Fermented-Brine Pickled Eggs

Happy Easter! Here is a timely recipe that combines those hard-boiled Easter eggs with the brine of a previous ferment. Personally, my favorite brine for this recipe is from fermented beets (called Kvass). The eggs absorb the deep red brine and become a beautiful maroon color. Unfortunately no one else in our house will go near a beet, so I compromise and add a tablespoon of ground turmeric to each jar. Everyone is pleased with the flavor and golden yellow color. The bonus is that turmeric is widely recognized for it's anti-inflammatory properties! Add a few onion slices for extra flavor and prebiotics.

 

Fermented-Brine Pickled Eggs

 

For each wide mouth quart jar place 6 to 10 peeled and cooled hard boiled eggs and layer with onion slices. Insure the eggs are whole and have no cracks to the whites. Cracks will allow the brine to seep into the yolk of the egg and ruin it's texture. Add your choice of brine to the jar and use a proper weighting method to keep everything submerged. Eggs do not ferment but will absorb the colors and properties of the brine. Eggs should be immediately placed into refrigeration and never left at room temperature. After 48 hours they will be ready to enjoy and should be consumed within a week.

 

Happy Fermenting!

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Honey Fermented Garlic

Honey ferments are a subject we will be discussing at our upcoming 'Lacto Fermenting 101' classes! We ferment lots of things in honey and this is a favorite! The jar to the right in our photo is a freshly completed honey ferment. The jar on the left is (what's left of) a ferment made on December 23. This ferment helps to lessen the effect of colds and viruses...even keeping them at bay!

Honey Fermented Garlic

Peel the skins and trim the ends of individual cloves of garlic. Place cloves in a jar leaving plenty of headspace. This ferment can get quite bubbly! Slowly pour honey over garlic cloves. We prefer locally sourced raw honey which is readily available at our local farmer's market. Raw honey is also available in the health market of many grocery stores. The garlic will float. Unlike other ferments no weights are necessary to submerge the garlic cloves. Swirl the cloves in honey on a daily basis to insure all cloves are coated. After a period of time the cloves will begin to darken and sink. Some cloves may turn a green or blue color which is a normal chemical reaction. Garlic will be fully fermented in about a month.

Take a spoonful of garlic honey at the first sign of illness to relieve the symptoms. Cloves can be consumed whole or minced and added to salads. They make a delicious topping for baked potatoes or scrambled eggs.

Learn more about honey ferments at our next 'Lacto Fermenting 101' class! April 2 from 1:00 to 3:00 at TLC Country Floral, 1442 County Road 18, Hooper, NE. Fee for class is $10.00 and advance registration is required. Many samples of fermented foods and beverages will be available for tasting. Guest speaker will be a registered dietician who will discuss the health benefits of fermented foods. Please contact Sue Fase at (402) 654-2058 or email at tlccountryfloral@yahoo.com to get registered for this fun and informative class!

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