This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Click HERE to read my policies & disclaimers if you're interested. I will only link products I use and personally recommend. Thank you for your support, friends!

Do I have an easy ferment for you!!  I do this one every year, and it seems each year it goes faster, probably because I have been adding juice from previous ferments for years.  I got a sort of perpetual stew of microbials going on in my cold storage!  You can make this with a starter liquid from a previous ferment or completely from scratch and be successful, just put on your patience pants for the long haul!  These fermented cranberries aren’t as tart as you’d think.  They’re delightfully fermented with a sweetness and fizz they provide from the fermentation process.  You can chop the cranberries up as I do or simply crush them so they “pop” and leave them whole; whatever texture you prefer.  Just be prepared to but a metric ton of cranberries after you try this because you’re going to want plenty.

Tips for a Successful Fermentation:

1. Use good quality salt.  Good salt, non-iodized, helps you cultivate a safe fermentation to encourage the beneficial bacteria to take over and the bad, that will cause your food to go bad, stop.
2. Know what kahm yeast is.  Know what kahm yeast looks like on top of ferments vs. mold to prevent you tossing a ferment that just had wild yeast growth on it.
3.  Understand that fermentation is just simply a controlled rot of your food.  It will change color and shrink and look different than when you put it in the jar to begin with.  That’s normal.
4. Sanitize your glass jar and glass weights and all tools you’ll be using to ferment.  This does not mean dip everything in bleach.  Make sure it is clean and not cross contaminated with something else in your kitchen.  Don’t over think this, but also don’t be dirty.
5. Keep different ferment cultures away from one another.  I learned this the hard way when my ginger bug and my sourdough starter didn’t get along very well.  It gets a little wild and takes some creativity sometimes to store all your fermented pets :D
6. Enjoy your natural handmade probiotic goodness every single day!  Fermented foods make me feel VIBRANT and I know they will help you too!    

Equipment You Might Want:

• Food Processor
• Glass Bowl
• 2 wide mouth quart mason jars
• Glass fermenting weights
• Canning lids & screw bands

Ingredients:

• 24oz fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/3 cup juice from a previous ferment, optional
• 1 cup apple juice, or apple cider or orange juice
• Extra apple juice, set aside

Step 1:  Prep

​Rinse cranberries and drain.  Sort out and soft, rotten, or damaged berries.

Into a food processor, add cranberries and pulse to chop up.  You can alternatively chop them by hand or simple smash them to “pop” them depending on the texture you’re looking for.  They need to at least be popped open a little so the fermentation process works well.

Place cranberries into a clean glass bowl.

Step 2:  Mix

To the cranberries, add the remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine.

Distribute ingredients evenly between sanitized wide mouth mason jars.  They will both be about 3/4 full.

Gently add glass fermentation weight and press.  If juice covers the fruit, you don’t have to add more.  I prefer to fill the jar up to about 1 1/2 inch of headspace with extra juice after adding the weight because it gets really fizzy and is delicious!  The object is to be certain the fruit is covered by liquid so it doesn’t mold.

​Step 3:  Ferment

Wipe the jar rims well and add a clean canning lid (a used one works well) and secure it with a screw band.

Set jars aside somewhere cool and dark and out of direct sunlight, burping at least once daily.

The berries are done when you see obvious carbon dioxide bubbling inside the jars.  Tap the bottom of the jar or twist it side to side to see tiny bubbles rise to the top.  Start tasting the ferment to see how it tastes and allow it to continue fermenting until it is to your preferred taste.  This can be anywhere from 2-7 days for me when I use the liquid from a previous ferment to make things move along quite a bit quicker.  

Step 4:  Store

After it is fermented to your liking, remove the fermenting weights and add a lid.  Store in cold storage or a refrigerator for upwards of 6-12 months, or even longer if desired, as the bacteria cultivated in this fermentation slow the rot of food and act as a natural preservative.  Cold slows down the fermentation process and preserves the flavor you’re aiming for!

Step 5:  To Serve

Take a spoonful or two every morning as a probiotic boost.

Serve strained in a serving bowl and drizzle with honey or maple syrup for a beautiful presentation.  Everyone will want your recipe for honey-fermented cranberries!

Another way this is good is to cut a slice of sourdough bread, slather it with chevre, top with some of these fermented cranberries and drizzle generously with honey.  It is an absolute TREAT.  I make my chevre cultured with my homemade milk kefir so that is one snack that is sure to promote good gut health.

Simple Fermented Cranberries with Honey and Cinnamon

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Fermenting Time: 7 days days

Servings: 16

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• Food processor
• Glass Bowl
• 2 wide mouth quart mason jars
• Glass fermenting weights
• Canning lids & screw bands

Ingredients

• 24 oz fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/3 cup juice from a previous ferment optional
• 1 cup apple juice or apple cider or orange juice
• Extra apple juice set aside

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Rinse cranberries and drain.  Sort out and soft, rotten, or damaged berries.
• Into a food processor, add cranberries and pulse to chop up.  You can alternatively chop them by hand or simple smash them to "pop" them depending on the texture you're looking for.  They need to at least be popped open a little so the fermentation process works well.
• Place cranberries into a clean glass bowl.
• To the cranberries, add the remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine.
• Distribute ingredients evenly between sanitized wide mouth mason jars.  They will both be about 3/4 full.
• Gently add glass fermentation weight and press.  If juice covers the fruit, you don't have to add more.  I prefer to fill the jar up to about 1 1/2 inch of headspace with extra juice after adding the weight because it gets really fizzy and is delicious!  The object is to be certain the fruit is covered by liquid so it doesn't mold.
• Wipe the jar rims well and add a clean canning lid (a used one works well) and secure it with a screw band.
• Set jars aside somewhere cool and dark and out of direct sunlight, burping at least once daily.
• The berries are done when you see obvious carbon dioxide bubbling inside the jars.  Tap the bottom of the jar or twist it side to side to see tiny bubbles rise to the top.  Start tasting the ferment to see how it tastes and allow it to continue fermenting until it is to your preferred taste.  This can be anywhere from 2-7 days for me when I use the liquid from a previous ferment to make things move along quite a bit quicker.  
• After it is fermented to your liking, remove the fermenting weights and add a lid.  Store in cold storage or a refrigerator for upwards of 6-12 months, or even longer if desired, as the bacteria cultivated in this fermentation slow the rot of food and act as a natural preservative.  Cold slows down the fermentation process and preserves the flavor you're aiming for!
• Take a spoonful or two every morning as a probiotic boost. Serve strained in a serving bowl and drizzle with honey or maple syrup for a beautiful presentation.  Everyone will want your recipe for honey-fermented cranberries!

Pin this for later!