Nettle, garlic and honey, lacto-fermented
The vertical and the bulb, the wild and the cultivated, the pungent and the sweet. Three forces that meet in a jar, and that, after a few weeks, become a traditional spring preparation.
A preparation from European folk herbalism, recently popularised by contemporary fermenters. It extends the garlic-honey principle by adding one of Europe's most remineralising plants: the nettle. Raw honey triggers the lactic fermentation, the garlic releases its allicin, and the nettle infuses its minerals (iron, calcium, silica, magnesium) as well as its flavonoid compounds. The result: a thick syrup with deep aromas, ideal at the end of winter or to support periods of fatigue.
Ingredients
- Fresh young nettle shoots50 g (approx. 2 large handfuls)
harvest the top 4 leaves, with gloves, in spring (April to June), in an unpolluted area
- Fresh garlic1 head (approx. 50 g)
peeled cloves, whole or crushed
- Raw unpasteurised honeyAbout 300 g
local honey essential, pasteurisation destroys the natural ferments needed
Equipment
- •1 glass jar of 500 ml with an easily unscrewing lid
- •1 pair of gloves for harvesting and sorting the nettle
- •1 clean cloth to neutralise the stinging hairs
- •1 wooden or plastic spoon (metal in prolonged contact with the acidic honey is not ideal)
Steps
- 1
Harvest and prepare the nettle
Harvest the tender young shoots in spring, in mid-morning in dry weather, far from roads and treated fields. Choose the top 4 leaves (the richest). Rinse in cold water with gloves, then let them dry a little on a clean cloth for 1 to 2 h to remove surface water, too much residual moisture would harm the fermentation.
30 min + 2 h drying
- 2
Neutralise the stinging hairs
Roll the leaves in a clean cloth and rub vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes, the fine silica needles that sting break. (You can also chop them roughly with a knife, the mechanical action has the same effect.)
2 min
- 3
Prepare the garlic
Peel the cloves. You can leave them whole (a milder flavour in the end) or crush them with the flat of the knife (releases more allicin, a slightly faster fermentation). No blending or fine chopping, garlic chopped too fine can give too violent a fermentation.
10 min
- 4
Build the jar
Alternate layers of crushed nettle and garlic cloves in the jar. Press down lightly with a wooden spoon. Pour the honey until it completely covers the mixture, this is crucial, no piece must stick out. Leave 2 cm of air at the top so the fermentation gases can lodge.
10 min
- 5
Start the fermentation
Close the jar without tightening it fully (the CO₂ produced must be able to escape). Place at room temperature (18-22 °C), away from direct light, a cupboard works.
- 6
Turn every day
For the first 3 weeks, gently turn the jar 1 to 2 times a day to keep the plants and honey in contact. You will see the honey become more liquid, darken to an amber then brown-green hue, and fine bubbles appear. This is exactly what should happen.
3 weeks
- 7
Refine
From the 4th week, the fermentation slows. Taste a clove: it should be tender and sweet, the honey should have absorbed the nettle aromas. You can eat it from this stage. For a rounder, deeper taste, let it mature up to 2 months.
4 to 8 weeks in total
Storage
1 year in a cupboard, at room temperature. Beyond that, the preparation stays edible but gradually loses its scent.
How to use it
1 teaspoon in the morning on an empty stomach, in a 3-week course at the start of spring or the end of winter. You can also crunch a confit clove with a little honey. Optionally dilute in a glass of warm water (never boiling).
Health properties
- A remarkable remineraliser: nettle is one of the greatest plant sources of iron (up to 17-40 mg / 100 g of dry plant depending on the source), calcium, magnesium, silica. Note: this iron is non-heme, so of moderate bioavailability (~10%), adding vitamin C (lemon) clearly improves its absorption.
- Traditionally taken as a support during the cold season (garlic + raw honey synergy)
- A gentle diuretic effect suggested for nettle
- Rich in antioxidant flavonoids (quercetin, rutin) provided by the nettle
- Confit garlic loses its pungency: easier digestion, even for sensitive stomachs
These preparations belong to cooking and herbal tradition: they nourish and support, do not “cure” anything and replace no treatment. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before prolonged use, if under treatment, pregnant or breastfeeding, or for a child. Follow the stated storage precautions strictly.
Precautions
Same precautions as for garlic-honey: use raw undiluted honey, keep everything submerged, discard in case of surface mould or abnormal swelling of the jar (the fine bubbles, however, are normal). Harvest nettle only in unpolluted areas (far from roads, conventionally farmed fields, treated parks), nettle absorbs heavy metals and nitrates. Not advised for children under 1 year (unpasteurised honey). People on anticoagulants: garlic is a blood thinner and nettle contains vitamin K, seek medical advice. Pregnancy: avoid prolonged courses (nettle at high doses stimulates the uterus).
Sources & tradition
- · European folk herbalist tradition (end of winter)
- · Sandor Katz, The Art of Fermentation (2012), principles of honey lacto-fermentation
- · Maurice Mességué, Mon herbier de santé, properties of nettle
- · François Couplan, Le régal végétal, nutritional composition of Urtica dioica