When I was a kid, I always preferred the smooth, canned cranberry sauce. My mom often made a homemade cranberry relish gelatin, but it wasn’t until I was a bit older that I really began to appreciate it. She always included nuts and thinly sliced celery and it had the most wonderful crunch.
Several years ago my sister put together a cookbook of the recipes that my grandmother, my mom and her sisters made frequently. It’s such a treasure! I was browsing through recently and spotted the “Cranberry Jello” recipe.
Ahhh, I thought. I could do something similar, but ferment it so that it would be packed with probiotics. Yes, lacto-fermented cranberry relish sounded perfect!
This would also make a nice hostess gift during the holidays, packed in an attractive jar. And it’s a good introduction to lacto-fermentation for the un-initiated because people already expect something with cranberries to be tart.
Hope you enjoy!
You’ll also love this recipe from Grow, Forage, Cook, Ferment:Â Fermented Honey Cranberries.
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Lacto-fermented Cranberry Apple Relish
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh organic cranberries coarsely chopped
- 2 organic apples quartered, cored and coarsely chopped
- 1 stalk organic celery thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup raw organic walnuts or pecans chopped
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or raw honey
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup whey the liquid strained from plain yogurt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and stir together.
- Transfer to a wide mouth quart jar and pack down being sure to leave at least 1" of head space.
- Place airlock on jar, cover with a tea towel, and leave at room temperature for 2 - 3 days.
- Refrigerate. Will keep for several weeks.
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one of God's says
Looks yummy. Can it be made without the airlock? Thanks.
Susan Vinskofski says
I think that would be fine. Use a tight lid and release the gases once a day. It’s really delicious!
Naomi says
This looks really delicious! Too bad I can never find cranberries where I live.
Susan Vinskofski says
Oh, wow! No cranberries? That’s really sad.
John Schippers says
Hello can I substitute the whey in this recipe ?
Susan Vinskofski says
Although I’ve never tried it, I would think you could use the brine from another ferment instead of the whey.
Michelle says
Do you have to use the Whey? I’m allergic to milk, so I can’t have it.
Allison says
Hi Michelle! I’m going to be trying this out with water kefir instead of whey as I can’t do dairy, either. I’ll report back when it’s done to let you know if it worked out!
Susan Vinskofski says
I love your willingness to experiment, Allison!
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Michelle, for this type of ferment you do need a culture of some sort. No, it does not have to be whey. I would contact Cultures for Health and ask them to recommend something for you.
Kristel Wiesner says
I came to your site to look for a cultured green bean recipe and ran across this yummy cranberry relish. I’m bookmaking it to make when apples are ready. I actually have a couple bags of cranberries left in the freezer from Christmas time.
Susan Vinskofski says
It’s really yummy, Kristel. I don’t think I have a green bean recipe posted, but it’s really simple. Pack a quart canning jar with green beans, leaving about 1 1/2″ headspace. Cover with a brine consisting of 2 cups water and 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt. Use a weight or small plastic bag filled with water to keep the beans below the brine. Leave at room temperature 3 – 5 days and refrigerate. I like to let them mellow in the frig for another week or two before eating.
pam weisenburgwe says
Will raw, unpasteurized honey have enough wild yeast to ferment ?
Susan Vinskofski says
Pam, I really don’t know; possibly. Do you not want to use whey?
Nancy Stelmach says
Could you just can this rather than doing the airlock?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Nancy, by canning this you will kill the probiotics and lose the benefits of the raw ingredients. Thank you for stopping by!
gina says
My mom used to make a cranberry relish with cranberries, apples, oranges, walnuts and sugar. This post has got me ready to try to ferment her recipe but use honey, add the celery like your mom, and use a powdered culture. Thanks!
Susan Vinskofski says
Oranges would be delicious in this, Gina!
gina says
I just finished getting my relish fermenting and I am excited to see how it turns out in 3 days. I had a couple spoons that I couldn’t fit into my fermenting vessel and so I got to taste it and it is ah-maz-ing! I used raw blue agave nectar to sweeten it and 1 package of Body Ecology Culture Starter instead of the whey. Thanks for the post that got me to experiment!
Jeff says
For those of you who can’t use dairy whey, try making and using rejuvelac as a starter culture. Another option to consider would be using some liquid from ginger bug, or from water kefir, or even from kombucha.
Kathleen says
We’re on a low sodium diet. If I leave out the salt will it still work?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Kathleen, the salt is a helpful ingredient because it keeps bad bacteria at bay until the good bacteria can populate. Therefore, I don’t recommend leaving it out.
Elizabeth Miller says
Could you use the hooch from sourdough instead of whey? No dairy in it.
Susan Vinskofski says
I think it would be worth experimenting with, but I’m sorry to say I have no experience.