Fermented Cucumbers & Salsa Update

I finally was brave enough to try my pickles and salsa the other day. After opening the jar of pickles, I gingerly removed one sliver of cucumber and gently bit into it. I was met by a fizzing that surprised me. The flavor was mild, they probably could have gone another day before being refrigerated to stop the fermenting process. I took some to work and had two of my coworkers try them, the reviews were positive with agreement on the mild flavor.

The salsa I was a bit more hesitant to try but I finally did the other day. I had some on store-bought tortillas since I lacked having made my own (but is on my lsit of things to try). It was a mild-medium heat (which I’m sure would have been more potent had I not picked out the red chili pepper bits before eating). I’m not big on hot so that was ok with me. It over-all had a pleasant flavor, and an even more pleasant aroma, however next go-round I will use a bit less onion and more cilantro and tomatoes.

Fermented Veggies: Pickles & Salsa

I started my first batch of fermented vegetables yesterday. I made one pint of what will hopefully become pickles and two pints of salsa. They sit on my counter fermenting until tomorrow night when I will put them in the fridge (since we don’t have a root cellar).

Pickles

I took one large cucumber and cut it in half, then cut the halves into sections. I stuck them in a pint jar with 2 Tbsp of whey and approximately 1/3-1/2 Tbsp freshly ground sea salt and enough water to just cover the slices. Screwed on the lids, shook it up a bit, and let sit for 2 days before refrigerating.

Salsa

I was roughly going off of the recipe from Nourishing Traditions, but made a smaller batch and forgot a couple ingredients (like dried oregano and juice of two lemons). While chopping of the cilantro the scent nocked me back into a memory from my childhood of my grandmother making fresh salsa.

2 medium-large tomatoes, diced.

1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced.

4-6 garlic cloves, diced finely.

Most of a bushel of cilantro, diced.

One dark red chile(?) pepper, diced finely. [I really have no idea what it was, the recipe called for chile pepper mild or hot. It didn’t have a label at the grocery store.]

Approximately 1/2 Tbsp freshly ground sea salt.

2 Tbsp of whey per pint (so 4 total for a quart of salsa).

Approximately 1/4 C of filtered water per pint (so 1/2 C total for a quart of salsa).

Dice it all, mix it all together in a bowl except for the water and whey, put into the jars, then add the whey and water. Screw on the lid, shake lightly, then let sit on the counter for 2 days before refrigerating.

Happy fermenting 🙂