Homemade Fermented Salsa

It's springtime in Florida! This past week, I went to a local U-Pick farm and got some great fruits and veggies, and I had a great idea to put some of them into a fermented treat for future use...

My kids helped pick two large buckets of strawberries, which I will be using in our homemade kombucha :) I also got a great deal on organic tomatoes. I got a basket (26) of "canning" tomatoes for $5! Then, I smelled the freshly-cut cilantro that was strategically placed by the cash register... and I got a great idea for those tomatoes. My oldest daughter helped me find the sweet Florida onions, and we were off to a running start.

We were told by the farmer that the sweet onions did not cause tears, but my daughter wasn't taking any chances!

I used a total of 24 tomatoes for our homemade salsa. They are easily peeled after sitting in a potful of boiling water for about 10 seconds!

Yummy... salsa! In my homemade salsa, I added:

24 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I used a small food processor)

4 c diced onions
4-8 jalapeno peppers, diced (use gloves when handling peppers!)
4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
2 1/2 T sea salt
8 garlic cloves, diced

I stirred everything together and put into clean quart canning jars. I also stirred in 2 T whey for each jar. Instead of canning with a water bath and killing beneficial enzymes, I am fermenting my salsa to add beneficial bacteria while preserving it for months in the fridge.

I filled 6 quart jars with this delicious salsa. The salsa will start to ferment on my kitchen counter for 2 days, and then I will move them to the fridge for storage. The flavors will develop over a period of time, but it can be eaten right away! I have no doubt we will finish all of this salsa before 6 months is up :)

I love springtime and look forward to visiting our local U-Pick farm again in the near future! In addition to his early spring crops, he has zucchini, squash, watermelon, and okra planted this year... YUM! Check out your local U-Pick farms at http://www.pickyourown.org/ .