Fermented Berries

Makes about 1 pint

Recipe by Nourished Kitchen at https://nourishedkitchen.com via The Oh Lardy! Guide to Fermenting Fruits and Vegetables

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Fermented berries are simple and quick to make. Serve them over custard, yogurt or ice cream, or add them to the blender for your morning smoothie. I made this with pitted sour cherries.  I served them with plain Greek yogurt and topped it off with Coconut-Buckwheat Granola for a fantastic dessert.

Ingredients

2 cups mixed berries (I used pitted sour cherries.)
2 Tablespoons honey (You could probably use maple syrup.)
2 Tablespoons fresh whey**

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Filtered water

Instructions

Put the berries in a pint-­size jar. Pack them tightly with your clean hand or a wooden spoon. 

In a bowl, mix whey, a few tablespoons of water, honey, and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the berries, and then fill jar with filtered water, leaving 1½ inches of headspace. 

Press down with fist or wooden spoon to be sure the water has filled all the air pockets. Add more water if necessary.

Be sure the berries are below the waterline, using a weight if necessary. 

Put lid on and leave at room temperature for 1­2 days. Store in refrigerator and use within 1­2 months.

**Whey:  It's very easy to get whey.  All you need to do it put a coffee filter in a sieve.  Place it over a bowl.  Put about 1 cup of plain yogurt in the coffee filter.  Place this in the fridge overnight or for a few hours.  The whey (liquid) will be in the bowl and the yogurt will have the consistency of cream cheese. Whey can be stored in the fridge or frozen for another time.  Make some Sweetened Thick Yogurt Cream using the thickened yogurt.  Serve it over your favorite cake or pie.

*To make Sweetened Thick Yogurt Cream, put the thickened yogurt in another bowl and add 1 Tablespoon or so of real maple syrup or honey.  (You can also add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla, if desired.) Mix thoroughly.  Chill until ready to serve.