Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe (2024)

By Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship® / Published: 09/15/2015 / Updated: 09/27/2020

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Table Of Contents

  1. Picking the Best Apples for Apple Salsa

Want to use up all of those apples but sick of making applesauce? Fermenting apples is an easy place to try fermentation for the first time. A salsa apple ferment is a crowd pleaser.

This is a guest post from Jo at Nourishing Time. Ferments are an area I feel I’ve been lacking in here at KS so I’m glad to welcome her with this yummy recipe! Fermented foods are key to healing your gut as I said in yesterday’s post, 100 Steps to Healing Your Gut

Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe (1)

Apple salsa is super simple, so delicious and quite versatile! We love to eat it on its own, or thrown into a yummy grilled chicken salad. When fermented, it adds a host of beneficial bacteria and increases the nutrients naturally in the ingredients included.

The recipe below is for a very simple apple salsa, and you’re welcome to include additional ingredients that you think may go well. I sometimes like to add some chopped bell peppers, but it’s delicious as-is!

Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe (2)

Picking the Best Apples for Apple Salsa

Many apple varieties will work with this recipe. I personally prefer to use Gala, Fuji and/or Honeycrisp apples. The only real requirement is that you use very fresh, very crisp apples. Well, even that’s not completely necessary, but less crisp apples may lead to a mushier (but still edible) salsa. You can leave the skin on if you’d like.

This recipe will make you a quart. I like to make several quarts at a time because we devour it so quickly. We love it almost as much as pineapple salsa!

Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe (3)

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Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe (4)

Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.7 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Jo
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 24 hours
  • Total Time: 24 hours 15 mins
  • Yield: 1 quart 1x
  • Category: Condiments
Print Recipe

Ingredients

UnitsScale

  • 23 large, crisp apples
  • 1/2 large red onion (or about 1/2 cup packed), finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1/2 inch fresh ginger (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp. allspice
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Approximately 2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Start with a clean 1L (or quart) jar with a lid. I love Fido and mason jars most.
  2. Core and cube or chop apples into bite-sized pieces. Add to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add finely chopped red onions.
  4. De-seed and slice jalapeno in 4 or more pieces and add to bowl.
  5. Add ginger (whole) to bottom of jar as you just want the flavor to infuse your salsa.
  6. Add your lemon juice and allspice to the mixing bowl and mix all your ingredients together.
  7. Pack your salsa mixture into the jar. Now is the time to add a weight if you’re using one–although it’s not essential, it can help apples stay under the brine and gain the best flavor.
  8. Mix salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase) and water together, and pour over into packed jar. If there isn’t enough water to cover, add a little more. You want to only leave about an inch of space in the jar.
  9. Close jar tightly and let ferment for 24-48 hours at room temperature, then move to fridge. It should be a bit bubbly, and smell awesome!
  10. Enjoy chilled!

Notes

You can also use sourdough tortillas to make sourdough cinnamon chips by cutting tortilla into wedges, misting with coconut oil, and sprinkling with a cinnamon sugar mixture then baking for a few minutes until crispy. These are perfect for dipping in salsa!

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Katie’s notes: Fermented foods are SO important to a healthy diet. I’m big on probiotics and having a healthy gut, so I was pleased to add this recipe to KS. It’s a great way to get started with fermented foods without worrying about grains, SCOBYs or other “trickier” forms of bacteria.

Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe (5)

What’s YOUR favorite type of salsa?

Keep Your Gut Healthy

  • 100 Steps to Heal Your Gut
  • Why Do I Have Stomach Pains After Eating?
  • What Does It Mean to Heal My Gut?
  • Health Benefits of Yogurt

Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe (6)Jo is an attached mom to her smarty-pants son and a full-time student majoring in Public Health. She is fascinated with holistic healing and loves to read, cook and ferment anything she can get her hands on in her spare time. She blogs at Nourishing Time about natural ways of improving health through food and positivity. Like Nourishing Time on Facebook by clicking here.

Unless otherwise credited, photos are owned by the author or used with a license from Canva or Deposit Photos.

Category: Food Preservation, Real Food Recipes

Tags: appetizer, apples, condiments, fall, fermented foods, side dish, traditional foods

Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take for apples to ferment? ›

In a large bowl, combine the water with salt and sugar and whisk until dissolved. Pour the brine in the jar all the way to the top, leaving abouta1/3" headspace. Ferment the apples at room temperature (68F-70F) for 10 days. Next, move the jar to the fridge and mature the apples for 30 days.

How long does apple juice need to ferment? ›

Ferment the juice in fermenters with airlocks, taking care to exclude air and insects. Fermentation will usually take three to six weeks, depending on temperature and yeast, and once it has ceased, immediately siphon the cider off the sediment into a clean fermenter.

Is it okay to eat fermented apples? ›

Apples are an excellent source of prebiotic fiber — the type of fiber consumed by the good bacteria in your gut (probiotics). Fermenting apple slices creates probiotics in them; thereby, having both prebiotic fiber and probiotics in one source. A perfect healthy food for snacking.

What happens when salsa ferments? ›

When salsa is fermented the acidifying agent is the lactic acid, which is produced by lactic acid bacteria. This recipe makes your salsa not only more digestible but is better for you and can be adjusted to your taste (anywhere from mild to spicy and slightly acidic to highly acidic).

Do apples ferment naturally? ›

Any fruit can ferment naturally, apples included. With the right conditions, natural fermentation can happen, those conditions include the presence of bacteria and yeast. The fermentation usually starts when the fruits are smashed and the yeast and sugar from the fruit juice can react and ferment into alcohol.

Can you ferment apples without yeast? ›

It is possible to ferment apple cider completely naturally, with no added sulfites or commercial yeasts. This may yield you a product that is stunningly good...or something that tastes like acrid library paste.

Why isn't my apple juice fermenting? ›

If you are relying on the wild yeasts which naturally occur in apples, it may take one or two weeks for the fermentation to get under way. If there is still no fermentation after 2 weeks, add a cultured yeast, such as Vigo Presses cider yeast, which is a high quality cider yeast widely used by commercial producers.

Which juice ferments the fastest? ›

Purple grape, white grape, and peach juice fermented to potential alcohol the fastest. Fermentation was complete in 6 days. Apple, pear and pomegranate juices also had high sugar content and fermented to potential alcohol in 9 days.

Should I boil apple juice before fermenting? ›

As you are making hard cider you just need to juice the apples then add your choosen yeast to the juice. You don't need to boil or even wash them, but you can. Many traditional ciders are fermented with the yeasts and bacteria found on the skins of the apples with no additional yeasts added.

What is fermented apple called? ›

Fermented apple juice is called “hard cider.” In Europe, all non-fermented apple juice is referred to as “juice”, and fermented apple juice is referred to as “cider.” Worldwide, cider varies in alcohol content from less than 3% alcohol by volume (ABV) as found in French cidre doux, to 8.5% ABV or above in traditional ...

What alcohol is made from fermented apples? ›

Cider (/ˈsaɪdər/ SY-dər) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples.

Who Cannot eat fermented foods? ›

Flexi Says: Individuals who should avoid fermented foods include those who are immunocompromised or have certain allergies or dietary restrictions. For example, those with yeast allergies, histamine intolerance or on a low-sodium diet may need to limit or avoid fermented foods.

How to tell if salsa has botulism? ›

You cannot see, smell, or taste botulinum toxin – but taking even a small taste of food containing this toxin can be deadly.
  1. The container spurts liquid or foam when you open it.
  2. The food inside is discolored, moldy, or smells bad.
Jun 6, 2019

Why do you add vinegar to homemade salsa? ›

All great salsa need a hit of acidity to lighten and brighten their flavors. Perry and Damuck like lime juice (skip the zest; it's too perfume-y), plain white vinegar, or red wine vinegar, which is a nice match for the tomatoes.

Does fermented salsa taste good? ›

If it's not already, fermented salsa should be on your radar for next-level summer eats. It has a distinct, tangy flavor and faint effervescence that sets it apart from a fresh chopped pico de gallo or cooked salsa. It's also not so loud that it tastes overly sour — that is, unless you like it that way!

Which fruits ferment the fastest? ›

Purple grape, white grape, and peach juice fermented to potential alcohol the fastest. Fermentation was complete in 6 days. Apple, pear and pomegranate juices also had high sugar content and fermented to potential alcohol in 9 days.

How long does it take for fruit to ferment? ›

Fermentation occurs once bubbles appear on the fruit because the yeast is digesting the sugar and converting it into alcohol. Fruit tends to ferment quickly, in 24 to 48 hours. However, some people prefer to ferment the fruit for up to 2 to 3 weeks.

How quickly does fermentation start? ›

Fermentation should start within 48 hours after pitching the yeast. Once fermentation starts, there will be bubbling in the airlock, and in a carboy with an ale, you will see little bubbles dancing on the top of the beer.

Do apples ferment on the ground? ›

Yes if the bugs get in it, it can fully ferment and rot out while on the branch and then attract more pests and appear to look ok from the outside but when you turn it in your hand you realize it's actually totally gone. They will then drop to the ground and ferment more.

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