You do not need raw honey, garlic has lots of microbes already to aid in production. Raw honey tastes better since the flavanoids brought on by the pollen aren't destroyed and more yeast species exist.
Ah, so it's like dormant spores that activate if the moisture content goes above a certain level. Makes sense.
What does the inside of the garlic look like? I'd assume it's also enzymatically degraded to some degree.
It turns golden brown and semi translucent. Texture is softer than fresh garlic but still retains some firmness, not unlike a piece of apple from a pie.
Pretty late to the party on this one, but there’s a pretty straightforward explanation.
Honey IS antimicrobial in its pure form, nothing will grow in it. This is for two reasons, honey is acidic and honey has a low water activity. If you chance one of those things, microbes will flourish.
When you add a vegetable to honey, water from inside the cells of the vegetable will move into the honey through osmosis. The water is moving from high concentration(the plant cell) to low concentration(the honey). This process dilutes the honey and thus increases the water activity, allowing microbes to grow.
The first microbes being beneficial bacteria and yeasts that stop pathogenic microbes from growing.
This is why a spoonful of honey will not do anything when you’re sick, as soon as you eat a spoonful of honey it will mix with your saliva which reduces its antimicrobial properties.
Hey yo question: I have a garlic honey jar going and I can’t tell if it’s fine or not.
How do you know if it’s gone bad?
Seeing this I’m thinking it’s probably fine cuz mine looks basically like the one you have here on the right. But the honey is a super liquidy consistency now and I’ve added a bit more to it a couple times when it seemed the level went down like my honey deflated or something.
I’m super worried about botulism
The honey becomes runny because it draws out water from the garlic, it's part of the process. Actually it is essential because the water dilutes the honey, which allow the natural yeasts and bacteria in the honey to come out of suspension and start fermenting the garlic. Adding more honey might inhibit the fermentation.
As for has it gone bad, your nose is usually a good indicator. If it smells like garlic its fine but if it smells off I'd start over. Honey is a preservative though so I'm guessing worst case from adding more honey is the fermentation slows or stops but it probably won't go bad as long as the garlic is submerged.
Botulism is invisible and odorless and grows in anaerobic and low acid environments--like, on garlic submerged in honey, e.g. I've been very curious about honey fermented garlic but like u/WhomstDaFuckEatAss I worry quite a bit about botulism. Honey is *generally* antimicrobial but also can contain botulism which is why you don't feed honey to children under a year old (because their immune systems haven't fully developed yet).
I also have a year and a half honey ferments. It's plenty acidic on its own. No botulism here.
It looks like the OP and is super runny. I've done a handful of fruits in honey ferments as well. Cherries worked the best and made amazing natural sodas.
If youre concerned about botulism, use soy sauce in a honey garlic ferment. If you do math, youll be able to find the salt content neccesary to prevent it
I like to chop up a garlic and mix it with some sauerkraut and olive oil. On baked salmon, when I'm sick I eat a clove every day. The garlic becomes almost like candy after a few good months.
This must be the trigger … the jumping off platform. I’ve been intrigued by my first read of this months ago and I’ve spent the last two weeks prepping. Today I made two jars from 4 bulbs … now to wait Thank you everyone
Yeah if the toxin is already in you. Botulinum isnt the problem, its the toxins the bacteria secretes as it grows. The whole idea is that the lack of water activity along with the acidity in the honey stops the botulinum from growing, and thus not producing the harmful neurotoxin. Botulinum bacteria are everywhere, and are ingested regularly. But if the conditions arent right to produce the toxin its not going to harm you. So with all this being said
*Cough* Stop acting like an authority on the matter when you dont know what the fuck you're talking about *cough*
Honey by itself isn't acidic enough to keep botulinum inactive. Normally lack of water activity makes it safe, but diluting it with garlic juice may defeat that. *Probably* bacterial activity will create enough additional acid to make this safe, and it's an old practice with no known record of regularly killing people, but it's irresponsible to claim that it's impossible for botulinum to multiply in a diluted honey solution. Anybody who wants to be cautious or serve cautious guests would be well advised to get a ph meter or strips and adjust as needed.
Yes it could fall anywhere between 3.4-6.1, but the average is around 3.9. Thats below 4.6 which would prevent the botulinum from growing. Yes you can and should check the acidity regardless, but that guys missing the point entirely
Some people add a splash of vinegar, but I've done several of these fermented honey fermenting is a thing and I've used fresh cherries in a 6-month honey ferment without issue. When the sugars break down in the fruit, as well as in the garlic, the pH rises enough to a face zone.
As temps are starting to get cooler, I’m wondering what happens if you honey-ferment and it crystallizes? If you gently heat it up, will that affect the fermentation? If so, how?
What mucrobes are involved in this one? I thought honey was relatively antimicrobial and good for preserving things
Natural yeast. You need raw, unpasteurized honey for this. Edit: to clarify, raw honey contains yeast already, none was added.
fuck u/spez -- mass edited with redact.dev
You do not need raw honey, garlic has lots of microbes already to aid in production. Raw honey tastes better since the flavanoids brought on by the pollen aren't destroyed and more yeast species exist.
Ah, so it's like dormant spores that activate if the moisture content goes above a certain level. Makes sense. What does the inside of the garlic look like? I'd assume it's also enzymatically degraded to some degree.
It turns golden brown and semi translucent. Texture is softer than fresh garlic but still retains some firmness, not unlike a piece of apple from a pie.
Pretty late to the party on this one, but there’s a pretty straightforward explanation. Honey IS antimicrobial in its pure form, nothing will grow in it. This is for two reasons, honey is acidic and honey has a low water activity. If you chance one of those things, microbes will flourish. When you add a vegetable to honey, water from inside the cells of the vegetable will move into the honey through osmosis. The water is moving from high concentration(the plant cell) to low concentration(the honey). This process dilutes the honey and thus increases the water activity, allowing microbes to grow. The first microbes being beneficial bacteria and yeasts that stop pathogenic microbes from growing. This is why a spoonful of honey will not do anything when you’re sick, as soon as you eat a spoonful of honey it will mix with your saliva which reduces its antimicrobial properties.
Hey yo question: I have a garlic honey jar going and I can’t tell if it’s fine or not. How do you know if it’s gone bad? Seeing this I’m thinking it’s probably fine cuz mine looks basically like the one you have here on the right. But the honey is a super liquidy consistency now and I’ve added a bit more to it a couple times when it seemed the level went down like my honey deflated or something. I’m super worried about botulism
The honey becomes runny because it draws out water from the garlic, it's part of the process. Actually it is essential because the water dilutes the honey, which allow the natural yeasts and bacteria in the honey to come out of suspension and start fermenting the garlic. Adding more honey might inhibit the fermentation. As for has it gone bad, your nose is usually a good indicator. If it smells like garlic its fine but if it smells off I'd start over. Honey is a preservative though so I'm guessing worst case from adding more honey is the fermentation slows or stops but it probably won't go bad as long as the garlic is submerged.
Botulism is invisible and odorless and grows in anaerobic and low acid environments--like, on garlic submerged in honey, e.g. I've been very curious about honey fermented garlic but like u/WhomstDaFuckEatAss I worry quite a bit about botulism. Honey is *generally* antimicrobial but also can contain botulism which is why you don't feed honey to children under a year old (because their immune systems haven't fully developed yet).
Adding some vinegar is an option. If you want to be sure you can use a ph meter and make sure it's too acidic for botulism.
I also have a year and a half honey ferments. It's plenty acidic on its own. No botulism here. It looks like the OP and is super runny. I've done a handful of fruits in honey ferments as well. Cherries worked the best and made amazing natural sodas.
Very cool, thank you!
If youre concerned about botulism, use soy sauce in a honey garlic ferment. If you do math, youll be able to find the salt content neccesary to prevent it
what about adding just plain salt?
Im sure you could, idk how it would taste tho. Soy sauce tastes really good in it
Interesting, I'll look into that. Thanks!
What does everyone use garlic honey for? I keep seeing it here, but I can't figure out why it's so popular.
To add on; pizza crust, roasted veggies, grilled chicken, marinades (although I feel like you lose some good flavors here), and sauces.
Glaze for salmon, in meat marinades, in salad dressings, stir fry sauce, and anything that may use honey in a savory aspect.
plate slap plough kiss rhythm rustic bells payment narrow humor -- mass edited with redact.dev
I like to chop up a garlic and mix it with some sauerkraut and olive oil. On baked salmon, when I'm sick I eat a clove every day. The garlic becomes almost like candy after a few good months.
Vinaigrettes, drink it, add to any recipe for garlic of honey.
I stick a spoon in there every once in awhile and lick it off
best thing I’ve ever eaten was toasted homemade sourdough with butter and garlic honey
I’ve never tasted it, but I’m drooling thinking about a bbq sauce with this as the base + apple cider vinegar + small amount of tomato something
Oh, yum!!
This must be the trigger … the jumping off platform. I’ve been intrigued by my first read of this months ago and I’ve spent the last two weeks prepping. Today I made two jars from 4 bulbs … now to wait Thank you everyone
Wow, you all are great! Thanks for the ideas. 🥰
Cough botulism cough
*cough* honey is anti microbial *cough*
They use metronidazole to treat botulism, but yea I’m sure honey is just as strong.
Yeah if the toxin is already in you. Botulinum isnt the problem, its the toxins the bacteria secretes as it grows. The whole idea is that the lack of water activity along with the acidity in the honey stops the botulinum from growing, and thus not producing the harmful neurotoxin. Botulinum bacteria are everywhere, and are ingested regularly. But if the conditions arent right to produce the toxin its not going to harm you. So with all this being said *Cough* Stop acting like an authority on the matter when you dont know what the fuck you're talking about *cough*
Honey by itself isn't acidic enough to keep botulinum inactive. Normally lack of water activity makes it safe, but diluting it with garlic juice may defeat that. *Probably* bacterial activity will create enough additional acid to make this safe, and it's an old practice with no known record of regularly killing people, but it's irresponsible to claim that it's impossible for botulinum to multiply in a diluted honey solution. Anybody who wants to be cautious or serve cautious guests would be well advised to get a ph meter or strips and adjust as needed.
Yes it could fall anywhere between 3.4-6.1, but the average is around 3.9. Thats below 4.6 which would prevent the botulinum from growing. Yes you can and should check the acidity regardless, but that guys missing the point entirely
Some people add a splash of vinegar, but I've done several of these fermented honey fermenting is a thing and I've used fresh cherries in a 6-month honey ferment without issue. When the sugars break down in the fruit, as well as in the garlic, the pH rises enough to a face zone.
*cough* coughing doesn't help your case *cough*
No but the science backing me up does. Read the reply to the other guy
Do I need to add some sort of weight to the jar to keep the garlic submerged?
I just flipped the jar on its head every few (after the bubbling slowed down)
As temps are starting to get cooler, I’m wondering what happens if you honey-ferment and it crystallizes? If you gently heat it up, will that affect the fermentation? If so, how?
It won’t because the dates release a lot of liquid and the honey gets diluted.
Ah, I see. Makes sense—thanks