I am passionate about condiments: fermented condiments. “Why?” you ask. Because nearly every child in America eats ketchup, mustard, or mayo nearly every day…and while they used to aid digestion, now they are merely sugar (ketchup), vinegar (mustard) or unhealthy fat, (mayonnaise). Just check the labels…organic or not, ketchup from the store is tomatoes with sugar… or worse, tomatoes with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)! Organic or not, mustard is mustard seed and vinegar. Every mayonnaise currently in the stores … is made from unhealthy fats, namely soy oil or canola oil, or both! Making your own condiments—and fermenting them— is an amazingly easy way to make a big difference in your child’s and your family’s health, and to “liven up” those summertime picnics with these live foods.
Lacto-fermentation is an easy, inexpensive, wonderful way to add “gut good guys”—beneficial bacteria, enzymes and vitamin C to your family’s diet. Stop popping all those probiotic pills, and make lacto-fermented ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise…and salsa for those chips.
If every mom or dad or grandparent made their children and grandchildren these condiments, we would be on our way to a health revolution! Just a few minutes to prepare, a few days on the counter … and viola’! Live ketchup! Live mustard! Live mayo and salsa! One dollop or dip towards better digestive health. You are going to eat condiments. Why not make them LIVE?
Practical note of caution: lacto-fermented foods are powerful foods. Eating a lot of them if you are not used to them can initiate “die-off” reactions, such as diarrhea (or vomiting in the extreme). There is likely nothing wrong with the ferment; it was just too much too soon. If you are not used to eating fermented foods daily, start incorporating them in small amounts – a teaspoon of fermented ketchup or mustard perhaps. If you or yours are inclined to eat an entire bag of chips with salsa in one sitting, it may be a good idea to combine some regular, organic salsa with your fermented salsa – perhaps 50/50 – for a while until you get used to eating fermented foods.
Here’s to a condiment revolution! Bon Appetit!
Recipes
You will need to make whey first to use in the following recipes. Whey is a simple protein found in milk. Most people can digest it easily. You are also welcome to skip the whey and use vegetable starter if you prefer not to use dairy due to allergy or sensitivity. Remember that the best foods are organic foods, or those you grow yourself or purchase from a farmer you trust. Tomatoes are especially toxic if they are not organic, as they are sprayed with multiple chemicals as fungicides, herbicides, etc. (If you are interested in learning which vegetables and fruits are best bought organic, see the Environmental Working Group’s annual lists, the Clean 15 (those you can purchase conventional because of low pesticides, etc.), and Dirty Dozen (those vegetables and fruits that they strongly suggest you purchase organic because they are the most contaminated; the “dirtiest”.)
Whey
Ingredients
- 1 quart good quality plain, organic, grass-fed, whole milk yogurt or kefir, no fillers or additives – homemade is best
- 1 fine mesh strainer, preferably cone-shaped
- cheese cloth or tea towel
- 2 cup liquid measuring cup or bowl to fit strainer
Instructions
- Place strainer in liquid measure or bowl. Line the strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth or a tea towel. Alternatively, use a cloth nut milk bag, hung to drip over the liquid measure or bowl.
- Spoon yogurt into strainer or nut milk bag. Whey will drip into the liquid measure and yogurt cheese will remain in the strainer.
- Leave on the counter to strain for 12-36 hours at room temperature. The longer you drip, the firmer the cheese.
Note: One quart of yogurt will yield about 2 cups of whey and 1 cup of yogurt cheese. Store whey and the cheese in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Whey will last up to 6 months under refrigeration.
Live, Fermented Ketchup
Makes 2 pints
Ingredients
4 small cans or jars (24 oz.) organic tomato paste, or 24 oz. tomatoes that you have cooked down, so no liquid remains
4 tablespoons or ¼ cup whey (or use vegetable starter using instructions provided) 1 tablespoon sea salt
¼ cup maple syrup – Grade B best, or liquid honey
3 cloves garlic, mashed
½ cup fish sauce (no MSG or soy)
Instructions
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Put in wide mouth, pint jars, leaving at least one inch space from the top.
Seal tightly and leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F/20-22°C) for 2-3 days. Then place in the refrigerator.
Note: Will keep for a month or so after opened.
Live, Fermented Salsa
makes 1 quart
Ingredients
4 medium organic tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 medium organic onion, finely chopped—red or yellow
1 small chili pepper, hot or mild, or more if preferred
6-8 cloves organic garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped (or another herb such as basil, Thai basil, oregano, or a combination) 1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey or an additional tablespoon of sea salt (or use vegetable starter using instructions provided)
pure water, if needed to cover tomatoes
Instructions
To peel and seed tomatoes, remove the core and “score” with an “X” on the bottom. With a slotted spoon, drop tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds. Remove and peel. Cut tomatoes in half, squeeze out and discard seeds. Then chop coarsely.
Stir all the ingredients in a bowl and then transfer to a wide mouth ball jar. Be sure the liquid covers salsa and leave one inch space from the top. Seal tightly with a two-piece lid.
Leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F/20-22°C) for 2 days or until the lid is taut (you cannot press it down with your finger; no longer than 5 days) and then place in the refrigerator.
Note: Will keep for about 2 weeks after opened.
Live, Fermented Mayonnaise
makes 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
1 whole, pastured egg at room temperature
2 pastured egg yolks at room temperature
1 forkful mustard (fermented best), or Dijon style
juice of 3 organic lemons
1 tablespoon whey or vegetable starter using instructions provided (do not double salt in this recipe)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, unrefined, OR
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, unrefined
¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil
½ cup sesame oil, unrefined
Instructions
Combine the egg, egg yolks, mustard, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a food processor: pulse until well incorporated.
If you are using the combination of oils instead of just the olive oil, combine the olive oil, coconut oil and sesame oil in a liquid cup measure. With the motor running, add the oils drop by drop to the food processor to form a mixture that has the consistency of a thin cake batter.
Whisk in the whey. Taste: add salt and/or some or all the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice as needed.
Transfer to a clean 1-pint glass jar. Seal tightly and leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F/20-22°C) for 8 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator.
Note: The mayonnaise can be refrigerated for several months and will become firmer as it ages.
Bonus!
Live, Fermented Pickles
makes 1 quart
Ingredients
6-8 pickling cucumbers, or more to fill jar
fresh dill, about 1 tablespoon chopped or more as desired (or just use fronds) 3-4 cloves organic garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons or ¼ cup whey (or one more tablespoon of sea salt or vegetable starter) 1 cup room temp filtered water or more to cover
Optional: other herbs!
Instructions
Slice pickling cucumbers lengthwise and fit into jar.
Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over cucumbers. Be sure the liquid covers the cucumbers; leave one inch space from the top. Seal tightly.
Leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F/20-22°C) for 3 days or until the lid is taut (you cannot press it down with your finger; no longer than 5 days) and then place in the refrigerator.
Note: you may use regular cucumbers for this recipe, but they often become mushy when fermented. To avoid this, some people add grape leaves, oak leaves, bay leaves or mustard seeds (which contain tannins) which can help maintain crispness. If you use regular cucumbers and they do become mushy, do not despair (nor throw them away)! Chop them up, put them back into the jar and you have fermented relish!
Enjoy!
Monica Corrado, MA, CNC, CGP is a teaching chef, Certified Nutrition Consultant, and Certified GAPS Practitioner who is passionate about illuminating the connection between food and well-being. A member of the Honorary Board of the Weston A. Price Foundation for almost 20 years, Monica is a dynamic teacher, speaker, consultant, and author who lives to share the tools, knowledge and inspiration to cook nourishing, traditional food. Monica is also The GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome™) Chef”, and teaches cooking for the GAPS diet for Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s GAPS Training team.
www.simplybeingwell.com
FB: Simply Being Well: Cooking for Wellbeing
Twitter: @simplybeingwell
IG: mcsimplybeingwell
Live, Fermented Ketchup
Source: Monica Corrado
Course: Condiments
Yield: 2 pints
Serves:
Ingredients
- 4 small cans or jars (24 oz.) organic tomato paste or 24 oz. tomatoes that you have cooked down, so no liquid remains
- 4 tablespoons or ¼ cup whey (or use vegetable starter using instructions provided) 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1⁄4 cup maple syrup - Grade B best or liquid honey
- 3 cloves garlic mashed
- 1⁄2 cup fish sauce (no MSG or soy)
Directions
- Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Put in wide mouth, pint jars, leaving at least one inch space from the top.
- Seal tightly and leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F/20-22°C) for 2-3 days. Then place in the refrigerator.
- Note: Will keep for a month or so after opened.
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Live, Fermented Salsa
Source: Monica Corrado
Course: Condiments
Yield: 1 quart
Serves:
Ingredients
- 4 medium organic tomatoes peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 medium organic onion finely chopped—red or yellow
- 1 small chili pepper hot or mild, or more if preferred
- 6-8 cloves organic garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped (or another herb such as basil, Thai basil, oregano, or a combination) 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons whey or an additional tablespoon of sea salt, (or use vegetable starter using instructions provided)
- pure water if needed to cover tomatoes
Directions
- To peel and seed tomatoes, remove the core and “score” with an “X” on the bottom. With a slotted spoon, drop tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds. Remove and peel. Cut tomatoes in half, squeeze out and discard seeds. Then chop coarsely.
- Stir all the ingredients in a bowl and then transfer to a wide mouth ball jar. Be sure the liquid covers salsa and leave one inch space from the top. Seal tightly with a two-piece lid.
- Leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F/20-22°C) for 2 days or until the lid is taut (you cannot press it down with your finger; no longer than 5 days) and then place in the refrigerator.
- Note: Will keep for about 2 weeks after opened.
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Live, Fermented Mayonnaise
Course: Condiments
Yield: 1 ½ cups
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 whole, pastured egg at room temperature
- 2 pastured egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 forkful mustard (fermented best) or Dijon style
- 3 organic lemons juice of
- 1 tablespoon whey or vegetable starter using instructions provided, (do not double salt in this recipe)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil unrefined, OR
- 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil unrefined
- ¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil
- 1⁄2 cup sesame oil unrefined
Directions
- Combine the egg, egg yolks, mustard, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a food processor: pulse until well incorporated.
- If you are using the combination of oils instead of just the olive oil, combine the olive oil, coconut oil and sesame oil in a liquid cup measure. With the motor running, add the oils drop by drop to the food processor to form a mixture that has the consistency of a thin cake batter.
- Whisk in the whey. Taste: add salt and/or some or all the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice as needed.
- Transfer to a clean 1-pint glass jar. Seal tightly and leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F/20-22°C) for 8 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator.
- Note: The mayonnaise can be refrigerated for several months and will become firmer as it ages.
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Live, Fermented Pickles
Course: Condiments
Yield: 1 quart
Serves:
Ingredients
- 6-8 pickling cucumbers or more to fill jar
- fresh dill about 1 tablespoon chopped or more as desired (or just use fronds) 3-4 cloves organic garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons or ¼ cup whey (or one more tablespoon of sea salt or vegetable starter) 1 cup room temp filtered water or more to cover
- Optional: other herbs!
Directions
- Slice pickling cucumbers lengthwise and fit into jar.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over cucumbers. Be sure the liquid covers the cucumbers; leave one inch space from the top. Seal tightly.
- Leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F/20-22°C) for 3 days or until the lid is taut (you cannot press it down with your finger; no longer than 5 days) and then place in the refrigerator.
- Note: you may use regular cucumbers for this recipe, but they often become mushy when fermented. To avoid this, some people add grape leaves, oak leaves, bay leaves or mustard seeds (which contain tannins) which can help maintain crispness. If you use regular cucumbers and they do become mushy, do not despair (nor throw them away)! Chop them up, put them back into the jar and you have fermented relish!
- Enjoy!
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