I’m a experimentalist by nature. I rarely follow a recipe to a T. I never take the time to read directions. And I will generally try anything once. And this might be why I’ve fallen in love with fermenting things. It’s pretty difficult to have something be a complete failure and it’s easy to adjust with time and temperature.
Today, I’m sharing a recipe for a fermented cranberry topping. This is actually the first time I thought I may have had a fermentation failure on my hands. I opened and tasted it at the seven day mark and boy was it not good. Unless you’re into cranberries that taste like rubbing alcohol. I almost threw it out, but figured I had invested in the ingredients, prep, and fermentation time so far. What did I have to lose by letting it ferment longer?
Fast forward a month and SUCCESS! I have myself a jar of fermented cranberry topping. It no longer smells of or tastes like alcohol. In fact, it smells like fall and Thanksgiving to me. The addition of cloves, cinnamon, and orange juice are aromatic!
You may be thinking, that sounds good but what would I use it for?
That’s a great question. And so far, I’ve used it two different ways.
The first is on top of yogurt. The creaminess of full fat greek yogurt mellows out the tartness of the cranberries, so you can really taste the orange, cinnamon and clove flavors.
I’ve also used it in my daily smoothies! Depending on the add-ins, sometimes I notice the cranberries and sometimes I don’t. It’s nice to know I am getting a little extra vitamin C by including them though. In my usual smoothie of spinach, water, greek yogurt, unsweetened coconut flakes, protein powder and ground flax seeds, I will get hints of cranberry and orange. If I add in blueberries, I don’t notice those flavors.
Now, anotherway I want to try it is on top of vanilla ice cream! I think that would be amazing. Please let me know if you give it a try. 🙂 Ok, on to the recipe.
For Fermented Cranberry Topping, you’ll need:
- 4 cups cranberries
- 1 cinnamon stick, cracked
- 1″ hunk of ginger
- zest of 1 small lemon
- juice of 1 large orange
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup raw honey
- filtered or spring water
First, add the cranberries, cinnamon stick and ginger to your food processor and pulse a few times. Just until everything is roughly chopped.
Then transfer mixture to a glass jar.
Next, add thelemon zest, orange juice, sea salt and honey to the jar.
Be sure to use a non-iodized salt and raw unpasteurized honey. This is important in ensuring the contents of the jar will actually ferment.
Fill the rest of the space with filtered water, leaving about 1″ of head room at the top.
Cap the jar and shake until everything is combined. Then remove the cap and add weights and an airlock device. I used the Pickle Pusher from Ultimate Pickle Jarfor this recipe. It’s an “all in one” weight and airlock device. It uses a plunger to hold everything under the brine plus a lid and airlock so you can get a true anaerobic environment for your ferment. It worked like a charm and I loved that I didn’t have to rig up any sort of weight. I will note that after posting this photo on Twitter, the maker of the Pickle Pusher reached out to me to let me know it’s generally meant to fit closer to the top of the jar. I just didn’t have quite enough “stuff” in the jar! It still did it’s job anyway.
Let sit at room temperature for approximately 30 days, then move to the refrigerator. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream!
Fermented Cranberry Topping
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Author Alana - The Wild Gut
Ingredients
- 4cupscranberries
- 1cinnamon stickedcracked
- 1inchhunk of ginger
- zest of one small lemonor half large lemon
- juice of 1 large orange
- 1tspsalt
- 1/3cupraw honey
- filtered water
Instructions
Add cranberries, cinnamon stick and ginger to food processor and pulse a few times
Pack mixture into quart sized jar
Zest one small lemon and add to jar
Juice one large orange and add to jar
Sprinkle 1 tsp salt into jar
Add 1/3 cup raw honey into jar
Fill with filtered water leaving about 1 inch of head room
Cap jar and shake to combine ingredients
Remove cap, add weights and cover with airlock or similar device
Let sit at room temperature for approximately 1 month and then move to the refrigerator
FAQs
Both the berries themselves, and the thinned, red-stained honey, can be used in salads, desserts, and tea, or just eaten off the spoon. These would serve as a beautiful alternative to a traditional cranberry sauce at an autumn feast.
Can cranberry juice ferment into alcohol? ›
after about 3 weeks of fermentation we're at about 13.2% alcohol. and I siphon it off into a bottle for bottle conditioning get it nice and fizzy. a month after we start we have a delicious complex cranberry wine. great as a holiday gift or just a really chuggable wine.
How to use honey fermented cranberries? ›
How do you eat honey fermented cranberries?
- Serve them with your turkey dinner like you would with regular cranberry sauce. ...
- Add a cup to your morning smoothie. ...
- Add a few spoonfuls to your morning yogurt. ...
- Use the liquid from this ferment in place of honey or maple syrup on top of your pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.
Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.
How do you use wild cranberries? ›
Highbush cranberries make a beautiful jelly and are popular in many prod- ucts. The berries aren't used in pies and other baked goods because of the large, flat seeds. However, they combine well with other fruits and when used with less plentiful berries like raspberries, currants and rose hips enhance their flavor.
What do Native Americans use cranberries for? ›
Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods, the most popular being pemmican, a high-protein combination of crushed cranberries, dried deer meat, and melted fat. They also used it as a medicine to treat arrow wounds and as a dye for rugs and blankets.
Is it safe to drink juice that has fermented? ›
However, bacteria can adapt to the acid and alcohol present in various fermented products, and most safety issues were involved by pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella spp. or Escherichia coli O157:H7 [11,46,51]. E. coli outbreaks were reported in cider and Salmonella typhimurium in orange juice [52].
How long does it take for juice to ferment into alcohol? ›
Sprinkle dry yeast evenly across the surface of the juice. Do not stir. Replace lid on pail loosely but do not seal. Primary fermentation will begin in 24 – 36 hours and will be complete in 6 – 10 days.
Does cranberry juice ferment in the fridge? ›
In addition, sniff the leftover juice to see if you can detect any funky or fermented aromas. The presence of any of these traits indicates that it is time to toss the juice. If you would like to extend the life of your cranberry beyond its standard refrigerated shelf life, we recommend putting it in the freezer.
What does honey do when fermented? ›
Fermented honey, sometimes termed baker's honey, has a sharp taste due to the acetic acid formed, a slightly bready smell and a soft mouthfeel. While fermenting bubbles can be seen in the honey and the fermented honey can retain a frothy appearance. Fermented honey on breakfast muesli with natural yoghurt is delicious.
Mead (/miːd/), also called hydromel (particularly when low in alcohol content), is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops.
How do you take the bitterness out of homemade cranberry sauce? ›
"Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine. Add more to taste. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (in small amounts, it intensifies sweetness)."
Why is my homemade cranberry sauce watery? ›
Mistake #2: Your Cranberry Sauce Is Too Runny
You may have added too much liquid to the cranberries. In addition to pectin, cranberries contain water, which means you only need to add a splash of liquid to get the cooking going. Add too much and you'll be stirring at the stove much longer than expected.
Why isn't my cranberry sauce gelling? ›
Why won't my cranberry sauce gel? Boiling is critical to release pectin, the key gelling ingredient, from the cranberry. You must cook the sauce for at least 10 minutes at a full boil for the pectin to react with the sugar and create the proper gelled texture.
How do you eat sour cranberries? ›
If they're too tart for you, you can chop them and add a little sugar or any other sweetener. You also can cook them into roasted vegetable platters, pilafs, baked goods, jams, and marinades. To cook them, heat the cranberries just enough that they pop; too much cooking can make them bitter.
What are highbush cranberries used for? ›
Highbush cranberry is used as an ornamental plant and valued for its edible fruits. The fruit is commonly gathered from wild stands in late August or early September, best when picked slightly under- ripe (and sour), and used in sauces, jellies, and juices.
What can I do with bitter cranberries? ›
That said, the best way to tackle fruits that are way too tart is to balance their sourness with sweetness. In addition to softening their abrasiveness, tossing any unbearably bitter berries with sugar can also heighten nuanced flavors.
What to do with cranberries after making juice? ›
Seven ways to reuse your leftover fruit juice pulp
- Add interest to smoothies. Try adding some nutritious pulp to the blender when you make your next breakfast smoothie. ...
- Make flavoured ice cubes. ...
- Liven up pancakes. ...
- Make chewy fruit leathers. ...
- Make popsicles. ...
- Add to homemade granola. ...
- Add to baked goods. ...
- Apples.
