I seriously may never can salsa again!
For those who have been following me for a while, you know that fermentation is one of my favourite ways to preserve food. As a clinical herbalist I can tell you that most humans suffer from compromised gut health and that it directly affects many of the symptoms and dis-ease states that many people are navigating. Supporting the digestion system is paramount on any healing your journey. I’m sure you want to know why…
You know the saying “you are what you eat”?
Well I might get a bit more specific with this statement and say “you are what you assimilate”. You can consume the healthiest foods and the best vitamins, but if your body cannot assimilate the nutrition, vitamins, and minerals from it, than it really doesn’t matter does it? While for many, attending to digestion seems less than interesting, I can tell you from personal experience, it is absolutely vital if you want to live a vibrant and healthy life.
Now the one (and only) downside to fermentation that I experience is my lack of fridge space. I do not have a cold storage space, so the fridge is the only real option for storing these foods. Short of buying a second fridge, which we might consider at some point, we have to be a bit selective in terms of what we ferment. On the plus side, we go through the foods so fast, that we can often replace the empty jars with new ones without taking up any extra space. A great example are our fermented dilly beans ~ a definite family favourite!
What Exactly is Fermentation?
New to fermented foods? No problem!
A food is fermented when it undergoes a process known as lacto-fermentation; lactic acid is created when natural bacteria consumes the starch and sugar in food. This process creates loads of probiotics, beneficial enzymes to aid in digestion, b vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids. In addition this will also preserve whatever you are making.
Fermented foods are delicious, versatile and have been shown to increase overall health:
- probiotics: this introduces beneficial bacteria to your digestive system resulting in a healthy balance of gut flora
- nutrient absorption: in order to properly digest and absorb your food you need healthy levels of probiotics and digestive enzymes, both of which can be accomplished eating fermented foods
So not only does fermentation preserve your food, it adds in some really great benefits that will support healthy digestion and nutritional uptake.
Fermented Tomato Salsa
- 1 pound paste tomatoes you can substitute cherry or slicer tomatoes
- 1 green pepper
- 2-4 garlic cloves to taste
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1 onion, medium sized
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 handful cilantro/parsley
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp salt, unrefined
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Core and chop your tomatoes to the size of your preference. If you like chunky salsa, I do not recommend using a food processor. If you are less than picky about that, pulse away!
- Using a food processor (or knife) finely chop your peppers, onions, parsley/cilantro and garlic. If you want less spice, you can remove a lot of the seeds from the jalapeno pepper.
- Combine all of your vegetables in a bowl. Sprinkle with your salt, pepper and cumin. Add in your lime juice. Stir everything until it's all well mixed.
- Divide evening between two 500ml mason jars OR put into a 1 litre mason jar. Optional: use your fermentation weights to keep the tomatoes below the juice and your fermentation lid (we like using Pickle Pebbles and Pickle Pipes from Mason Tops) Alternatively you can place a regular mason jar lid on your jar and remember to burp your ferments daily.
- Fermentation time is 3-7 days Recommended: Taste after 3 days and if you enjoy the flavour replace with a regular lid (if you are using a fermentation system) and place in the fridge. Use up within a year and discard your salsa if at any point it starts to smell off or grow mold.
The Video
If you are looking for a few other ways to preserve your tomato bounty, check out this YouTube video here!
Happy preserving,
Regular Readers/Watchers
If you are a regular reader of this blog or viewer of Spiraea’s content on YouTube, I would be honoured if you took at peek at my Patreon site. Patreon is a crowd-funding site where folks can show their gratitude for the free content that creators like me produce. My currently Patreon family has been so amazing and supportive. They are the only reason I can continue to put out free video content on my YouTube channel and write blog posts right here. I have immense gratitude for them and would be thrilled if you joined us.
