Fermented Garden Salsa
Fresh Flavors and Tangy Enzymes
- 1 large red or yellow onion, or a large bunch of green onions
- 3 small bell peppers, trimmed and cored
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1⁄2 cup cilantro leaves, packed
- 2 1⁄2 lb Roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 Tbsp sea salt
- 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 tsp cayenne powder
- Prepare Salsa:
- Chop onions, bell peppers, garlic, cilantro, and tomatoes and combine in a large mixing bowl.
- Add lemon juice, salt, and cayenne and mix all ingredients together with a wooden spoon.
- Taste salsa for heat and salt.
- Add more cayenne or salt if salsa tastes bland.
- It should taste just a little bit salty; the flavor will mellow through the fermentation period.
- Prepare to ferment:
- Transfer salsa to 2 quart-size jars or 1 half-gallon jar with lids.
- Use a fermentation weight (ceramic or glass disks used for fermenting can be purchased) to weigh vegetables down.
- Cover tightly with a lid.
- Fermentation:
- Place in a warm spot to ferment for 1 to 2 weeks.
- Burp jars twice daily for the first week. To do so:
- Carefully and quickly open jar, listen for release of gas.
- Close jar back up with just a bit of the gases still remaining inside.
During this period, pieces of the vegetables will release a fair amount of juice and separate a bit.
You can give salsa a quick stir and add more weights to further submerge vegetables.
- Once salsa is tangy, bubbly, and well-fermented, transfer to cold storage (root cellar, basement, or unheated room), or use within 2 to 4 weeks.
Shannon Stronger
Shannon Stonger is the founder of Nourishing Days and a writer for Cultures for Health. She holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry. Shannon and her family have lived on an off-grid homestead since 2011. She lives in Santa Anna, Texas.
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