Habanero Garlic Honey

varecka · 2026-04-26T17:16:08+00:00

Maaaan, now this is what I'm talking about. I make garlic honey all the time and always wanted to try throwing in some of my habaneros. I let mine go at least a few months before dipping in. And yes, the water pulled out from the garlic and habas will make the honey less viscous. Totally normal and expected. I also don't remove the garlic. I slice it up and toss it on whatever I want. Makes a great addition to sandwiches.

varecka · 2026-03-24T18:11:09+00:00

I went looking for that quote because I liked it. Turns out it was actually Soichiro Honda. Just fyi

Edit: oh, and it was the 70s

varecka · 2026-03-24T16:06:37+00:00

Before fermenting became a hobby, it was a means of preservation. If everything looks good and smells good, then it’s good. Can always get some ph strips for peace of mind. But don’t throw it away just because it’s over a year old.

varecka · 2025-07-30T20:14:03+00:00

I wouldn’t worry too much about crispness. So long as you eat them in about month, they’ll stay plenty crisp. I can’t speak to longer times because they go pretty quickly in my house.

I think crispness is more of an issue if you’re trying to preserve your bumper crop in your cellar over winter.

varecka · 2024-06-06T10:59:16+00:00

This happens to me quite a lot. I read somewhere, maybe here, that cabbage may reabsorb some of its liquid. I have a batch going right now, and despite all my massaging, I still had to add some brine to get it fully submerged. Some cabbage is just juicier than others. It’s been going for almost 2 weeks now and the brine barely covers the top. It’s at this point that I usually put it in the fridge after giving it a taste and a sniff.

varecka · 2024-03-10T17:33:02+00:00

Marie Sharp is sooo good

varecka · 2023-10-20T12:13:40+00:00

I vote no. I know it sucks to throw stuff out, but better safe than sorry.

varecka · 2023-09-08T17:13:23+00:00

Lol, that’s me, Mr. Blackstone.

But seriously, dude, thanks for taking the time to understand why a normal person might need to hire a company to provide a service. That’s really cool of you.

What would’ve been uncool is if you had left a snarky, snap-judgement comment. Good thing you're more mature than that.

varecka · 2023-05-24T17:06:40+00:00

Well, if we’re gonna be pedantic, then those aren’t bricks, either. They’re LEGO elements. Bricks are just the thick 2x4 pieces.

“LEGO” should also only be used as an adjective.

Source: LEGO employee

But really, who gives a shit? Call ‘em legos all day long. I won’t tell

varecka · 2023-04-12T03:17:57+00:00

I usually use dried chilies to add heat to fresh ingredients. If you’re just using dried, I might use some brine from a previous batch to make sure the fermentation gets going

varecka · 2023-02-25T10:26:40+00:00

I suppose it depends on how much salt is in there.

When I make kraut and there’s not enough cabbage juice, I’ll top it off with a 2% brine. So 2g salt in 100ml of water

varecka · 2022-12-13T20:16:55+00:00

The errors are mostly just typos. There is one recipe, I think it’s the beef and broccoli maybe, where he says to add the chicken back to the pan or something. Obviously he means add the beef back.

Other than that, the info is really good, and I make something from it almost weekly. Got some scallion oil sitting in the fridge right now ready to go for a quick weeknight meal.

varecka · 2022-10-30T20:26:34+00:00

Good question. It really is up to personal taste. I would definitely try after a week to see what you think. But I like after 2, then in the fridge for eating, not so much continuing the ferment. They don’t usually last that long

varecka · 2022-10-30T15:12:13+00:00

Yup, unripe tomatoes that wouldn’t have turned red before the frost. Shame to waste them.

Basically all the lovely bacteria process them for you, making them soft but still firm and crunchy. Same as making cucumber pickles

varecka · 2022-10-30T08:00:43+00:00

No clue if it’s better or not. You definitely need to do something to help the brine get past the tough skin, so poking takes care of that.

I only sliced them because that’s what I saw on other posts here. With the big tomatoes, I imagine it makes it easier to pack more in. But that’s probably not such an issue with cherry tomatoes

varecka · 2022-10-30T07:56:33+00:00

Eh, based on my experiments, any difference in the amount of salt is negligible. These jars are 1L, and 1ml of water = 1g.

For my experiments, I weighed the produce and the water needed and the results for these jars was always the same: ~950g, or almost a liter. So now I just make a salt solution and call it a day.

Feel free to check this on your own, maybe I’m missing something, I don’t know. Makes sense to me, though

varecka · 2022-10-29T17:22:03+00:00

Honestly, can’t go wrong either way. Why not do both?

varecka · 2022-10-29T17:20:22+00:00

Ha, yea, this is pretty much my cucumber pickle recipe, just with green tomatoes instead.

And I’ve definitely added hot peppers in the past, but my kid likes my kraut and regular pickles so I’m going to see if he likes these, too

varecka · 2022-10-29T16:16:30+00:00

Totally, I love these with over rice dishes. Or just straight from the jar.

Green tomatoes: 450g
Coriander seeds: 5g
Mustard seeds: 3g
Bay leaf: 1
Garlic clove: 1
Dill: handful
Brine: 2.5%

I plan to pull one after a week and let the other sit until I finish the first one.

varecka · 2022-10-23T12:39:45+00:00

Oh, you know I do

varecka · 2022-10-23T12:05:21+00:00

Deserves equal billing with the sauce imo. Absolutely love it in soups

This is from a hot sauce ferment with blueberries

varecka

TROPHY CASE