Fermented Honey Cranberry Sauce that’s Ready in 2 Weeks

The tart-sweetness of fermented honey cranberry sauce aids in the digestion of rich poultry dishes like turkey, duck, and goose.  It also goes well with pork and fatty fish.  It’s even better on the traditional Thanksgiving, leftover turkey sandwich.  Get it started fermenting now so you can enjoy it for the holiday festive meals.

I learned this week that canned cranberry sauce is the most disliked part of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  And no wonder.  It’s pretty bland and insipidly sweet, with none of the tart brightness of fresh cranberries nor the distinguishing flavor of other sweeter condiments.

​​But you can skip the canned cranberry sauce and make this much tastier fermented honey cranberry sauce in about 10 minutes of hands-on time.  This makes a lovely hostess gift or neighbor gift.  No need to can it or heat process it before gifting.  This is raw food at its finest.  And it is even better the next day on your leftover turkey sandwich.

Serve fermented honey cranberry sauce with traditional Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas Turkey, chicken, or goose. It also goes well with sweeter meats like pork or duck.  The bright flavor of cranberries is stronger and the tart-sweetness aids digestion of these richer meats.

Make fermented honey cranberry sauce at least a week ahead.  Two weeks is even better.

It needs a week or two to ferment and really develop its flavors.  You’ll find it refreshingly tart-sweet with a distinctive honey after taste.  But even better, the probiotics that cause the fermentation will aid digestion and support your microbiome.  Plus it will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.  ​​

Fermented Honey Cranberry Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Joybilee Farm
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 weeks fermenting time
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Category: condiment
• Method: Fermentation

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

This easy to make fermented condiment takes only 10 minutes of hands on time.  Using fresh, raw cranberries it has a bright tart-sweet flavor that is better than canned.  Plus it adds healthy probiotics to the festive meal.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1  x 12 ounce bag of organic cranberries
• 2 cups of raw, local honey
• Juice and Zest of 2 lemons (organic preferred)
• 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated (organic if possible)​

Equipment:

• Wide mouth pint Mason Jar with fermentation airlock
• Stick blender or small food processor

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

• Wash cranberries.  Place them in a 2 quart bowl.  Add lemon juice and zest.  Grate ginger with a coarse grater.  Add it to the cranberries.
• ​​Using a stick blender process the cranberries until they are coarsely chopped.  You could use a food processor for this step.  Don’t over process them.  You want the cranberries to remain chunky.
• ​​Stir in the honey.  Make sure the cranberries are completely submerged in the honey.
• Transfer to a wide mouth pint jar.  Press down to remove any trapped air.
• P​​​lace an airlock on the rim of the pint jar and lock in place with the screw ring.
• Place in a warm spot.  I keep mine on my kitchen counter so I remember to check on it daily.
• Check it daily for one week. It will become more liquid as the fermentation works its magic.
• After 1 week remove the air lock and replace with a normal Mason Jar lid.  Place in the refrigerator.  Allow the flavors to continue to develop.  You can serve it after one week but it tastes better after the flavors develop for an additional week.This recipe will be even better in a month.​​​​​

  Repackage in 8 ounce jam jars for neighborly gifts or hostess gifts.  Serve in a relish dish on the Thanksgiving table.​​

---

Notes

The tart-sweetness of cranberry relish aids in the digestion of rich poultry dishes like turkey, duck, and goose.  It also goes well with pork and fatty fish

Recipe Card powered by

Honey Fermented Cranberry Sauce Recipe

For 1 pint of fermented honey cranberry sauce you’ll need:

• 1  x 12-ounce bag of organic cranberries
• 2 cups of raw, local honey
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons (organic preferred)
• 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated (organic if possible)​

Equipment:

• Wide mouth pint Mason Jar with fermentation airlock
• Stick Blender or small food processor

Directions:

1. Wash the cranberries.  Place them in a 2-quart bowl.  Add lemon juice and zest.  Grate ginger with a coarse grater.  Add it to the cranberries.
2. ​​Using a stick blender process the cranberries until they are coarsely chopped.  You could use a food processor for this step.  Don’t over-process them.  You want the cranberries to remain chunky.
3. ​​Stir in the honey.  Make sure the cranberries are completely submerged in the honey.
4. Transfer to a wide-mouth pint jar.  Press down to remove any trapped air.
5. Place an airlock on the rim of the pint jar and lock it in place with the screw ring.
6. Place in a warm spot.  I keep mine on my kitchen counter so I remember to check on it daily.
7. Check it daily for one week. It will become more liquid as the fermentation works its magic.

After 1 week remove the airlock and replace it with a normal Mason Jar lid.  Place in the refrigerator.  Allow the flavors to continue to develop.  You can serve it after one week but it tastes better after the flavors develop for an additional week. This will be even better in a month.​​​​​

Repackage in 8-ounce jam jars for neighborly gifts or hostess gifts.  Serve in a relish dish on the Thanksgiving table.​​

Don’t forget the cranberry sauce

Have you ever forgotten to bring the cranberry sauce to the table with all the other dishes and condiments that are essentials for a traditional Holiday Meal?  One way to remember the cranberry sauce is to place the empty serving container on the table as you set the table.  Seeing the empty container on your beautifully set table will remind you that you need to fill it with delicious fermented honey cranberry sauce.  You might even need to fill the serving dish more than once, this healthy cranberry ferment is that delicious.

And don’t forget to add it to your leftover turkey sandwich the following day. Sometimes I enjoy that even more than the feast itself.  Fewer dishes, maybe.

Try these other holiday recipes from Joybilee Farm and Friends

• Raw Orange Cranberry Sauce  that can be made the night before
• Cranberry Kombucha
• Grandma’s 15 Tips for a Roast Turkey that Makes Memories
• Long Ferment whole Cranberries from Grow Forage Cook Ferment.
• 45 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes that are NOT Pie
• Pumpkin Spice Pizzelles
• Apple Bundt Cake Recipe For Your Next Gathering
• Maple Pear Tart with Chocolate Drizzle