This time of year I tend to get what I think of as “heavy food gut.” Thanksgiving meals heavy on starch, salt, and fat, holiday cookies and treats, winter stews and soups … as much as I adore these foods, they are lacking in the bright, sour qualities that I love in summer salads and fruits. Which is why I was so excited to try Devon Young’s Fermented Cranberry Salsa recipe from her new book, The Herbalist’s Healing Kitchen. It delivers a much-needed dose of sour-spice that is a perfect complement to rich foods.
The Herbalist’s Healing Kitchen‘s subtitle is “Using the Power of Food to Cook Your Way to Better Health.” I love this approach. Beyond vitamins or supplements, simple, intentionally crafted meals can build a strong foundation of health.
In Devon’s book, we learn that sour foods have the capacity to induce salivation and are often loaded with antioxidants, while pungent foods can break up stagnancy and even increase digestion! No wonder I was drawn to adding a large dollop of Fermented Cranberry Salsa to my holiday plate!
I have shared the recipe below as written in The Herbalist’s Healing Kitchen, but it would be easy to adapt it to accommodate your favorite salsa ingredients. Prefer habaneros over jalapeños? Go ahead and sub them in. Love the kick of garlic in your salsa? Definitely add some!
My favorite way to enjoy this recipe was as a topping for post-Thanksgiving turkey tacos. I started with a base of turkey chunks sautéed in onions and peppers, added goat cheese, avocado, and a huge dollop of fermented cranberry salsa, and (wait for it) a spoonful of sweet cranberry sauce. SO good.
I bet this fermented cranberry salsa will have a permanent place in your holiday repertoire, as it now does in mine.
Fermented Cranberry Salsa Recipe
(Shared with permission from The Herbalist’s Healing Kitchen by Devon Young)
1 12 oz package of fresh cranberries
1- 3 jalapeños, minced
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup sauerkraut juice, or whey drained from organic yogurt
1/2 cup raw honey
100% cranberry juice or distilled water, as needed to cover
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste
Use a food processor to pulse the cranberries until they are minced. In a medium sized bowl, combine the cranberries with the jalapeños, grated ginger, lime juice, lime zest, honey, and sauerkraut juice or whey, and mix thoroughly.
Place the mixture in a quart-sized jar, and if needed, top off with either cranberry juice or water until completely covered.
Cover with a loose lid or a piece of cheesecloth, and place in a room temperature location to ferment for 7-10 days, or until the flavor is to your liking.
Add the remaining ingredients and adjust the salt to your preference. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Fermented Cranberry Salsa
Tart, with a kick of spice, this fermented cranberry salsa will become a new holiday staple!
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz package of fresh cranberries
- 1- 3 jalapenos, minced
- 2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup sauerkraut juice, or whey drained from organic yogurt
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 100% cranberry juice or distilled water, as needed to cover
- 1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Use a food processor to pulse the cranberries until they are minced. In a medium sized bowl, combine the cranberries with the jalapenos, grated ginger, lime juice, lime zest, honey, and sauerkraut juice or whey, and mix thoroughly.
- Place the mixture in a quart-sized jar, and if needed, top off with either cranberry juice or water until completely covered.
- Cover with a loose lid or a piece of cheesecloth, and place in a room temperature location to ferment for 7-10 days, or until the flavor is to your liking.
- Add the remaining ingredients and adjust the salt to your preference. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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