My latest kitchen adventure has taken me down the fermentation path. I made some sauerkraut from cabbage I grew in the garden but the best thing I have tried is honey fermented garlic. Holy cow what an incredible flavor. there are lots of recipes and videos out there, I followed the Bon Appetit recipe.
For uses, aside from adding the honey and or garlic to marinades or sauces, I highly recommend drizzling the honey on top of some homemade buttermilk biscuits.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Not saying people shouldn't do this, but I want to add a safety caution.
Be aware that adding the garlic to the honey will increase the water content of the honey, and that eliminates the self-preserving nature of honey.
That's the reason why the garlic and honey start to ferment. If the cooties that start to grow in this ferment are good cooties, well, that's a good thing, but if they're bad cooties, like botulism, that's not good.
Honey has a pH that averages about 3.9, which should be fine, but that's only an average. The pH of some honey can range as high as 6 (https://www.honey.com/files/general/refguide.pdf). That is why it's not automatically a good idea to assume honey is sufficiently acidic to inhibit botulism.
Obviously many people make this without adding acid or testing pH and it comes out fine. Just as my grandmother water-bath canned green beans for decades and nobody died of botulism poisoning from her beans. But the risk is there, and I wanted to share this food safety issue with y'all, so you can make informed choices.
IowaGirl, I am not certain, but if I happen to remember correctly ,you operate in the field of science? If you would not mind pointing me to a trusted source in fermentation, I’d like to t least understand what my bigger concerns should be before I take on various fermentation experiments. I am starting to head down that rabbit hole. Thank you
I'm a chemical engineer, Richard Chrz. I think "Fermented Vegetables" by Shockey and Shockey is a good resource. Chapters 1 and 2 discuss the theory and science of fermentation.
The website https://www.makesauerkraut.com/ is more of a "how to" resource, but the author's recipes and methods are based on accurate measuring rather than using a "little of this 'n that" approach.
Extension Service bulletins from various universities also offer reliable food safety advice.
IowaGirl i agree fermentation is definitely an area that requires a scientific approach and accurate measurements, not an artful approach of a little of this and a dash of this.
I made some fermented garlic last fall from the garlic I grew in the garden and my wife threw out the bottle today as she could not stand the strong garlic smell in the refrigerator anymore. I am not sure if I will do this again, the garlic was good, it was garlic smell that was too much even in a mason jar with the lid on tight.
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