Beginner’s Guide to Fermentation | Part 5 : Lacto Apples and Mustard

A distinctly savoury apple ferment to be eaten raw, turned into a puree, or cooked into a glossy sauce or BBQ glaze.

Ingredients:

425g apples*

3 cloves of garlic

20g yellow mustard seeds

300ml water

15g salt

1x 750ml glass jar

1x pebble weight

1. Wash the apples, especially if waxed, then core and slice.

2. Peel the garlic and weigh out the mustard seeds, then add everything into the clean jar. 

3. Fill up with 300ml of water so that everything is submerged, then add the salt.

4. Close the lid and give the jar a good shake to dissolve the salt, then open it again to add the pebble weight to make sure the ingredients are below the brine surface.

5. Leave somewhere between 18-25C for 2-3 weeks, opening daily for the first week or two to release pressure from fermentation and enjoy the bubbles!

6. After fermentation has slowed down, store somewhere cool (ideally 8C or lower) for up to 6-7 months, or eat straight away. You can blend into a fermented apple puree to enjoy in sandwiches or alongside cheese boards, or cook into chutney or sauces following your favourite recipe as usual but reduce the amount of added salt.

For an alternative version, swap out the mustard seeds for a stick or two of toasted cinnamon, and swap the garlic for ginger root (roughly chopped). The garlic version of the recipe smells strongly of garlic but the flavour is much more mild, and will mellow further with time.

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