麻豆社

There is really only one time of year that we allow cranberries some space on our tables. Rather unfortunate really as I consider it the mid-winter vitamin C shot to help us break down all that over indulgence.

This ferment will change your mid-winter traditional dinner forever and hopefully find its way onto other plates

Makes 250ml jar

135g of whole cranberries

juice from 2 tangerines or 1 orange

2 inch hunk of ginger, grated

2 Tbsp raw honey or maple syrup

1 Tbsp brine (from another ferment) or water kefir or whey (optional)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves聽

Process the berries along with the other ingredient. If using a starter then add it here. Next聽 add the salt and grated ginger to the mix

Juice the tangerines or orange adding it to the mix followed by the honey or maple syrup.

Give this a quick whirr to incorporate all the flavours and transfer to a clean jar, lastly adding the cloves and cinnamon stick.

Place in a jar out of direct sunlight in a corner of your kitchen to ferment for 5 days. When you鈥檙e happy with the taste and texture, transfer to the refrigerator. Will keep for a few weeks. 聽

This relish is not just for Christmas dinner.聽 Try it on top a delicious breakfast porridge, with savoury pancakes or alongside any meats for improved digestion of protein.

Whilst there are flavours that work, whether being passed down through generations, circulated amongst fermented friends or created with culinary consideration, there is never a limit to experimenting.聽 The worst thing that can happen is it is not a pleasant result鈥︹��..as a kraut.

1 head red cabbage

500g聽 raw cranberries

3 mandarins, zest and juice

1 lemon, zest

juice of 陆 lemon

2 inch knob of ginger, shredded

1-2 cups dehydrated cane juice or coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 4 sticks of cinnamon

2 T unrefined sea salt聽

Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage it they are looking a bit grim. If they look good, wash them, to make sure there is to soil.

Chop the cabbage, cutting out the core.

I like to chop it reasonably fine. ( use your food processor of you have one, naturally)

Place the sliced cabbage in a bowl and add the salt, giving it a quick massage through.

I let sit for 30-60 minutes until it starts to sweat, it does some of the hard work for you.

Mix in all the other ingredients

The mix should be quite wet now.

Begin to fill your Jar or your crock pot, taking a handful at a time and pressing down very hard using your fist/other implement. With each handful you鈥檒l notice a little more liquid聽

Keep filling the jar, until you have it filled to 1鈥� of the top of the jar and the liquid is covering the cabbage completely.聽 This provides an anaerobic environment within which the fermentation can take place.

For successful fermenation, keeping the cabbage submerged is crucial, so place a weight on it.聽 Leave to sit for anything from 1-6 weeks. Feel free to taste it every few days to gauge the progress of the fermentation flavour.聽 If you are fermenting in an air tight jar, then burping every few days to release the CO2 build up is important.

When you are happy with the flavour and texture, store in the fridge.聽 The times will vary with room temperature and other factors.聽 After a week the good bacteria are considered established, and it is good to eat but if you want maximum probiotics in your sauerkraut, you鈥檒l want to let your ferment go through the three stages of fermentation.聽 This can take up to 4 weeks.