Fermented Salsa Base

Let’s get down and pickle some Fermented Salsa Base. When the tomatoes are singing on the vine, we’ll mix them with the starter for a fresh and uniquely fermented salsa. This is the definition of Easy-Peasy with pre-cut vegetables available at most supermarkets!  This fermented salsa is unique in the way that it will vastly improve your gut health via the probiotics in this Salsa Base.

This recipe makes one quart.

– Recipe by Bill Hettig

Ingredients for Fermented Salsa Base:

• One pound total of cut Celery, Onion, and Green Pepper.
• One teaspoon of cumin.
• One teaspoon of black pepper.
• One teaspoon of coriander seeds.
• One teaspoon of oregano.
• One tablespoon of Celtic Sea Salt or other premium brand for the brine.

Directions for Fermented Salsa Base:

1. Place chopped veggies, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and oregano in a bowl.
2. Stir to blend your ingredients.
3. Load your blend into a one quart wide mouth jar, tamping lightly until two inches from the jar lip.
4. Make your salt water brine solution. To do this, dissolve your salt in filtered water at a ratio of one tablespoon of salt to every two cups of water for this one quart batch.
5. Fill your jar with this brine solution until about one inch from the jar lip.
6. Use some sort of weighty object to hold the salsa base under the brine solution. Be sure to place the jar in your sink as you do this as there is sure to be spillage. We sell our brine overflow cup as a weight here: Brine “Catch” Cup – Wide Mouth
7. Remove the cup and wipe any debris on the lip of the cup and the jar, then put the cup back in. Install a Lid Gasket inside a Wide Mouth Fermenter Lid. Tighten the lid on until its snug.
8. Add tap water to a ClearView Airlock to the max line. Now gently insert the airlock into the hole of the fermenter lid until snug. Make sure not to push too deeply into the lid. As the fermentation happens, the water should move back and forth, and bubbles should move through the airlock, this is correct and indicates a tight seal.
9. Write down the date you began fermentation on the lid using a Lid Marking Pen. After 4 days, check to see if the salsa base is sour enough for you. If it is not, just add a day and re-check.

Enjoy your probiotic enriched Fermented Salsa Base!  For even better and more delectable recipes, check out our Fermentation Recipe Booklet, where you will find many recipes, tips and tricks to brine pickling, and so much more!