Honey Fermented Cranberries with Fresh or Frozen Berries
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Every November someone asks me the same question: can I make this with frozen cranberries? Yes. You can make honey fermented cranberries with fresh berries or frozen ones, so whatever your store has, you can make a jar. Only one step changes, and I will show you exactly which one and why.
This is a condiment you cannot buy. Over a few weeks the honey turns into a thin, glossy syrup that tastes of cranberry, orange, ginger and warm cinnamon, with a gentle tang from the ferment. The berries soften into little jewels that are sweet, tart and lightly fizzy. One spoonful makes a simple plate look like you planned it for weeks, because you did.
Why make honey fermented cranberries?
The real reason is the flavor. But there is goodness in the jar too. Cranberries bring vitamin C and plant compounds called polyphenols, the honey goes in raw, and nothing is cooked, so the fruit is changed by the ferment instead of the stove. Once you have a jar on the counter you will reach for it all season.
It also makes one of the nicest hostess gifts I know. A small jar with a ribbon and a handwritten label tells people exactly where it came from.
Fresh or frozen cranberries: the one step that changes
The ferment needs cranberry juice to thin the honey and get going. Fresh and frozen berries just get that juice out in different ways.
Fresh cranberries have tight, waxy skins that hold their juice in. So every fresh berry gets poked with a skewer or the tip of a paring knife. Skip it and the juice stays locked inside.
Frozen cranberries do the work for you. Freezing bursts the cells inside the berry, so they give up their juice on their own. No poking. Just let them thaw slightly first so they are not a mess to work with.
Weight for weight they go in the same. My two test jars were 2 grams apart. You will notice the frozen jar's honey gets thin and runny a little sooner, and that is the burst cells doing their job.
Caring for the jars
Where: room temperature, out of direct sun. A very warm house speeds it up; below 68°F it slows down.
Burping: open the jar several times a day to let the gas out, unless you are using a fermentation lid. This is a ferment, and ferments make gas.
Floating berries: turn the jar upside down or stir with a clean chopstick at least once a day so every berry stays coated in honey.
What you will see: small bubbles, honey that gets thinner and runnier, and the color of the berries moving into the honey.
When is it ready?
In about 2 to 3 weeks. Taste it then. It keeps going and keeps changing if you leave it longer, so you can stop when you like it.
When to throw it out: fuzzy mold on the berries or the surface. When in doubt, throw it out.
How to use honey fermented cranberries
Thanksgiving cranberry sauce: use the fermented berries in my Cranberry Orange Chutney. Taste before you add the sugar, because the berries come with their own honey sweetness.
Cheese board and baked brie: spoon the berries and a drizzle of syrup next to sharp cheddar, a creamy blue or a wedge of brie, or pile them over my Baked Brie with Cranberries and Hot Honey.
Breakfast and dessert: warm it over pancakes and waffles, spoon it over vanilla ice cream, stir it into yogurt or oatmeal, or top a cheesecake.
Drinks: a spoonful in hot tea, a tablespoon or two in sparkling water with an orange twist, stirred into warm mulled cider, or in place of simple syrup in an old fashioned or a hot toddy.
At the dinner table: brush the syrup over a turkey or ham as a glaze in the last few minutes.
Questions people ask
Can I use frozen cranberries for honey fermented cranberries? Yes. Skip the poking and let them thaw slightly first. They ferment just as well.
Do I have to poke fresh cranberries? Yes. Their waxy skins hold the juice in, and the ferment needs that juice to thin the honey.
Why isn't my honey fermenting? The most common reason is pasteurized honey. Use raw honey. A cold kitchen, below 68°F, also slows it down.
Can I give honey fermented cranberries to children? Never give honey to babies under one year old.
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