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Jul 18, 2014

Salsa: Probiotic Style

Now is the time to preserve the bounty of summer.  Using a pressure cooker scares the buh-gee-bies out of me.  Fermenting, however, is super simple.  If you have extra refrigerator space, this is the way to preserve food.  This salsa is so yummy though, it's not gonna last long.  And, making salsa this way will inoculate your gut with healthy bacteria to keep you from falling prey to the bad bacteria that make you sick.
My goal is to get my family to eat something fermented at every meal.  My kids pick kombucha for breakfast and lunch.  When Hubby is home for dinner, we gang up on the kids and make them eat veggies...lacto-fermented veggies!  I have a shelf in the refrigerator that is dedicated to ferments.  Before dinner, I choose a jar that pairs with our meal.  Sometimes we just eat a tablespoon or two.  Sometimes we eat much more than the minimum.  I have a feeling this salsa will go quick.

Below are tomatillos I grew in my garden.  They are delish and taste somewhat like a tomato, but with a hint of apple and onion.  If you wanted to heat up your oven, you could roast these babies first.  I was feeling lazy wanted to knock out this project so I didn't roast.
I combined the tomatillos with half an onion, a couple small tomatoes and a jalapeño.  Sprinkle it with a hearty dose of salt (1T) and some juice (4T) from a jar of Bubbies sauerkraut (or another ferment or whey from yogurt).

Stir the combination around and push into a quart jar.  Make sure all the chunky pieces are under liquid.  If you don't have enough to fill the jar, chop up another tomato.  Or onion.  Or whatever.  Stir it in the jar and push all the chunks under the liquid.  Screw a lid on (no pressure cooker needed!) and let it sit.
After 2 days move to cold storage.  Or eat immediately.  Yumma.
 And just for bonus... this cutie-patootie:
Anyone else lovin' this July weather?!  Head on out to the farmers market and grab some Arkansas tomatoes today.

-Julie

*Cultures for Health says you can use 2 teaspoons (about 1T) of salt and not use whey.  Check out their recipe.

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