Fermented Tonics: Turning Vegetable Juice into Pickle Shots

Your Perfect Pickler® kit is taking on new duties. Turn a small fistful of veggies or bottled vegetable juice into fermented tonics. Plus, it has the same potent nutrients as a fermented pickle. It takes only minutes to create a batch of Pickle Shots: just water, salt, juice and brine left over from lacto-fermented pickles.

It was truly a eureka moment to transform bottled vegetable juices: carrot, tomato, and coconut water—into refreshing tonics. This is simply the easiest form of fermenting using the Perfect Pickler®.

Ingredients for Fermented Tonics:

• 16 ounces of vegetable juice.  FAVORITES: Coconut Water, Very Veggie Tomato Medley, and Carrot Juice.

 Caveat: Fermented vegetable juice is best used in small “shot” doses, 1 or 2 oz. will give you great benefit. There is no science that states “if a little is good, a whole lot more is better.” A quart will last and last.
• 16 ounces of Filtered Water.
• 1 tablespoon of Celtic Sea Salt® or other premium brand.
• 2 tablespoons of saved brine from previous batches of lacto-fermented vegetables or tonic.

Directions for Fermented Tonics:

1. Combine all ingredients and pour into a 1 quart jar until almost full.
2. Float brine our Brine “Catch” Cup on top of the juice.
3. Install a Lid Gasket inside a Wide Mouth Fermenter Lid. Tighten the lid on the jar until its snug.
4. 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.
5. Write down the date you began fermentation on the lid using a Lid Marking Pen.  Place in cool location (68-74 degrees) and wait patiently for 4 days!
6. Remove fermenting kit once fermentation is complete.  Seal and refrigerate.

Enjoy your newly fermented tonics, jam packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and many beneficial bacterial that will no doubt improve your gut health in many ways!  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!