Fermented Cranberries in Honey
These fermented cranberries in honey combine tart cranberries with sweet honey for a delicious homemade topping. Spoon them over brie, serve with sourdough bread, or add them to yogurt and salads.
Equipment
- 1 Pint-size Mason Jar with lid
- Toothpick, knife, potato masher, or food processor to break the cranberry skins
- Spoon for tasting
- Small plate to set the jar on, in case the honey bubbles up and seeps out
- Parchment Paper if using metal lid
- ph strips optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cranberries rinsed
- 1½ cups raw honey possibly a little more to cover cranberries
Instructions
- Lightly break the skins by pricking with a toothpick or knife, gently crushing with a potato masher, or giving them a couple of pulses in a food processor. I prep a few pricks with a toothpick so that the cranberries remain mostly whole.
- Place cranberries in a clean jar. Slowly pour the honey over the berries, allowing the honey seep through each berry. As the honey settles, add more honey to ensure the cranberries are covered.
- Tighten the lid (lined with parchment paper if the lid is metal) and gently turn the jar over a couple of times to coat all the cranberries with the honey.
- Set the jar upright on a small plate and loosen the so gas can escape as fermentation builds pressure.
- Leave the jar at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 1-2 weeks. Once a day, tighten the lid, gently turn the jar to recoat the cranberries, then set the jar upright and loosen the lid again.
- Start tasting after one week with a clean spoon, then every day or two until you like the flavor. I prefer mine at about 1½ weeks.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Storage
Once the cranberries taste the way you like, move the jar to the refrigerator. The cold slows fermentation significantly, keeping the flavor close to where you want it. Store them in the refrigerator for 1–2 months, and always use a clean spoon when serving.
**Cranberries are naturally very acidic, which makes this a lower-risk ferment. For extra reassurance, test your batch with pH strips at about one week. A reading below 4.6 is the commonly used safety threshold.
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