Project Overview

When look back at the start of the fermentation project I found myself with some tough decisions when picking out something to ferment. Even more so never having fermented something before. I first thought was to ferment pickles but after watching some of the videos I wanted to do something a little different.
I chose to go with a salsa, and when looking at it now it does have more of a relish look to it, instead of a traditional salsa. I created a brine with the natural juices from the onions, peppers and of course tomatoes, I also decided to add lemon and lime juice to give it some extra tangy flavor.
I started the process with cutting up green peppers, red onions, tomatoes, part of a jalapeño pepper, cilantro, sea salt and black pepper, lemon and lime juice.
After cutting up the veggies and pressing them to release the natural juices, I put them in a mason jar. The first day nothing really happened. On the second day a few small bubbles appeared, allowing me to see that fermentation was in process. By the third day of both trials, you were able to see the bubbles. I opened the container to release some of the air pressure, and the aroma quickly filled the kitchen with a nice tomato, onion and pepper smell. After day three, I placed the salsa in the refrigerator and after about 3 days I tested a sample.
I was nervous to test the samples, the first sample was a bit overpowering and had a carbonation after taste. The second sample didn't seem to have as much of a carbonation taste to it. Looking back I don't believe the first trial had enough brine in it, compared to the second trail.
Overall when looking back, I would have never guessed I would have fermented salsa or the relish mix would of came out edible.

On my second attempt, I feel that knowing what I was looking for in a timeline helped make my results better than the first time. I started off the same way, cutting up the ingredients and placing them into a mixing bowl.

1 Green Pepper, 1 Red Onion, 5 Tomatoes, 1/2 Jalapeño Pepper, Cilantro, 1 Tablespoon of Sea Salt, 1 Tablespoon of Pepper, Juice of 1 Lemon and 1 Lime
 



After mixing

Day 1(no bubbles, does not look like anything is happening)

Day two (you can see the bubbles YAY)

Day 3 (more bubbles)

Day 3 (a closer look)

After this I put it in the refrigerator and after three days tried it, it is pretty good, does have a carbonation taste to it.  

Attempt Number One

I started by cutting my veggies (green pepper, jalapeno, red onion, tomatoes) into chunks and put them into a bowl mixing cilantro, sea salt, pepper, lime and lemon juice.I then put the mix into a mason jar and tightly capped it. I had it at room temp for three days. During the course of the first 24hrs nothing looked like it was happening. I did noticed that you could start to see the vegetables start to break down in color, most noticeable in the red onions. The next 24hrs you could see some tiny bubbles cling to the side of the jar. The next 24hrs was when I saw the most changes. There were more bubbles noted on the surface of the brine, and the color had changed to be cloudy. I did taste it on the third day and it was salty and a zing from the peppers, but overall not a bad taste. I was nervous on how it would turn out, but I am pleased with the results thus far. Can't wait to try the next batch.

Ingredients

So after thinking about it, I decided against adding any fruit. I plan to use:
Tomatoes
Red Onion
Cilantro
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Green Peppers
Yellow Peppers
A small amount of jalapeno pepper
Some Lemon and Lime juice

First Approach

So I have been thinking about something to ferment and I have come up with Salsa. I am still playing around with what I would want in it. I am not a fan of spicy things so I was thinking of adding pineapple or mango to the veggie mix. I'll post my plan once I decide. :)