Lacto-Fermented Condiments
LACTO-FERMENTED MUSTARD
Grind wild mustard seeds to a powder. Add whey until mustard consistency. Cover and leave at room temp for 3 days, then refrigerate.
LACTO-FERMENTED HORSERADISH
Peel horseradish root. Chop into 1" sections. Grind in food processor. Mix in whey to moisten to desired consistency. Cover and leave at room temp for 3 days, then refrigerate.
LACTO-FERMENTED HOT PEPPERS
Stuff jar with peppers. Add 1 T. salt and 2 T. whey per cup of peppers. Cover with water. Weight with clean rock. Cover and leave at room temp for 3 days, then refrigerate.
HOMEMADE MAYO
2 eggs
1/3 c. raw cider vinegar & red wine vinegar or AEM's combined
1 T. homemade fermented mustard (optional)
1 heaping T. homemade fermented horseradish (optional)
1/3 small fermented hot pepper, chopped (optional)
1 T. Real Salt
3 T. honey
2/3 c. homemade raw butter (optional)
Choice of oil(s) .. use a combination if the oils have strong flavors; ie, sesame, ev olive; rice bran is not strong flavored
Blend in food processor and slowly add 1/2 and 1/2 sesame oil and ev olive oil, or any part rice bran oil until quite thick. This is usually at about 5-6 c. total mayo. Then I fill the food processor up the rest of the way with kefir cheese (kefir thickened through a cheese cloth for 24 hrs.) and reblend. This makes an excellent vegetable dip as well as a salad dressing. It's very thick. Can substitute rice bran oil for the butter and/or oils.
LACTO-FERMENTED BEETS
Bake beets whole at 350 for 1 hour. Peel and pack jars. Include 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/2 tsp cloves, 1 T. pickling or other raw salt and 3 T. whey per qt. jar. Fill with water and top with a couple of grape leaves or oak leaves if desired (these can make the top beets a bit bitter from the tannins, but is supposed to keep them fresher/crisper… not sure if I notice a difference). Leave on the counter for three days and then refrigerate. I don’t use tight fitting covers, as in mason jar lids, but rather plastic lids or glass lids with rubber gaskets to prevent too much bubbling. I think that goat whey makes the brine fizzier, which is delightful as a drink.. beet kvass. The perfect remedy for any upset stomach and sometimes just a treat for no reason. This recipe is a family favorite that we’ve been enjoying year after year.
CROCK PICKLES
Pack clean pickles in a container. We have gotten confident enough in this recipe to do these in 5 gallon buckets, and put up about a dozen of them each year. We store them in the root cellar where they keep perfectly until the next season and then some. These taste like “Klaussen Dills” or the best NY deli dill pickles. We serve them nearly every day, along with lacto-fermented beets.
Fill container with water (boiled and then cooled first if you’re at all unsure of your water… recommend a small batch to check your water if you want to try the “easy way.” Figure that you have about 1/2 as much water as the size of your container, and add 1/4 c. vinegar and 1/4 c. pickling/raw salt per quart of water, and whatever pickling spices you enjoy. We usually put a good quantity of fresh dill in with the pickles and add a small handful of mixed pickling spices (1/4 c.) per 5 gallon pail.
Example: 1 gallon of cukes means you’re using about 1/2 gallon of water, so add 1/2 c. vinegar and 1/2 c. salt.
Make sure that the pickles are entirely submerged while fermenting!!! This is essential, any part of any cucumber that pops up to the air can end up ruining your whole batch, so check them every couple of days, and after every repositioning. We use plates with the rounded side facing down… again, very important!!… if your arch in your plate is facing your pickles, that traps enough air to ruin your batch!, and a heavy-ish flat rock on top. The plate should be looking up at you as it would sitting on the dinner table. After 3-4 days we put them in the root cellar or refrigerate. Consistent cold temps are important for long storage.
These are most crispy and delicious if made with vinegar, either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar works. I’ve tried the whey versions several times and they’ve been fizzy, soggy, strongly fermented tasting and not to the liking of my family.
