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.
What does fermented cranberry juice taste like? ›
If juice is fermented, it will be delicately carbonated, have a yeast sediment on top and yeast sediment on the base. You will also taste liquor and smell alcohol and yeast.
How do I thicken my homemade cranberry sauce? ›
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.
How long does it take for cranberry juice to ferment? ›
Fermentation will take approximately 5 days. Tip: Once or twice a day, swirl your container to make sure the yeast make surface contact with all of the juice. Wait 5 days, then taste-test.
How much alcohol is in fermented cranberry juice? ›
It also fermented at the slowest rate. The juices with the most sugar, purple grape juice and white grape juice (15% sugar) each produced the greatest yield of potential alcohol (8%). Cranberry juice had the lowest sugar content (7%) and produced the least amount of potential alcohol (0.25%).
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.
Does cranberry juice make a woman taste sweeter? ›
Some sources assert that drinking cranberry juice may improve sexual experiences by enhancing the flavor of vagin*l secretions. While one study list diets as one of several factors that influence the vagin*'s microbiome, no scientific evidence supports the claim that cranberry juice can improve vagin*l taste ( 1 ).
Fruit juice: Fruits like grapes, berries, and apples are commonly used for fermentation because they contain natural sugars that can be converted into alcohol. These types of juice are often used to make wine, cider, and mead. Vegetable juice: Vegetables like beetroot, carrots, and celery can be used for fermentation.
Why is my cranberry sauce bitter? ›
Dear Evelyn: I had the same problem when I first started making my own cranberry sauce. I found out that you should cook them just until they pop. Further cooking will make them bitter, and once that happens, you need to start again.
How to remove tartness from cranberries? ›
Anything from a drizzle of honey to agave, maple syrup, or molasses will also fare well. After a few minutes of maceration, the sour fruit juices will mix with the sugar and alleviate some of the cranberries' natural tartness.
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)."
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.
Can you drink fermented cranberry juice? ›
Here's a way to get a wallop of health benefits by fermenting the beneficial fungal species, Saccharomyces boulardii, in cranberry juice for a light and refreshing holiday drink. It's also a way to get you into the frame of mind of making your own probiotic foods, something I dive deeply into my new book, Super Gut.
What to do with cranberries after making juice? ›
Fresh cranberry juice is often blended with other delicious fruits, and the leftover pulp is just as wonderful. Put that pulp to use with this festive Cranberry Chutney! Delicious spread on crostini with brie cheese or served alongside turkey, pork or chicken.
