Updated Beans, Fermented Garlic Honey, and Chive Blossom Vinaigrette

Soon enough, I had an armful– well a 2 quart container full– of beet greens (from chiogga and goldens), carrot tops, some arugula even if it was bolting (along with its flowers), some mystery brassica leaves and flowers that we just let go nuts in one corner of a bed, horseradish greens, and of course the lonely radishes along with their greens and the tender stems. 

The other thing that added a nice pop to this dish was my go-to ingredient when I run low on fresh garlic: my honey-preserved garlic or fermented garlic honey that I had just decanted a few days ago. Garlic cloves preserved in honey may not sound spectacular, but once you make it, it’ll be very hard not having some in the pantry. It’s got a robust, sweet flavor that reminds me a little of roasted garlic. The honey’s sweetness takes the bite out of the garlic, and yet the flavor is so robust it’s a forward note in any dish. 

I’ve been making this for years, and honestly I can’t recall where I first heard about it. Probably during that event in Brooklyn where I got my scobie, the event where I first learned about wild fermentation– both the book and the deed. 

Fermented garlic honey is a wonderful ingredient in everything from salad dressings to chili to marinades. It’s spectacular on fish, poultry, and in vegetarian recipes. I’ve even used it to replace regular honey in some bread recipes. It’s also a good cold prevention and hubby swears by nibbling on the preserved cloves, even though when he does I find it a little hard to sleep through the night without waking up after nightmares about salami sandwiches and warding off vampires. 

Here’s a straightforward recipe from the Cultured Foodie which uses honey to peeled garlic in a 1:1 ratio. The recipe used 1 cup of honey to 1 cup of peeled garlic cloves. I follow the same general guideline, but with a few variations.

Fermented Garlic Honey

• Mass amounts of raw, peeled, trimmed, and of course washed garlic cloves (A word on amounts and preparation below)
• Raw honey, preferably local; the same amount as the cloves (See below)
• Hardware: Glass bottle, preferably with a wide mouth, and either a balloon or flip cap that fits on snugly (See below)

The first thing I’d change about the linked recipe is the container. The original recipe calls for a basic jar. Plus, the recipe isn’t specific about what to do other than shake around the ferment every so often and place the honey and garlic filled jar on a plate so it doesn’t leak. Although there’s some good general info on the fermentation process and I like the pictures. 

I don’t like using a regular ball jar to ferment in, mainly because I’ve lost a few ferments when there’s too much off-gassing that builds up inside the container. One hot day or one missed burping of your ferment and the glass can crack. Instead, I use either a bottle fixed with a balloon, or I use a heavier weight bottle– like an old wine jug– that I have a flip cap that’s easy to open, but which also will pop open if the pressure is too intense. You can also use an airlock or a jar with one of those grommeted lids that could fit an airlock. Don’t fall prey to the gimicky ads for them on Social Media. Because I make in bulk, I like using larger vessels. From a brewer’s supply place, I just found a case of 4 gallon-sized jars for a little over $13. Grommeted lids and airlocks a few extra bucks. Shipping was the only problem, but I’d rather pay the extra than give my business to Amazon.

When I made my first batch of garlic honey since the move, I noticed that the cap from the honey bottle fit perfectly on the wine jug. So I used the cap instead of the balloon I used to use, pictured here from the old apartment. Yes that’s wallpaper on the wall behind the fermentation line-up; our old apartment was a nice illegal one in NYC which had turned the house’s master bedroom into a kitchen; our kitchen was the only room in the house with wallpaper and carpeting. This cap though has seen me through 2 batches of honey and probably will see me through several more. Since I’ve been using the bottle method– which is a pain to decant– I haven’t lost a single batch of fermented honey, to either cracked glass or spoilage. This batch was made in early February.

Before filling your vessel, make sure it’s clean and dry. It may sound counterintuitive, but don’t do the canning method of sterilizing your glassware beforehand. Absolutely do NOT use a wet container to make your fermented garlic honey. Any water introduced to the ferment can cause problems. Make sure your glassware has been cleaned and is bone-dry. I usually wash the bottle a day or two before, using a little bleach as I wash to make sure it’s sanitized. 

The other thing I’d change about the original recipe I link to above is the quantity. Since fermented garlic honey is a staple in my house, and since it takes so long to ferment, don’t just settle for 1 cup. That’d be gone in no time. I make it by the gallon and a gallon will be enough for the next year or so. The last batch I made used a gallon jug, filled halfway with garlic, topped off with honey. I used all told about half a gallon of honey and 2 quarts of garlic; so both 64 oz or thereabouts. It’s the same ratio of 1:1. If you haven’t tried garlic honey yet, try the small batch first, but be prepared to scale up.

A final note on the garlic. Like the vessel, the garlic must be dry. It saves time to find already peeled garlic. Not to mention it saves my carpal tunnel. Even so, I make sure the garlic is clean by giving it a quick rinse and then pop it in a salad spinner or towel lined colander to get the excess water off. Then, line a dish with paper towels and spread out your garlic cloves to again make sure they’re all perfectly dry before slicing each one in half and popping them all in the bottle. 

When you top off the bottle with honey, leave about an inch to 2 inches of headspace at the top of the bottle. Cap it or fix your balloon on top, securing in place with a rubber-band.

Every day, sometimes two or three times a day, for the first month you must gently agitate the bottle. Don’t shake it. You’ll notice the honey will bubble as the garlic ferments. That’s the reason you don’t want to shake it; unless you want a honey explosion. Just roll the vessel around to get the cloves coated with honey. They’ll float and the honey surrounding them will get liquidy. If using a flip cap, burp it both before and after you agitate. You want to try to mix the thinner fermenting honey with the thicker honey that tends to sink to the bottom. If using the balloon, make sure the balloon doesn’t get too massive or it might burst. Burp it every so often; maybe once a week. It all depends on the heat in your kitchen. The warmer it is, the quicker this will ferment. Don’t place your fermenting honey in direct sunlight or near a heat element, like the stove or a radiator. I try to leave the somewhere prominent in the kitchen, like the middle of our counter, so every time I walk by, I check to see if it needs to be agitated, burped, or if it’s sprung a leak. Once, when I didn’t leave enough headspace, the honey began oozing out around the bottom of the balloon. If you have enough headspace, this won’t happen. But, you can place your vessel on a plate or tray to catch any leakage just in case.

Find a good flip cap. Treebeard approves

After about 4 weeks, you’ll notice the cloves no longer float and the honey no longer bubbles. It’s ready to be decanted and used. Or just keep it as is, put it in a darker place in the kitchen and check to make sure there’s no spoilage. I’ve had mine for the last 4 or 5 months without a problem, but decanting into smaller jars makes it easier to use and less likely that the main batch of honey will get contaminated.

Bushel and Pecks: You’ll never leave your kitchen without some.

This is the other ingredient I want to shout from the rooftops. When I made my last post, I noticed that I was just about out of my newly found staple: Cherry Bomb hot sauce from Bushel and Peck’s. So I had to restock. If you haven’t checked them out yet, go find them on Etsy. I haven’t been paid or received any freebies for mentioning them. I haven’t even told them I’ve been shouting their hot sauce from the rooftops. But, once you try their hot sauces, there’s no going back. I’m sure you’ve got your favorite hot sauces. Bushel and Pecks isn’t about the heat of the chilis. It’s about their flavor. I’ve never had a hot sauce that’s so flavorful. Because each chili pepper itself is so unique, each of their varieties are limited in terms of ingredients in order to highlight the flavor of each ingredient used. My favorites, thus far, can boil down to the ones I’ve tasted. Seriously. In my last post, I noted the 12 variety pack I ordered. I’m still only halfway through that pack, with a full 6 varieties I haven’t yet tried, but of the ones I have, I’ve had to reorder 3 because I can’t do without them and I already went through the bottles from the pack: Jalapeno Lime, Tomatillo, and the Cherry Bomb.

As I noted earlier, these Royal Corona Beans are delicate despite their being a massive bean that holds it’s shape and bite even after hours of cooking. With this recipe, as with the last one, I wanted some heat and a bit of acid, without using something too hot or too acidic.

Step in Bushel and Pecks Jalapeno Lime and a dash of their Tomatillo.

When I was restocking on the Cherry Bomb with Monday’s post, opting for their larger sized bottles, I saw their nifty seasonal vinegar, Chive Blossom, and I confess: I got greedy. I saw a message that only half a dozen or so were available, but they were in 20 people’s carts. Zoink. I nabbed myself a trio of this delightful vinegar. It’s subtle, so save it for a dressing or drizzle. It gave a nice finish to my overall dish and paired really nicely with the garlic and beans. 

Royal Corona Beans Variation

I also didn’t have as many of the beans as my last recipe, so I only used half a pound, which was a perfect meal for hubby and me. In the freezer, I found some dill in a cup of home-made chicken stock. I said I scoured the pantry. Use any fresh or dry herb you have on hand– sage, dill, rosemary, parsley, thyme, or a combination. I can’t say it enough: use what you have. Adapt your recipe to fit your pantry, especially now when, depending on where you live, a trip to the local market may not be feasible.

• 1 cup Royal Corona Beans, sorted, rinsed, and soaked for at least 3 hours; strained but retain the soaking liquid
• 1 large onion, cut into crescents
• 4-6 honey fermented garlic cloves, minced (remember each clove was cut in half, so about 8-12 pieces total)
• 4 tbsp fermented garlic honey, divided in half
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Dill, a generous half a cup or 1 minced bunch of fresh dill (or any herbs you have on hand)
• Jalapeno Lime hot sauce
• Tomatillo Hot sauce
• Chive Blossom Vinegar
• Mixed greens
• Extra virgin olive oil for cooking
• Robust extra virgin olive oil for dressing
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper

As with the other recipe, saute the the onions to the point of charring. To promote some caramelization, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the garlic honey, being sure to stir the whole time so the onions don’t burn. 

When the onions have a nice color, reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic and drained beans. Saute for a moment or two. Add the herbs and chicken stock with the soaking liquid from the beans. Lower the heat a bit more, slap on the cover and cook until the beans are about halfway cooked. 

Then add the hot sauce to taste. I used a good tablespoon of the Jalapeno Lime and about 2 teaspoons of the tomatillo. At this point add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. If necessary, add a little water. Slap the cover back on and allow to continue cooking.

Of course, when I turned around there was Lunabean on her perch wondering if beans and greens are good numables for kitties. 

If you haven’t considered accompaniments, consider as you rummage in the pantry. That way, if you want bread, but don’t have any, you’ll have time to bang out a loaf or two. (Recipe on that coming and that recipe took as long to make as the beans need to cook). You can serve the beans, over rice, over wheatberries, or on their own with a bit of bread. They might even go with pasta, over some mashed potatoes, amaranth. See what you’ve got and go for it. I used farro because it’ my thing at the moment. 

After putting on some farro to cook, I went out to the garden and came back with some brilliant fresh greens, which were quickly washed and dried in a salad spinner. If you don’t have a garden, you should. Gardening helps save lives and not merely because of the whole food aspect. I only wish I had more physical ability to get out and weed or dig. Still, I had to get these when I saw them for hubster and moi. Sort of drives the point home. 

This was followed by a quick vinaigrette of robust extra virgin olive oil, chive blossom vinegar, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of garlic honey.

I tried to keep the greens as whole as possible, quickly tossed them with the dressing, and served a nice pile ontop of the farro and beans. 

Enjoy!