Ok, this whole food adventure happened because of a show about food that led me to a book about fermentation! The show I stumbled upon was “The Bear”, the craziest, craziest chef show? Catering business? food? Umm… not sure, but it was totally fun to watch.
Once I finally managed to defeat a copy of the book, I gobbled it up and here was our first “production” from the book, fermented gooseberries, little bursts of intense flavor and texture. I’ve never had fruit salad before. Aren’t they beautiful?!
Note: Conscious fermentation lovers! You have to check out this book! Clear explanations of the basic fermentation process, many simple and more complicated ferments clearly explained with lots of photos, as well as simple ways to integrate the ferments into your daily food. I went through the entire book in a couple of sittings. Inspiring stuff!
So we began our journey to ferment fruit. Gooseberries specifically. Apparently there are many types of gooseberries throughout the world. The only type I’ve ever seen in HK are Cape Ance Geoseberries, named so because of the cute leaf sleeves each fruit wears. From my further research the Cape Gooseberry is, it turns out, not a true gooseberry. But close enough.
Cape Gooseberries (also known as golden berries or Peruvian cherries) are slightly sweet, slightly tart, juicy and full of tender seeds that make the texture more amazing. We have used these berries to great success in making salsa verde, nom, nom.
The coats need to be torn off and the berries washed. At this point you can simply eat them like fruit. My little girl actually likes to eat them as is.
The ferment for these gooseberries will be lacto fermentation. Which is a fancy name for fermenting in a salt brine. The salty brine inhibits oxyen, kills bad bacteria, and then allows lactic acid bacteria, found on the skins of fruits and vegetables, to convert the sugars into lactic acid. Lactic acid helps preserve the berries and also provides the distinctive tanginess. Milk fermentation is also how traditional dill pickles, sauerkraut, sourdough, kimchi and yogurt are made.
Amazing, I always think, that something as simple as salt can inspire so much creativity and food goodness. Salt as Goddess of Food!
So simple to make the ferment. Only pickled berries. The amount of salt needed for the brine is calculated using the total weight of the berries + the water used in the brine.
How to do this? Prepare a sterile jar and stand on a ladder. Tar The scale (set it to zero with the empty glass jar on the scale.) Add gooseberries inside. Add enough water to cover. Note the total weight of the berries and water. Calculate 2% of that weight and this will be your salt needed for the brine. Pour in the water, mix with salt and there’s your brine! Pour that brine right into the jar.
This next part is always the hardest part of Lacto fermentation for me. It’s super duper important to keep oxygen away from whatever you’re fermenting. In other words, everything must be completely submerged in brine! Any peek can get the ferment wrong, often creating a white biofilm called kahm yeast that is harmless but nasty and sometimes moldy, meaning it’s game over and time to start again.
Once all your gooseberries are hidden, it’s time to get ready for bed. Cover loosely with Jar Lid as there will be gas released during the ferment which will need to have a way to escape. Find a nice dark hot spot and let the buzz begin!
The fermentation is done and now finally for my favorite part, the finish, the first taste! In fact that’s the thing I like most about fermentation: that first taste when you discover how fermentation has changed the flavor of the original: enhancing, intensifying, creating new layers of flavor and new textures. Always surprising and delicious to discover these delicious new nuances of flavor.
You’ll find the fermented gooseberries slightly salty, slightly sweet with a very addictive tart kick and beautiful soft delicately textured flesh with small tender seeds. There is an umami developed from the fermentation which has developed the flavor to an addictive complexity. You’ll eat one and then crave it again.
Ok, the good part of Show Off! Now you have a very nice jar of fermented gooseberries in the refrigerator, waiting to be used. They can be eaten as is, golden globs of tangy flavor. They can be more adorable when paraded in a flavor. I like to add them sliced into sandwiches as an accent. These golden berries are the perfect accord and textured accent to help up your food game! Also, let’s not forget that fermented foods are full of probiotics and prebiotics that boost our gut health and immunity systems. Fermentation lives!!
(makes 2 cups) Prep Time: 5 minutes Ferment Time: 5-7 days
Ingredients:
Peel the skin of the gooseberries. Wash and dry the berries. Add berries to the sterile jar. Pour water into the jar to cover the berries by about an inch.
Note: If your amount of berries differs from the recipe, simply use the method for measuring the total weight of berries and water explained in the post above to calculate the salt required for your specific brine and then proceed.
Pour the water into a clean bowl. Add the salt and stir until dissolved. Pour the brine into the jar.
Use a clean dry sauce plate or zip-lock bag filled with water to press the berries until they are All Completely submerged under the brine. This is important, the berries must be underneath and stay underneath. If you use the ZipLock method you will need to use a larger jar that will accommodate the water pouch
Cover the jar with a lid but do not screw on tightly. Leave room for the fermenting gas to escape. Place in a dark warm spot and let brew for 5-6 days.
Starting on day 5, perform a taste test using clean dry utensils. Once the acidity is to your liking, the ferment is finished. Place in the refrigerator where the cold will retard the ferment. Use within 2 weeks. Enjoy the buzz!
