Honey fermented cranberries
If you are curious about fermentation but also scared of failed experiments, alien bacteria, or explosions, maybe this honey recipe should be your first step.
Most of you don't know that honey contains bacteria, a super strain of bacteria called Bacillus subtilis- the reason why honey is a superfood and probiotic food. For this purpose, we need to eat raw unpasteurized honey sourced locally.
I grew up eating honey fermented sea buckthorn, a common practice in Romania. Here in the US, sea buckthorn is not that common, so I had to substitute it with something readily available like cranberries.
Since cranberries are a staple food for Thanksgiving, I got inspired by the other ingredients used along with cranberries to create delicious dishes, like cinnamon, star anise, and oranges.
RECIPE
Ingredients
one 32 oz jar/900 g with a plastic lid
32 oz raw unpasteurized honey
a handful of organic cranberries
one stick cinnamon
juice from half an orange
1-inch piece of ginger, sliced into 5 pieces
5 pieces of star anise
Instructions
Poke the cranberries with a fork to help them release their juice;
Clean the jar and start adding the ingredients;
In the jar, add the poked cranberries, the cinnamon, the orange juice, the sliced ginger, and the star anise;
Start pouring the honey into the jar, little by little, giving it time to settle, and add some more;
Do not fill the jar all the way- leave 1-inch empty space at the top;
Put the lid, flip the jar upside down to make sure that everything is covered in honey, and put the jar in a kitchen cabinet to ferment for one month;
I recommend putting the jar into a ziplock bag to avoid stickiness and spillage or placing it on a plate;
Every couple of days, you will have to flip the jar upside-down and burp the jar(open the jar slowly to release gases, and tighten it again) to make sure that the cranberries are covered in honey, and they do not grow mold;
After a month, you can place the jar in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process.
How to eat
After a month of fermentation, your honey is ready- you will notice that the honey is runny and the cranberries soft and wrinkly;
Eat the honey with a spoon, use it as topping for yogurts; make lemonade with it; use it for making salad dressings, or use it in smoothies.
As usual, these are my thoughts and ideas, not medical advice. You are encouraged to create your own recipes or search for some suited to your needs. I am just sharing my recipes, hoping that I can inspire some of you to make healthier food choices.
Please remember that we all have different nutritional needs and that food affects us differently. If you are not sure which foods are best for you, reach out for a free phone consultation.
In good health,
Ioana