Lacto Fermentation In A Vaccuum Sealed bag - Cherries

Day 5 of the fermentation process.

Ingredients:

30 cherries

1 sprig fresh tarragon

Fine sea salt done by weight

Tools needed:

Digital scale that reads in grams

Vacuum sealer

Vacuum sealer bags

Mixing bowl

How to make it:

Wash cherries under cold running water, let air dry. Take off cherry stems, cut cherries in half and remove pit.

Place mixing bowl on the scale, set to grams and zero out. Add cherries and record that weight. Multiply that number by 2.5 %. This is the amount of fine sea salt needed. Place small dish on the scale, zero out and add the calculated amount of salt to the dish. Add the salt amount to the bowl with the cherries and gently toss to mix thoroughly.

Place cherries in a vacuum sealer bag, laying flat and not overlapping with the tarragon placed on top of the cherries. Make sure to leave enough head space so that you have enough bag if you have to cut a portion of the bag so that you can seal the bag twice. As the cherries ferment, the bag will inflate. See the first picture above. It may be necessary to release the gas in the bag and seal it again.

Vacuum the air from the bag and seal, place in pantry or countertop. Anyplace that is away from direct sunlight for 7 days to ferment. This will ferment best in a temperature range around 68 -75 degrees Fahrenheit. Around day 4-5, you may need to release the gas from the bag so it does not pop. Cut the top off the bag close to the seal. Vacuum the air out and seal again. On day 7, open the bag and use the cherries desired. I like to use the juices released as a base for vinaigrettes or drizzled on chicken or salmon. The cherries can be eaten as is, in a salad or made into a sauce.

I made a cherry coke bbq sauce that is absolutely delicious.