Can You Ferment Ginger in Honey?

Did you know that you don’t have to use a salt and water brine solution to make your food at home?

It’s possible to substitute the salty for the sweet by making food out of honey.

If you want something to satisfy your sugar cravings, honey is an excellent alternative to brine and is compatible with many different fruits and vegetables, including ginger.

You can ferment ginger in honey, and you can enjoy it by adding it to your tea or spreading it on toast.

The process is slightly different from sauerkraut or kimchi recipes.

Ginger contains natural enzymes that aid in fermentation, as well as healthy probiotics that improve digestion and provide the bacteria needed for gut health. 

Fermenting ginger in honey also increases the number of antioxidants.

It takes longer to ferment in honey and ginger should be cut into smaller slices to make it easier to extract water.

It will take under 3 months for your first batches to be ready to eat.

Ferment Ginger in Honey

Can You Ferment with Honey?

You might have picked up on the fact that it is possible to ferment with honey, and it is very common among home ferments.

In comparison to processed honey, raw honey is full of natural yeast and bacteria that are ideal for conducting the process of fermentation.

The water content of raw honey is usually low, so it doesn’t get ruined on the shelf.

The addition of water is what the yeast needs to begin fermentation. Adding lots of water to honey starts the process of making the alcoholic beverage mead.

Adding fruits or vegetables to honey will allow you to start the process of fermentation.

It is the sugars in honey that draw the water out of the fruits and vegetables so that they can ferment and be preserved in the honey.

The process of making fermentable vegetables in a brine solution takes longer because there is less water and a lot more sugar.

Honey

How To Ferment Ginger in Honey

It is relatively easy to make honey ferments at home. You don’t need anything else except fresh ginger and honey.

The mixture needs to sit for two weeks for the process to be completed but a couple of months is ideal.

The steps on how to ferment ginger in honey are given below.

  • Peel the ginger with a spoon or knife and slice it into thin slices.
  • Put the slices into an 8-ounce jar and it will be half full.
  • If you want to cover the slices with honey, do it now.
  • To make sure the honey settles, make sure it goes down to the bottom.
  • Air pockets may have formed inside if you removed them.
  • You can speed things up by using a knife to remove the air pockets and let the honey settle in.
  • Make sure the ginger slices are completely covered with honey and set the jar in a dark corner of the counter to keep an eye on it.
  • After the honey and ginger start fermenting, the mixture will start thinning down and become more watery.

If you allow it to ferment for a long time, you will get a stronger ginger taste. You can try it for a few weeks to see how it tastes.

If you like it, you can keep testing it for a while until you like it.

When you are happy with the taste, you can put the jar in the fridge to slow the process so the flavors don’t get too strong.

If you want, you can leave it on your counter at room temperature, but you don’t have to do this.

Pro-tip #1:

After a couple of weeks, the ginger slices will start floating on top of each other.

The ginger should be properly coated with honey if the jar is turned over.

It usually takes a few minutes after this to flip the jar back into its original position.

Pro-tip #2:

It is important to burp your jar now and then to let gases out.

Burping shouldn’t be a problem after the first two or three weeks, but you can slightly open the jar lid to burp the gases out.

What Else Can You Ferment in Honey?

It isn’t just ginger that can ferment with honey. There are a lot of fruits and vegetables involved in some of the recipes.

Any food item that has wild yeasts and is moist will be compatible with honey.

In addition to ginger, many fermenters will make garlic or turmeric honey ferments, staying on the savory side.

Other options include honey scurvy peppers and honey scurvy jalapenos. They can be sliced or preserved whole.

If you’re after something sweeter, you can try berries, peaches, and even bananas. There are many options to choose from.

It is advised to cut them into smaller pieces for non-porous produce that may not be able to release their water content.

It’s possible to dice larger fruits like apples and pears into smaller pieces.

If you want to remove the pit from cherries, you should cut the fruit in half.

If you experiment with various fruits and vegetables in honey, you can ferment it to make a brew.

Conclusion

The results of honey ferments are worth it and give you a great sweet option to balance out the salty taste.

On that note, honey ferments can be sweet or spicy and can be made with fruits like peaches, berries, or apples.

You can come up with different ideas with it.

I like to add my ginger honey ferment to my tea when I feel sick because it makes me feel better, and I think it does boost the immune system.

It is well worth having a good quantity of it on hand.

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