Fermented Celery Recipe
Fermented celery is a tangy, crunchy, and healthful addition to your diet. This simple fermentation process enhances the nutritional value of celery by introducing beneficial probiotics that aid in digestion and boost immunity. It's an excellent way to preserve celery while adding a unique flavor profile to salads, sandwiches, or as a standalone snack.
Equipment
- 1 Quart-sized Jar with Lid
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Fermentation weight or a small zip-top bag filled with brine optional
- 1 Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound celery, washed and cut into sticks that fit your jar
- 2 cups water preferably filtered to avoid chlorine
- 1.5 tbsp sea salt non-iodized
- 1 tsp black peppercorns optional
- 3 cloves garlic sliced, optional
Instructions
- Cut the celery: Cut the celery into sticks that will fit vertically into the jar.
- Prepare the Brine: In a mixing bowl, dissolve the sea salt in the water to create your brine solution.
- Pack the Jar: Tightly pack the celery sticks into your clean quart-sized jar. If using any optional spices for flavoring, add them as you go along packing in the celery.
- Add Brine: Pour the brine over the celery sticks until they are completely submerged. Leave about an inch of headspace at the top of the jar.
- Weigh Down Celery: To ensure that all pieces remain below the surface of the brine (to prevent mold), use fermentation weights or place a small zip-top bag filled with some brine on top as a weight.
- Seal and Store: Close the jar tightly and store it at room temperature away from direct sunlight in a kitchen cupboard is ideal.
- Burp Daily: For jars without airlocks, open daily to release gases produced during fermentation ("burping") and check if more brining liquid is needed to keep celery submerged.
- Taste Test: Start tasting after 3 days; once it reaches your desired level of tanginess and crunchiness (typically between one week to two weeks), transfer it to refrigeration which slows down fermentation.
Notes
- The longer you ferment, stronger will be both taste and probiotic content; however beyond two weeks might result too soft texture for some preferences.
- Ensure everything used is very clean to avoid introducing harmful bacteria into your ferment.
- Experiment with different spices each time you make this recipe for varied flavors!
- You can add other flavorings such as garlic or dill to the jar for a different twist.
- Fermented celery can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.