of natural sugar and carbohydrates.
• Promotes Healthy Skin: Skin irritation and dryness can be soothed by honey.
• Rich in Antioxidants: Like garlic, honey is a good source of beneficial antioxidants.
• Cough Relief: Many people use honey to reduce coughs from colds and flues.
• Digestive Aid: Some types of honey have prebiotic properties that can promote good digestive health.

Why You Should Try Garlic Infused Honey

As we see from the lists above, garlic infused honey is full of health benefits.

Fermented garlic infused honey is also delicious! The process of fermenting and infusing the garlic and honey really mellows the flavor of the garlic and adds sweetness to it. It also adds a great savory flavor to the honey.

Garlic infused honey is the best way I’ve found to take more than a small amount of garlic at a time. Because who wants to eat a raw garlic clove? Not me! But once you’ve made some of this garlic honey, it’s much easier to benefit from garlic. You can also get health benefits from eating just the honey.

This fermented garlic infused honey is also simple to make with few ingredients and very little prep time. That makes it a winner in my book!

Safety Precautions

There is some concern that fermented garlic infused honey can develop a bacterium that causes botulism. Botulism in a food borne illness that is rare, but can be severe or even fatal. See the World Health Organization’s article about botulism if you want more information about this topic.

The odds that garlic infused honey would develop botulism is unlikely, but not an unfounded concern.

Honey is acidic enough to be resistant to botulism growth, but it is borderline and acidity levels can vary between different honey types and batches. Garlic is also a low-acidity food which changes the overall pH of the honey/garlic mixture.

Because of this, I do think it’s important to take some precautions to guard against botulism. After all, it’s better safe than sorry! We want to improve our health, not risk it.

One thing you can do to safe guard against botulism would be to test your infused garlic honey with pH strips that you can purchase and use at home. The pH of honey needs to be below 4.6 to ensure that it is acidic enough to inhibit bacterial growth.

In my opinion, an easier solution is to add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to your garlic/honey infusion. The apple cider vinegar adds enough acidity to prevent bacteria from growing. It also adds a nice tang that tastes great in this fermented garlic infused honey.

What You’ll Need to Make Fermented Garlic Infused Honey

To make this fermented garlic infused honey, you will need:

• Garlic – organic garlic if possible
• Honey – Raw unpasteurized honey is best for this because it will have more of the enzymes that aid in the fermentation process. I use honey from Azure Standard. It’s one of my favorite things to buy from Azure Standard. Raw local honey would be great too. You can also get honey from Amazon.
• Glass jar with a lid
• Fermentation weight – Optional. A fermentation weight will keep your garlic submerged in the honey and prevent the need for stirring or flipping your jar each day.
• Apple cider vinegar – I like raw apple cider vinegar. I use Azure Standard’s apple cider vinegar. You can also find apple cider vinegar at Amazon.

How to Make Fermented Garlic Infused Honey

1. To make your fermented garlic infused honey, first fill your clean glass jar half full of peeled garlic cloves.
2. Next, pour honey into the jar up to the level of the garlic. If using apple cider vinegar, add a teaspoon or two at this point.
3. Poke and stir around to release any air bubbles, then add a fermentation weight, if desired.
4. Seal the jar lightly with a lid.
5. If you’re not using a fermentation weight, stir your garlic honey infusion daily with a spoon to re-coat the garlic that floats. This stirring also allows your garlic infused honey to “burp” and release gasses that build up during fermentation. If you are using a fermentation weight, you can simply open the jar every few days to release built up gasses.
6. Let your garlic honey ferment in a cool, dark place for a month. It is normal to see some bubbles, darkening, separation of the honey, or a runnier honey consistency as the mixture ferments.

How to Store Fermented Garlic Infused Honey

Once the fermentation process is over, you can store it at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The refrigerator’s cool temperatures will inhibit bacterial growth and is a good safety precaution if you did not use apple cider vinegar in your garlic infused honey. Your garlic infused honey should last for several years.

But with all those benefits, don’t hesitate to grab a spoonful a day and make a batch on repeat!

Ideas for Using your Garlic Honey

Now that you’ve got your own fermented garlic infused honey, here are some ideas for how to use it.

• You can drizzle your garlic honey on cheeses, breads or fruits. Try it in a charcuterie board!
• Try topping ice cream or fruit salad with your sweet/savory garlic honey.
• Make a marinade with your garlic infused honey by adding vinegar, oil and spices. It would taste great with chicken or pork!
• Glaze meat or vegetables with garlic honey during grilling.
• Add some of the honey garlic to your favorite vinaigrette salad dressing.
• Use your garlic honey as a dipping sauce for things like french fries or chicken tenders.
• Try some on honey on pizza or sandwiches, or toss in the garlic bulbs for a sweet and savory flavor.
• If you like stir fries, try adding either some of the honey, the garlic bulbs or both to your next stir fry. They will taste terrific!
• Finally, a jar of this garlic infused honey would make a wonderful and unique gift for any of your foodie friends.

FAQ’s

Please keep in mind that I am not a trained medical professional and my statements have not been approved by the FDA. Please consult with your doctor about any natural or herbal remedies you may be interested in taking.

More Natural Remedies to Try

I hope you’ll give this fermented garlic infused honey a try! It’s a yummy way to stay healthy and treat illness.

If you would like to learn more about natural remedies and other ways to boost your immune system, I always recommend the Herbal Academy. Their classes on herbs are fantastic!

You can also learn more about herbs and natural ways to promote health by reading any of the following articles. Talk to you soon!

• Natural Cold and Flu Remedies You Can Make at Home with Herbs
• The Many Benefits of Lavender for Good Health
• How to Make Lavender Extract and Tinctures
• The Many Benefits of Yarrow Plant
• How to Make Yarrow Wound Powder
• How to Make Elderberry Juice
• Dandelion Root Benefits | Nature’s Secret Weapon
• How to Make Nourishing Roasted Dandelion Root Tea

Garlic Infused Honey Recipe Card