Fermented Cranberry-Orange-Apple Relish

Cranberries are in season. I recently tweaked my mom’s famous cranberry-orange-apple relish recipe to add a fermentation stage. Natural fermentation adds probiotic benefits and beneficial acids for the gut, as well as increases the vitamins and enzymes. As if that weren’t enough, this relish (like many other lacto-fermented foods) is incredibly yummy. If you start a batch early this week, it will be ready for Christmas dinner. And might I suggest doubling or tripling the recipe? You’ll like it that much.

Water kefir provides a dairy-free means of fermenting; even if one didn’t need dairy-free, I prefer the results over that of using whey!

I included this recipe in a recent weekly menu plan. I’m enjoying putting together the menu plans because it encourages me to work on at least one new fermentation project each week. Good for my family, and good for you.

Intrigued by lacto-fermentation? Learn more about its benefits in this post.

Fermented Cranberry-Orange-Apple Relish Ingredients

• 2 oranges, peeled and quartered, seeds removed
• 2 apples, washed and quartered, cores removed
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup rapadura or sucanat
• 1/4 cup whey or water kefir

Fermented Cranberry-Orange-Apple Relish Method

Makes 1 quart. Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse to chop; don’t puree. Pack into a clean, quart-size, wide mouth jar. Wipe threads clean. Screw on a lid and band tightly.

Let sit out on a cloth at room temperature for one to three days. Daily, or as necessary, check for any mold growing on the surface and skim away, repacking carefully. Taste for desired texture.

If the weather is very hot, fermentation may only take a day or so. Burp the jar if necessary (to prevent explosions). When you’re happy with the taste and texture, transfer to the refrigerator in an airtight container. Will keep for a few weeks. Repack the storage container carefully after each dipping.

Enjoy mixed with kefir or yogurt (pictured, below). Put on top of breakfast porridge, toast, pancakes or waffles. Eat alongside baked or grilled poultry, beef, lamb, or pork.

Options: Vary the amount of fruit. One day I didn’t have so many oranges and apples, but lots of cranberries. And I made a cranberry-heavy relish. It was delicious! I had to use a bit more sweetener. 

Free CHEAT SHEET: “Create Your Own Ferments” Fermenting Formulas

Want to create your own safe-to-eat and delicious fermented salsas, chutneys, pickles or krauts? Need to know how long to ferment, how much salt to add, and how to store?

This cheat sheet will give you formulas for all types of ferments (even fruit preserves, pickled meats, and condiments) – so you can “create your own” ferments with confidence.

Source: http://gnowfglins.com/2010/12/20/fermented-cranberry-relish/