Recipe: Naturally Fermented Cranberry Chutney

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already upon us, which means...it's time for Thanksgiving recipes!  :-) If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may recall that last Thanksgiving I attempted a naturally fermented whole cranberry sauce - one of my few fermentation fails...

Okay, so just to clarify, they weren't horrible, just not as tasty as I had hoped. They were very sour, but palatable when served with a drizzle of maple syrup on top, as the recipe suggested. If I recall correctly, they also took at least 2 weeks to ferment, so they were definitely not ready by Thanksgiving.

However, I'm not giving up on fermented cranberry sauce just yet! This year, I'm trying a different recipe - this one has a few more ingredients and sounds quite delicious. Plus, I now have kombucha brewing constantly, so I will use some of that as the culture, since my hard cider was just started this weekend so it's not strong enough yet to provide a good culture.

We'll see how it goes - I think a yearly fermentation experiment would be a fitting addition to our Thanksgiving tradition! :-)

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Before I share the recipe, let me just give you quick reminder of the health benefits of fermented foods. Containing trillions of healthy bacteria that benefit your gut, your immune system, and your overall health, fermented foods also help aid digestion, which will come in handy with all the rich foods you'll be consuming on Thanksgiving!

Besides the beneficial probiotics, cranberries also pack a nutritional punch just by themselves. According to the recipe author:

Cranberries are rich in vitamin C, fiber and manganese.  They are very high in phytonutrients and are thought to be very anti-inflammatory.  They are ranked towards the top of the list of berries that have anti-oxidant properties and are said to be helpful to our cardiovascular system, protect against cancer and contain enzymes that help with digestion.

Without further ado, here is the recipe I am using, from OhLardy.com:

Naturally Fermented Cranberry Chutney Recipe
(Makes about 4 cups.)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh organic cranberries (1 bag)
• 1/2 cup pecans (optional - I left these out as I don't care for nuts in my cranberry sauce)
  
• 1/2 cup honey (raw is best)
• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 1/2 cup of whey or other fermentation culture starter (I am using active kombucha - my green tea batch is very mild-flavored)
• 1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider (without added preservatives!)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground clove (optional)
• Juice from 1 orange and 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients (except raisins) together.
2. Put into a food processor and lightly pulse until the desired consistency/chunkiness.
3. Stir in raisins.
4. Add mixture to a 1 quart mason jar.
5. Add filtered water if need to leave about 1 inch headroom. (In my experience, you will have MORE than enough liquid without adding any water - I actually had to pour some off so the jar wouldn't overflow after I put the weight in.)
   
6. Tighten lid and leave at room temperature for 48 hours to ferment.
7. Refrigerate and use within 2 months.

A Few Notes:

I am starting out with a half-batch, and fermenting it in a wide-mouth pint jar, with a glass fermentation weight and air lock since I have them on hand. You can do it without, but you will want to make sure to "burp" your jar (unscrew the lid) every day or two to release any built up gases.

I would recommend setting the jar on a plate just in case of overflow, which is common with active ferments.

The recipe says 48 hours, but I have yet to ever have anything ferment that fast. Mine is going for about a week, and hopefully it will be ready by Thanksgiving...

I will let you know how it turns out! Based on the AMAZING aroma and flavor of the raw brine, I am optimistic. :-)

In the meantime, I wish you a very wonderful, happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving!
Rose.