Cranberry, Celery, Leek & Apple Lacto-Ferment - Made Sept. 8/21

 

- a little less than 2 cups dried cranberries chopped coarsely

- 1 bag (340 g) of frozen cranberries sliced in two
- green & white parts of one leek chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 5 large stalks of celery chopped

- 2 meal sized pieces of frozen squash - skin finely grated and flesh chopped
- 10 med. "wild" apples cored and diced

- 25 leaves of sorrel chopped

- 2 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt

- 4 small leaves of green cabbage chopped finely

This uses the VERY last (I found one more small jar) of my dried cranberries sweetened with sugar...  I won't buy or use these again I'm SURE there's something added to them that prohibits fermentation and they are too sweet for me to use otherwise... This is the 3rd time I've used these. I've chosen ingredients that aren't very sweet to mix with them... We'll see how it works this time...  I've mixed everything together, making enough to fill 3 liter mason jars firmly packed to just below the shoulder ([plenty of expansion room if they need it). These spent 3 days in the warm cupboard over my stove.  At this time I could see they were fermenting well,so I moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten.

Apple/Pineapple/Cranberry Lacto-Ferment: made Dec. 2/19

- 5 med. "wild" apples cored and chopped

- 1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen minced pineapple

- 3 cups dried cranberries chopped coarsely
- 1 med. onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 med./small carrots coarsely grated
- 10 slices of frozen cucumber chopped

- 1 rounded Tbsp Himalayan pink salt

- 4 small leaves of green cabbage chopped finely

I mixed this all together.  It made enough to fill 2 liter mason jars firmly packed to just above the shoulder. I planned to leave them in the warm cupboard for 3 days or until I could see they were fermenting well, before moving them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten.... However, I explain how this REALLY happened below...

I've made use of some leftovers for this one...  The cranberries I bought, not noticing that they were infused with sugar and they are TOO sweet for me.  The pineapple I minced and froze into ice-cubes thinking I'd add a little at a time to my meals, but I'm no longer feeling like I want to do this.  So, I've used both of these in this mix.  I'm hoping the sugar will get used by the fermenting bacteria so the final ferment will still have the cranberry flavor I like but be less sweet and it seemed appropriate to add the pineapple I wasn't using here too...  I tasted it fresh mixed and it does taste good... but still quite sweet which I expected.  We'll see what the final result is like down the road...

This is VERY slow to ferment.  Perhaps because my "warm" cupboard isn't so warm now, or maybe something preventing fermentation was added to the cranberries.  I don't think this is the case though, because I checked the current stock from the place where I bought them and nothing but cranberries and sugar are listed as ingredients... In any case after 3 days with NO sign of activity, I've added about 1 Tbsp. of the liquid from my corn/carrot/apple ferment which is quite lively to each jar and hope this will make a difference...  I also placed them under a box in front of one of my rads and then added 1/2 of a finely chopped cabbage leaf to each jar...  They still taste fine... They just aren't fermenting...  Well this is the SLOWEST ferment I've EVER done!  However, with the addition of the cabbage and starter and spending almost 3 weeks in a warmish place they are finally fermenting...  I haven't bothered moving them to the fridge to stabilize though because they certainly don't need to be slowed down!  Well it took 5 weeks before these were finally fermenting well enough to be moved to the fridge... I think it was the extra quantity of sugar in the cranberries that the lacto-fermenting bacteria had trouble digesting...  When I make this again I'll choose something other than the pineapple and apple to add as both of these are quite sweet too...

Pineapple/Rhubarb/Carrot Lacto-Ferment: - made Mar 5/18

- 1/2 of a large zip-lock bag of frozen pineapple diced

- 1/2 of a large zip-lock bag of frozen chopped rhubarb

- 3/4 cup  of dried rose hips
-  approx. 1 lb. of carrots coarsely grated
- 3 small daikon radish coarsely grated
- 2 Tbsp desiccated coconut

- 1 Tbsp Himalayan pink sea salt

- 3 Tbsp. of my cabbage cucumber starter

I mixed everything but the starter together and let it warm up, then added the starter.  It made enough to fill 2 liter mason jars  firmly packed to the shoulder. These fermented VERY slowly... I don't know if it's the rose hips, or maybe this batch was just VERY cold to start... It's the first time I've added the rose hips, so I'm a little suspicious... They're supposed to be organic and there's nothing to indicate anything else has been added, so I don't know... In any case after 3 days I added another 2 Tbsp. of starter to each jar, as well as a little from another ferment which looked like it was made with similar ingredients and was fermenting well and left them in the warmish cupboard for another 3 days, before moving them to the fridge. I don't know exactly what the second ferment I added was, as the label was destroyed in my damp basement... However, after these additions and the few more days this batch fermented well.  I have NO idea why it was SO slow to start...

Apple/Radish/Celery Root: Lacto-Ferment - made Aug 28/15

- 52 med /small Wild Apples diced - 8-10 cups

- 1 med/large celery root (celeriac) shredded

- 20 med red radishes diced - approx. 3 cups

- 1 med. onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 5 rounded Tbsp. desiccated coconut

- 2 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 3 Tbsp. of the water from my cucumber/zucchini mix as a starter

This filled 3 liter mason jars to the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for 3 days before putting them in the fridge...

Apple/Rhubarb/Kiwi/Rutabaga/Celery Root Lacto-Ferment: made May 27/15

- 4 Pink Lady Apples diced

- 2 Granny Smith Apples diced

- 2 large non-organic kiwi diced

- 2 1/2 cups frozen rhubarb chopped

- 1/2 a rutabaga shredded

- 1/2 a celery root (celeriac) shredded

- 2 small leaves finely chopped non-organic cabbage 

- 2 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 4 Tbsp organic desiccated coconut

- 2 generous Tbsp. of juice from the red chard as a starter

I mixed this all together. It made enough to fill two liter mason jars to the shoulder and a 500 ml. jar also. I left them in the warm cupboard for 4 days, before moving them to the fridge. 

Kiwi/Apple/Rhubarb/Cranberry Lacto-Ferment: - made Mar 8/15

- 1/2 Pink Lady apple diced

- 1/2 Granny Smith Apple diced

- 3 small non-organic kiwi diced

- 2 1/2 - 3 cups frozen rhubarb chopped

- 1 pkg. frozen cranberries cut in half

- 3 small carrots shredded

- 1 Small turnip shredded

- 1/2 a small celery root (celeriac) shredded

- 3 Tbsp desiccated coconut

- 1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 3 Tbsp. of the water from the green chard as a starter

I mixed this all together, and it made enough to fill 2 liter jars to a little below the shoulder. I left them in the warm cupboard for 4 days, before moving them to the fridge.

Apple/Kiwi/Turnip/Celery Root: Lacto-Ferment - made Mar 8/15

- 4 1/2 Pink Lady Apples diced

- 6 small non-organic kiwi diced

- 1 1/2 Granny Smith Apples diced

- 1/2 a turnip shredded

- 3 small parsnips shredded

- 1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 3 Tbsp. of the water from the green chard as a starter

This filled 2 liter mason jars to just below the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for 4 days when I could see they were fermenting well and then put them in the fridge...

 ..

Apple/Grapefruit/Rutabaga/Celery Root Lacto-Ferment: - made Jan 31/15

- 5 Pink Lady Apples diced

- 1 non-organic grapefruit diced

- 2 Granny Smith Apples diced

- 1/2 a small rutabaga shredded

- 1/2 a small celery root (celeriac) shredded

- 1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 2 generous Tbsp. of my previous apple/grapefruit/orange/coconut mix as a starter

This filled 2 liter mason jars to just below the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for 2 days when I could see they were fermenting well and then put them in the fridge...

Pineapple/Rhubarb/Cranberry Lacto-Ferment: made Dec. 29/14

- 5 slices of a large non-organic pineapple diced

- 2 1/2 - 3 cups frozen rhubarb chopped

- 1 pkg. frozen cranberries cut in half

- 1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 2 generous Tbsp. of my previous apple coconut mix as a starter

I mixed this all together, and it made enough to fill a 1 liter jar to just above the shoulder and a 500 ml. jar also. I packed both jars and left them in the warm cupboard for 3 days, before moving them to the fridge.

After a week I felt something more was needed so I added:

- 1 3/8" slice of rutabaga grated

- an equal amount of celery root (celeriac) grated

- 2 Tbsp non-organic desiccated coconut

I mixed this together with the original mix, packing it into 2 liter mason jars filled to just below the shoulder and left them, in the cupboard to ferment for 1/2 a day, before putting them back in the fridge... 

Apple/Grapefruit/Orange/Coconut Lacto-Ferment: - made Dec. 28/14

- 16 med. wild apples cored and diced - * plus more later see below

- 2 non-organic grapefruit diced

- 3 med. non-organic oranges diced

- 1/4 cup non-organic desiccated coconut - * plus more later see below

- 1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 2 generous Tbsp. of my previous apple/coconut mix as a starter

This filled 2 liter mason jars to just below the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for 2 days when I could see they were fermenting well.  However, when I tasted it I felt the mixture needed a smaller proportion of grapefruit, so I added: 

*6 more wild apples diced & another rounded Tbsp. of the coconut,

to the mixture and left them for only another 6 hrs. in the cupboard, as they were fermenting VERY well...before putting them in the fridge...

Pineapple mix Lacto-Ferment-- like mincemeat - (my 3rd mincemeat like ferment) made Mon. Dec. 15/14

- 1 small non-organic pineapple blended

- 1 med. red meat radish grated

- 1/2 a small celery root (celeriac) grated

- 4 med. carrots grated

- 1 1/2 ice cubes of orange*

- 1/2 ice cube of non-organic  ginger

- 1/2 a non-organic lemon juice & pulp

- 1/2 rounded cup currants

- generous dash of cinnamon

- pinch of cloves & allspice

- 1 Tbsp sesame oil

- 2 Tbsp carob powder

 1 Tbsp non-organic desiccated coconut - I thought I wanted to add this but didn't.  However, I think it would have made a nice addition...

- 1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 1 generous heaping Tbsp of the apple mincemeat mix 

* I make this with organic oranges using all the juice and some of the zest grated finely (sometimes I add a little sesame oil too so it doesn't freeze quite so hard); mixing it all together then freezing the mix in ice cube trays... I keep the cubes in the freezer and use a little whenever I want a nice fresh orange flavor...

This filled 2 liter mason jars to just below the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for only 1 day.  Even in the now cool cupboard... they fermented VERY FAST... and tasted VERY mincemeat like...

Apple & Rhubarb Lacto-Ferment:

- 11 wild apples chopped

- 2 1/2 cups frozen rhubarb chopped

- 3/4 cup frozen raspberries

- 4 Tbsp descicated coconut (non-organic)

- 1 Tbsp salt

I mixed this all together, then put it into the 1 liter jar I'd used for my apple coconut mix, so there was some of this mix still left in the jar as a starter...  This made enough to fill the 1 liter jar to the shoulder and a 500 ml. jar also. I left them in the warm cupboard for 3 days then moved them to the fridge...

Pineapple/Apple/Prune Lacto-Ferment which got revised with radish & onion:

- most of a med/small non-organic pineapple chopped

- 3 med wild apples chopped

- 9 dried prunes chopped

1/2  non-organic lemon, juice & pulp

2 tsp unrefined sea salt 

2 Tbsp of my apple coconut mix

I stirred everything together packed it  to the shoulder of a 1 liter mason jar, then left it in the cupboard for a total of 3 1/2 days (1 day in a warm cupboard and then 2 1/2 days in a cooler cupboard).  After this I put it in the fridge...  After a few days I decided it could be improved so I added:

- 1 rounded Tbsp of  carob powder

some cinnamon and a touch of cloves

- I wasn't using this as an after dinner fruit like I expected, but more as a relish with my cooked vegetables, so after eating a little more than 1/2 of it, I added:

- 2 black radishes coarsely grated (1 large and 1 smaller)

- 1 tsp unrefined sea salt

- 1 small non-organic onion chopped

This filled the jar back up to the shoulder.  I left it in the warm cupboard for 2 days, until I could see it was fermenting well, then I put it back in the fridge.

Apple Mix Lacto-Ferment -- like mincemeat (my 2nd attempt)

- a little less than 1/2 a small non-organic honeydew melon chopped & blended

- 19 med. wild apples diced

- 2 ice cubes of orange **

- 1/2 ice cube of non-organic minced ginger * 

- 1 non-organic lemon juice & pulp

- 1/4 cup currants

- 10 prunes

- generous dash of cinnamon

- pinch of cloves

- 1 Tbsp sesame oil

- 2 Tbsp carob powder

- 1 Tbsp non-organic desicated coconut

- 1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

- 1 generous heaping Tbsp of my 1st mincemeat attempt 

* I make this with finely grated ginger root (sometimes I add a little sesame oil too so it doesn't freeze quite so hard); then freezing the mix in ice cube trays... I keep the cubes in the freezer and use a little whenever I want a nice fresh ginger flavor...

**  I make this with organic oranges, using all of the juice and some of the zest grated finely (sometimes I add a little sesame oil too so it doesn't freeze quite so hard); mixing it all together and then freezing the mix in ice cube trays... I keep the cubes in the freezer and use a little whenever I want a nice fresh orange flavor...

This filled 2 liter mason jars to just below the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for 3 1/2 days...before moving them to the fridge... This one also tasted good and mincemeat like...

Apple mix Lacto-Ferment -- like mincemeat (my 1st attempt)

wild apples diced

1 ice cube of orange

1/4 ice cube of non-organic  ginger *

1 non-organic lemon juice & pulp

1/4 cup currants

generous dash of cinnamon

pinch of cloves

1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

1 Tbsp Kefir water

* I make this with finely grated ginger root (sometimes I add a little sesame oil too so it doesn't freeze quite so hard); then freezing the mix in ice cube trays... I keep the cubes in the freezer and use a little whenever I want a nice fresh ginger flavor...

I Stirred everything together except the kefir water packed it into a 1 liter mason filled to the shoulder, then I added the kefir water.  I left it in the cupboard for 3 days... I then packed the mixture down into the liquid and put the jar in the fridge ...  After I'd eaten about 1/2 of the jar I added 1/2 Tbsp of carob powder.  This feel like a GOOD addition. I really helped it taste like mincemeat...

Grapefruit Mix Lacto-Ferment - My 3rd Ferment... Still Feeling My Way...

- 800 ml. chopped non-organic grapefruit (I wasn't too careful about using all of the juice, because it was VERY juicy...)

- a generous handful of currants (hoping this might soak up some of the juice from the grapefruit)

- 3/8 cup chopped frozen cranberries

- 1 med. wild apple cored and finely diced

- 3 tsp + 1/2 tsp. unrefined sea salt

- 1+ tsp. of my Mango Chutney as a starter

This made enough to fill a liter mason jar to about 1" from the rim.  I initially mixed in the 3 tsp. of salt, but after putting this in the jar and seeing how high up it came, I added the extra 1/2 tsp  stirring  it into the top portion only.

I decided this was too salty, so after 3 1/2 days of fermenting I added:

- 800 ml. chopped non-organic grapefruit (again I wasn't too careful about using all of the juice, because it was VERY juicy...)

- a generous handful of raisins (hoping this might soak up more of the juice from the grapefruit)

- 3/8 cup chopped frozen cranberries

- 1/4 cup chopped frozen rhubarb

- 1 med. wild apple cored and finely diced

I repacked this into 2 liter mason jars, filled to the shoulder and left them in the cupboard to ferment... There was extra juice left over so I packed this separately and left this in the cupboard too.  I'll use it as starter... I left all 3 jars in the cupboard to ferment at room temperature for a day, then packed the mixtures down into the liquid and put the jars in the fridge ...  I don't think I'll do this one again either... Although the grapefruit is OK as a ferment, I'm not really very keen on it's taste when it's used as a main ingredient.  It can be good though if used sparingly with other more prominent ingredients supplying most of the flavor.

Cantaloupe Mix Lacto-Ferment - My 2nd Ferment - I'm Experimenting & Learning...

1 - small organic cantaloupe

1 - medium sized wild apple cored and diced

1 - slice of non-organic pineapple diced

1/4 cup - frozen raspberries

juice and pulp from 1 lime

1 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

1 Tbsp from my first attempt as a starter

This made enough to fill a  liter mason jar to the shoulder.  The mixture fermented wildly and came close to overflowing, so I added sesame oil on top again (my attempt to keep air away from the mixture) -- don't know if this was necessary...  The fermentation slowed if the jar was tightly capped, but then the jar was under A LOT of pressure, so I left the lid screwed down loosely and the fermentation settled down....  I think it was best after 3 days, but I left it in my warm cupboard for 4 days, before moving it to the fridge.  It's a little fizzy and tastes QUITE strange, but feels OK and I did eat all of it...  However, I don't think I'd do this one again -- I don't really like the taste of the fermented cantaloupe AT ALL!  Also although the addition of the sesame oil on top of the ferment may be a good option to keep the air out, for the 5 years since I made this recipe, I haven't found it to be necessary...

Mango Chutney Lacto-Ferment- my very first ferment...

3/4 of a non-organic mango chopped

1 - non-organic lime squeezed

1 - small piece of apple diced finely

a few frozen cranberries chopped

4 tsp. white sea salt

This made enough for a 500 ml. jar. I topped it with a small amount of sesame oil and let it ferment for a week.  I thought the sesame oil might provide an air lock...  It was very salty and the fermentation was slow... Perhaps the use of non-organic ingredients or my white sea salt had iodine added... or the sesame oil wasn't helpful... However, in retrospect I suspect this needed a starter and I didn't use one...

I used about 1/2 of this and then added:

1 - non-organic mango chopped

1/2" non-organic slice of pineapple diced finely

1 - med. wild apple cored and finely diced

- juice and pulp of one non-organic small lemon

1/4 -  3/8 cup frozen cranberries chopped

1 rounded tsp. unrefined sea salt

This filled a liter mason jar to the shoulder, fermented well and tasted good.