12-MONTH FERMENTATION CHALLENGE: Month #9 – LACTO-FERMENTED APPLESAUCE RECIPE / HOW TO FERMENT APPLES
Searching for the fastest and healthiest homemade applesauce recipe ever? I’ve got it! Flavored with raw honey and pumpkin pie spice, this 5-ingredient fermented applesauce is my new favorite fall snack!
Not only is it lip-smacking delicious but it is so much quicker and easier to prepare than traditional homemade applesauce. Instead of cooking your apples, you simply blend them with the flavors of fall – pure honey and pumpkin spice. And voila! A fresh, probiotic-rich applesauce fit for the king and queen of your homestead.
Eat it straight out of the jar, pour it in a bowl, and mix it with yogurt and granola or drizzle it atop your pork chops. You can’t beat the fresh-from-the-orchard flavor of this apple ferment, which is much richer than that of cooked-down applesauce.
Why Should I Ferment My Apples?
Applesauce is a healthy treat no matter how you make it but by fermenting your applesauce, you’ll also get all the amazing probiotic benefits of fermented foods. Here are some of the miraculous powers of fermented foods. According to Harvard Medical School, fermented foods can help heal:
- irritable bowel syndrome
- ulcerative colitis
- Crohn’s disease
- vaginal infections
- urinary tract infections
- eczema in children
Wowza! All this just from eating some homemade applesauce!
HOW TO FERMENT APPLES: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
SUPPLIES:
- 500 ml mason jar
- plastic Ziploc bag
- Stainless steel knife
- Apple corer/peeler
Pumpkin Spiced Lacto-Fermented Applesauce
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 lbs apples (approximately 5 medium-sized apples)
- 1.5 tbsp water kefir (I used this lemon ginger water kefir)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
STEP 1
Peel, core, and chop your apples into chunks.
STEP 2
Add the apples to your blender along with the water kefir, pumpkin spice, honey, and salt.
Step 3
Process until you achieve a thin, slightly chunky texture or whatever consistency you desire.
Step 4
Transfer to your mason jar, leaving at least an inch of headspace.
Step 5
Cover your jar with a tight lid and set aside out of direct sunlight at room temperature (60-70°F is preferred) for 1 to 3 days. If using a tight lid, burp daily to release excess pressure.
Once the applesauce is finished fermenting, you can store it in the fridge or other cold storage. The flavor will continue to develop as it ages. It should keep for 1-3 months.
Warning: Taste test your fermented applesauce daily. It should have a fresh apple flavor with a bit of tang. If it tastes like alcohol, you’ve left your apple ferment at room temperature for too long. Because this ferment is made with fruit, the lactic acid bacteria can quickly convert the liquid to alcohol.
FAQ – HOW TO FERMENT APPLES
WHAT ARE LACTO-FERMENTED APPLES?
Lacto fermentation is the ancient art of pickling long before there was canning. Basically, vegetables are fermented by lactic-acid bacteria, which are found on the surface of all fruits and vegetables. How does it work? During fermentation, bacteria eat the vegetable’s sugars, which release lactic acid. This acid acts as a preservative and prevents the growth of harmful bacteria. The process doesn’t require heat so you retain all of the raw vegetable’s vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF LACTO-FERMENTED APPLESAUCE?
You may have heard that fermenting turns your food into natural probiotics. So, instead of popping a probiotic pill, you can eat fermented foods, which, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola of Mercola.com, actually contain 100 times more probiotics than a pricey supplement. In fact, one serving of fermented foods contains 1.5 billion to 10 trillion colony-forming units of bacteria compared to 50 million to 10 billion per pill.
One quick search on the Internet will result in tonnes of information on the health benefits of probiotics from boosting your immune system and improving digestion to reducing inflammation and detoxifying your body. I don’t know if it’s all true, but I think I feel better after eating a few spoonfuls of fermented applesauce. I think you will too!
WHAT DO FERMENTED APPLES TASTE LIKE?
Fermented applesauce should have a rich apple flavor and taste a little tangier than regular applesauce.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY APPLES HAVE FERMENTED?
You will see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas in the applesauce, which means you’ve been successful and the liquid has started to acidify.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I BURP MY FERMENTED APPLESAUCE?
If you are using mason jars, you will need to “burp” your fermented apples. When you screw on the lids of your ferments, don’t place them too tightly in order to let some of the fermentation gasses escape. Soon you’ll see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas in the applesauce, which means you’ve been successful and the liquid has started to acidify. This is the stage in which you will begin to “burp” your jar every day if you are using a standard sealing lid. Simply unscrew the lid slightly and allow the gas to escape.
WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD I KEEP MY FERMENTED APPLESAUCE AT?
Most recommendations are to ferment between 55°F and 75°F (13°C to 24°C), which is especially conducive to L. plantarum and L. brevis lactobacillus bacteria, according to the book, Fermented Vegetables.
HOW LONG WILL MY FERMENTED APPLESAUCE SIT ON THE COUNTER?
There isn’t a cut-and-dry date for when fermented apples are done. It depends on the temperature of your home and how tangy you like your applesauce. It can take 1 to 3 days.
HOW LONG DOES FERMENTED APPLESAUCE LAST?
Fermented applesauce will keep refrigerated for up to 3 months.
HOW DO I STORE FERMENTED APPLESAUCE?
Store your fermented applesauce in jars with the lids tightened in the fridge (or other cold storage). They will keep for about 3 months.
PUMPKIN SPICED LACTO-FERMENTED APPLESAUCE
Equipment
- 500 ml mason jar
- plastic ziploc bag
- stainless steel knife
- Apple corer/peeler
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs apples approximately 5 medium-sized apples
- 1.5 tbsp water kefir (See the notes below for the recipe I used to make water kefir)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Peel, core, and chop your apples into chunks.
- Add the apples to your blender along with the water kefir, pumpkin spice, honey, and salt.
- Process until you achieve a thin, slightly chunky texture or whatever consistency you desire.
- Transfer to your mason jar, leaving at least an inch of headspace.
- Cover your jar with a tight lid and set aside out of direct sunlight at room temperature (60-70°F is preferred) for 1 to 3 days. If using a tight lid, burp daily to release excess pressure.
- Once the applesauce is finished fermenting, you can store it in the fridge or other cold storage. The flavor will continue to develop as it ages. It should keep for 1-3 months.
- Warning: Taste test your fermented applesauce daily. It should have a fresh apple flavor with a bit of tang. If it tastes like alcohol, you’ve left your apple ferment at room temperature for too long. Because this ferment is made with fruit, the lactic acid bacteria can quickly convert the liquid to alcohol.
Notes
Enjoyed this probiotic applesauce? Check out my other recipes in the 12-month Fermentation Challenge series:
Month #8 – EASY FERMENTED BELL PEPPERS & TOMATO LEAF “SALSA”
Month #7 – SPICY FERMENTED GREEN BEANS WITH CURRY & GINGER
Month #6 – SPICED LACTO-FERMENTED RHUBARB WITH ORANGES & CINNAMON
Month #5 – EASIEST FERMENTED SAUERKRAUT RECIPE
Month #4 – LACTO-FERMENTED RADISHES WITH DILL
Month #3 – FERMENTED GINGER CARROTS
Month #2 – FERMENTED ZUCCHINI WITH DILL AND GARLIC
Month #1 – LEMON GINGER WATER KEFIR
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