Probiotic Foods Help Our Guts
Lately we’ve been trying to add more probiotic foods to our diet; our environment attacks the good bacteria in our guts in so many ways.
Homemade yogurt, lacto-fermented vegetables, beverages like bubbly lemonade, and condiments like fermented horseradish are all items I make as I’m able. I try to serve something cultured with at least one meal a day.
Fermented condiments are an easy way to add probiotics to our diet, but I don’t always have the time to make things like homemade ketchup, mustard, horseradish, salsa, or mayonnaise.
But, it’s really quite easy to turn store-bought condiments into probiotic powerhouses with fermentation.
Good bacteria is already present on fresh vegetables, so all that is needed to get fermentation started is sea salt and filtered water. Actually, the sea salt acts as a preservative until the process begins; it does not actually cause the fermentation. Whey is optional.
But with items like ketchup which have been cooked, whey is necessary since the heat of cooking has destroyed any beneficial bacteria.
The simplest way that I have found to make whey is to strain my homemade yogurt. The liquid is the whey. Whey from milk kefir, or cheese making may be used as well.
How to Ferment Store-Bought Condiments
Fermenting store-bought condiments is super easy. All that is needed is 1 T of whey for each cup of ketchup, mustard, or other condiment.
Let’s use a 24 oz bottle of ketchup as an example. Pour the ketchup into a quart jar. Add 3 T of whey and mix together. (Make sure you use a jar that is large enough to leave at least 1″ space below the lid). Place the lid on the jar and cover the jar with a dishtowel, and leave at room temperature for 2 – 3 days. Then return to original bottle, if desired, and refrigerate.
Horseradish, ketchup, mustard, and salsa should all be left to ferment at room temperature for 2 – 3 days. Mayonnaise should be left for only 8 hours before refrigerating.
Recommended Reading
My two go-to books for fermenting are Nourishing Traditions and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods.
Have you ever tried fermenting a store-bought condiment?
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Susan says
Awesome!
Janine McIntyre says
Thank you for these recipes. I have a question for you. I ,usuallym never put these condiments in the refrigerator. After fermentation is it absolutely necessary to put them in the fridge?
Laurie says
What does the fermentation do to the taste?
I’d like to try, just curious.
Susan says
Hi Laurie. Good question; you won’t notice a change in the taste at all.
Norma Tumberg says
Have you fermented canned juices? I am wondering if would be the same ration of whey- 1T per cup? I have canned juices that are full of sugar but would like to use them. Or would it make more sense, and how to do that? to use water kefir grains and make kefir with the juice.
thanks
Susan says
Hi Norma, I haven’t moved into fermenting fruits and juices. I do know that you need to be careful since they can turn to alcohol. I would do some research before proceeding.
Norma Tumberg says
LOL, i guess I didn’t think of that. Thanks, I’ll research before going ahead w/ that project.
Rocking Homestead says
I ferment juice all the time! I just let it sit out to catch natural yeasts in the air, and then close the lid and let it carbonate. It’s pretty yummy, and it rarely gets to the point where it has much more alcohol that kefir water or Kombucha does. When it does get to that point, it usually doesn’t taste good anymore so I don’t drink it. I usually don’t even ferment my juice intentionally, it just happens accidentally when I leave juice out (as we often do, due to lack of room in our fridge).
A word of caution though, fermenting juice in plastic bottles can lead to explosions. A big fermented grape juice stain on our living room carpet is evidence of us having learned that the hard way. Once your juice has reached the fermentation level you like, drink it quick or find room for it in your fridge!
Carol says
As long as the condiment you begin with is made of better quality ingredients, I say go for it! But it wouldn’t make sense to ferment a jar of what would be essentially garbage and GMO’s to begin with, right? 🙂
Susan says
That’s absolutely right. But I wouldn’t buy junk even if I wasn’t going to ferment it.
Kristi@The Mind to Homestead says
Wow–what a GREAT idea! Thank you for sharing this, I’m excited to try it. 🙂
Susan says
Thanks, Kristi!
Kristel says
Love quick ideas like this!
Susan says
Yes! It just suddenly came to me one day that this was possible!
Tina S. says
I just recently heard of someone doing this with an actual probiotic supplement. They break it open into whatever they’re fermenting and leave it for the same amount of time that you eecommend. It turns the usual numbers of billions you find in a supplements into many times that once fermented. Have you ever thought of going that route when you don’t have access to whey at the moment?
Susan says
Interesting! that’s not something I’m familiar with.
Rocking Homestead says
I do that to make sour cream. Different probiotics give it different flavors. I find a pure acidophilus tastes best for sour cream, but everyone’s preference could be different.
Susan Vinskofski says
Great idea!
Jackie says
This is great! Question about whey….when I make yogurt, I usually gently heat my milk to 140 -160. Is the whey from yogurt made this way ok to use for lacto fermenting, or should I use whey from clabbered milk?
Susan says
Hi Jackie, I heat my milk as well when I make yogurt, and that whey is perfect because probiotics have grown in the yogurt!
Jackie says
Thank you! I’m looking forward to doing this 🙂
Amber says
Any guidance on how to do this dairy-free? I have a severe dairy allergy (I’m hoping that good gut health will resolve this, but i’m not there yet. ) Just salt?
Susan says
Hi Amber, just salt will not work because there is no good bacteria in the condiment to begin with. Salt is only a preservative until the good bacteria begins to proliferate on it’s own. What I would do is call a company like Cultures for Health and tell them what you want to do, and see what dairy-free cultures they may have to help you get started.
Amber says
Great idea thanks! Any way to sneak fermented foods into my family’s diet is a good thing. 😉
Jasmine Ward says
You’re awesome! 🙂 Thanks for this!!
Susan says
🙂
Amy says
New to fermentation…Just wanted to clarify…does the lid go on tightly or loosely? What is the purpose of the dishtowel?
Thank you!
Susan says
Hi Amy, the lid should go on tightly; the towel is to keep the fermentation in the dark. Hope that helps.
Christine @ Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers says
This is a great idea! My husband, tragically, ran out of his fermented hot sauce the other day… and hot pepper season is a loooong way away!
He found some greenhouse grown hot peppers, and is making another batch, but this would have been a great option to tide him over! 🙂
(I loved seeing the Wegmans labels on the post!)
As for trying to home ferment a condiment… does trying to make wine out of Wegmans grape juice count? We called it W-wine… and it was beyond horrible!
~ Christine
Susan says
HaHa! I wish I could help as far as the wine. I wonder how you could do that. I assume you are in in PA or NY to have a Wegman’s in your area. They really are the best grocery store around and I love that they have their own organic farm. Fermenting store-bought hot sauce sounds like a great idea!
Erika at SimpleSpectacular.com says
I’m a fermenting beginner! Are there any risky things to watch for when home fermenting… does it pose risk of botulism or anything like that if I do it wrong?
Susan Vinskofski says
The wonderful thing about fermenting, Erika, is that you WILL know if it’s gone wrong. The taste will be awful. I suppose that all food has the risk of botulism, but I think fermenting is really a safe process.
Matt Wennerstrom says
Hey Susan….I’d like to ferment store bought salsa(there are a couple I really like)….can I just empty out the contents of my probiotic to get it going? If so, how long would it take to actually ferment? If it is a refrigerated salsa, to I still just put it on the counter?
Susan Vinskofski says
Oh, gosh, I don’t know why I am just seeing this comment, Matt. So sorry to have ignored you. I have never done any fermentation using probiotic capsules, but others have commented that it works. And yes, still leave the salsa on the counter. 🙂
Rocking Homestead says
This is a great idea! I bought a bunch of fancy mustard seeds to make my own fermented mustard forever ago, but haven’t gotten around to it. I’m still going to do it, but this will tide me over until then!
Susan Vinskofski says
I love making my own fermented mustard: https://learningandyearning.com/homemade-probiotic-honey-mustard. And I ferment store-bought when I’m being lazy. 😉
Steve says
Hey Susan , I’m new to this but was wondering , say when you ferment ketchup will the process eat up some of the sugar?
Susan Vinskofski says
Yes, that’s correct! I think you’ll find this article interesting: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/low-carb-fermented-foods
Mooglew says
What can be substituted for the whey if one does not have and how much to use? I have kombucha vinegar, will that work? or maybe ginger bug?
Susan Vinskofski says
I don’t have any experience with substitutes so I’m afraid I can’t advise you here. Even a good quality store bought yogurt can be strained to obtain whey.
Bethany says
Could you add the whey to store bought pickles as well?
Susan Vinskofski says
Interesting idea, Bethany. I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. It’s not going to have the power-house of probiotics that fermented pickles would have, but still, I think it’s a good idea.
Jeff says
This is a little bit different but for those people trying to use probiotic capsules, you need to wake up the bacteria first before you can use them to ferment foods. Put the contents of one capsule into a small glass of milk, cover it with a towel and let it sit out at room temperature for a few days. The milk will separate into curds and whey, and then you can use the whey as a starter culture. Or simply drink the whey because it is full of good bacteria. And you can use that whey to culture a new batch of milk each time, over and over. It is so much easier than making yogurt. I use the whey to make beet kvass and it works fine.
Susan Vinskofski says
What a great idea, Jeff. Thank you for taking the time to share!
Brendan says
I left some organic corn chips IN my opened-but-refrigerated store-bought organic cilantro-lime salsa jar.
It’s been in the fridge less than two weeks. (I did not leave it at room temp. for any more than an hour or two.)
But today, when I opened the jar, it was pressurized (“pop!”) – yes, fermented (tangy).
Is this relevantly like the fermented salsa described here, and thus SAFE to eat?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hmmm. That’s a new one for me, and I really don’t know the answer to your question. I don’t know why corn chips would make the salsa ferment, or if it’s safe to eat. Wish I could have been more helpful.
reggie says
Wegmans organic ketchup has vinegr. Isn’t that going to kill the ferment?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Reggie, according to Cultures for Health (my go-to for fermentation information), the amount of vinegar in ketchup should not affect the fermentation at all.
Janine McIntyre says
Thank you for these recipes. I have a question for you. I ,usually never put these condiments in the refrigerator. After fermentation is it absolutely necessary to put them in the fridge?