08/27/2024
Early in July I was gifted a gallon bag of jalapeno peppers grown locally in a growdome garden. What does one do with all those peppers? Well a voice inside my head screamed a ferment crEATion is exactly what I should do with this incredible blessing of amazing locally grown little fireballs. To my surprise my old friend, The Fermented Chef, came out to play and magic started to flow! We (well, yes it was truly all me) decided on four differant items from my sauer-salsa favorites back on the Big Island; Original (just the basic), Smoky, Taco and Flaming Hot! Each jar got chopped up onions, garlic, carrots, jalapenos and sweet peppers plus differant spices in each jar (accept for Original) and then I topped them all off with a 5% brine. Next, I ensured everything was below the brine line by pressing cabbage leaves into the tops of the jars, pressing down all the veggies and then I placed them on my kitchen counter (on a tray to catch any overflow) to wait patiently for the probiotic magic to occur. In just a couple of days the magic bubble action (my favorite part) started to occur and the probiotics started to grow. For the next week I checked on them daily, shaking the jars, rolling everything around (which helps coat everything in brine to prevent any mold growth) and even sang them a little song now and then. They smelled incredible and when the veggies looked like they were done, I blended them up into smaller salsa sized bits withy Ninja and then poured them back into their jars for storage in a cool dark (refrigerated is best) space. It brings me such pleasure to crEATe such tasty treats to enjoy with everything from tacos to tamales to enchiladas, but my all time favorite is on an avocado half shell with simple gluten-free chips. My heART is beating with gratittude for these growdome gardeners and their glorious gift, giving me this opportunity to bring back some of my favorite recipes and the pleasure of crEATing some fermented goodness. Guess we will be in-joying Taco Tuesday tonight!
