Wow! Had to write and let you know I think these are AMAZING! My first attempt at fermented onions. I followed your directions and even learned how to French cut the onions! Bonus!! I was pretty skeptical on how would someone want to eat an onion sandwich?? :-/ Well, I took my first taste this morning of my fermented for 16 days sweet onions, with peppercorns, and I was so pleasantly surprised :-)). Never in a million years would I have thought how good they would be. I’m definitely hooked! Thank you for your passion and sharing your knowledge in how we can learn to make foods “Better Done Yourself” :-)
Do you have to add a weight? Is it okay if you just pack it tight so it cant move with a little juice at the top with no air? Or is the weight to make sure the contents stay under the brine at all times? I just ask cuz I been looking at kimchi videos and they dont always keep it under the brine. They just release the air off the tubs. So just wondering if its the same or different concept? Ive been wanting to make non spicy kimchi...basically sauerkraut with onions and a few other things & different type of cabbage 🤣 and was wondering if I could use the same process basically. Or with sauerkraut it has to be weighed down and the probiotics and process are different or something? I just dont have weights to fit in my quart jars but dont want to mess up the fermenting process since it can grow bad bacteria too 😣
Thank you for taking the time to show and tell in detail the procedures, skills and items needed to be successful . I also impressed with your kind patience in dealing with those that throw out criticisms that seem meant only to insult. They don't seem to understand that the experience levels of viewers can be from starting out , to award winning gourmet chef level ,or the lady who learned from her grandmother 50 years ago.. Thank you for sharing with us, we are always seeking new knowledge and understanding.
One thing I started doing is fermenting cabbage leaves. I had plenty extra and so I now have a cabbage leave hotel. Now when I ferment something with little pieces like sliced or diced onions, etc I put a fermented cabbage leave over the top. It helps keep them trapped below the leaves and then I add my weight on top of the cabbage leave. I seen another RU-vidr doing this and I thought what a great idea. It holds it down and jump starts my ferment.
My onion ferment came out delicious it was ready in 9 days, I live in South Florida I use one slice of onion on my green juices everyday about a quarter inch thick so now I'm using my quarter inch thick fermented onions slice, plus I. Put them in my salads and sandwiches. thank you they came out excellent.
Another great video...I would love to see a video showing all of your active ferments you have going on. Also a "what you typically eat in a day" video too. People love to see that kind of stuff. Keep up the great work!
LOVE these, tasted these after 2 1/2 weeks. Still has a small bit of the strong onion bite, but we like it. These are great on a meatball sub. Probably everywhere else too.
I love finding other people who are as into fermenting as I am! How long have you been fermenting? I'm about ... well I guess 15 years into my fermentation journey (not counting making yogurt with my grandmother as a child). I've had a lot of interests come and go, but fermentation has stood the test of time. The possibilities are endless! Anyway, I stumbled across your video on making the pineapple beverage, which I've actually never tried before, so thanks for the inspiration!
Hello! I'm recently getting into fermenting other things than sauerkraut and I would love to make yougart and cannot find a good recipe. Maybe you could help?! Could you send me your recipe! If not that's fine but I would loveeee love love to make yougart
I'm going to take a leap of faith and try this with red onions. I had a friend email me and send a picture of his garden with about 5 rows 50 ft long of red onions. Depending on how many I get, I will also dehydrate some and can some. Love my onion soup. These pickled onions would make an interesting addition to onion soup I think.
Nice video. Trying this now. Another idea for keeping stuff under the waterline... place one or two of the outer onion layers on top of the cut onions. Works well with cabbage leaves. Cheers.
Thanks Dave, this seemed more like a how to use a knife video. Love your Cape Breton T-shirt. What you call the root on the onion, a couple of times is a stem. The onion that you use is storage leaves. This is an example of a tunicate bulb. Garlic is a umbricate bulb. Botany lesson for the day.
Hi from Oz . Since watching and learning from your channel I would like to suggest using Moccona coffee jars for fermentation . The lid has a plastic seal that is easily removed. I use a small freezer bag with water instead of a clip lock bag as it's more pliable , then use the glass lid without the seal with a freezer bag for the fermentation process as this allows the gas to escape . This makes a very good seal without being airtight for fermentation , when fermented I put the plastic cap back on the lid for an air tight seal. Hope this is helpful . Cheers.
Hi, Also in Oz, also love maccona jars, that's a great idea, I take off the plastic seal put back on her without the glass, then put a airlock on the plastic seal, I also found that the plastic seal fits perfectly onto my fowlers no 36 glass jar, I buy the airlock for $2 at the home brew shop. Another tip I saw way to use a glass jam jar as a weight, then cheese cloth over. Happy fermenting. 🙂
I used to basically use any sort of container I could seal and weighted it down with whatever I could cram in the jar. Then you have to burp it daily, which inevitably exposes your ferment to air, not good! Now, I use the pickle pipes and pickle pebbles for wide mouth mason jars. I bought the kit that includes a wood tamper and a book with basic recipes! Excellent kit. You don't have to do anything and never have to open it, until your ready to taste! No mold, no white foam, nothing but goodness! Your video is very informative, thanks for sharing
Thanks so much. Best presentation we don't have to have a degree in fermentation! My family loves Italian peppers, but I didn't like the vinegar taste when I tried preserving them. I am picking my peppers and trying this, and the onions tomorrow. You are awesome!
Hey.. What a lovely way to eat onion! Usually I can't handle raw onion. I will definitely give it a try. I like your passion while making your ferments. And here is the subscribe button ON Thank you for sharing 👍
Fermented onions, check! I'll update you two weeks from today. I did use a rosemary sage salt I had in my fridge, hope it only enhances the taste of my fermented onions. Thanks for your video!
Fermentation is like an addiction . . . you never look at the world the same. You see something, and you think, you know I think I could ferment that. Thanks for the great video. I am going to try this. Nice thing is where I am the mold does not seem to be a problem so a little getting up above the water does not start a mold problem.
Thanks for the all the ideas on the ferment - like a small plastic bag filled with water to keep things down, and the tips on avoiding finger tips! (from one who has often let the knife slip..)
I enjoyed this video, thank you! I have some garlic that's been fermenting about two weeks. They still have quite a bite, so I'm going to go for at least another two weeks. And now I have pearl onions waiting for prep. Fermenting is awesome!
Keep all those onion tops and bottoms in a large ziplock bag or plastic, lidded container, add other vegetables tops and bottoms, such as leeks, carrots, celery, parsley stalks, tomato skins, mushroom skins and keep in the freezer. When the container is full, buy a couple of organic chicken frames, add your vegetable bits from the freezer, along with a bouquet Garni, a few peppercorns and make the most wonderfully tasty chicken stock! Waste not, want not! P.S.: adding the onion skins also add a nice brown colour to your stock! Love your videos John, 👍🏻😍
I made these from a different video. But this video was extra helpful. Thanks for the add in ideas. I put garlic in mine. They taste pretty good. Feels good to eat healthy gut food that taste good too.
Until now I have only used olives in brine, now I will be innovating with onions and other vegetables (I am making sauerkraut...).- Thank you very much for facilitating the video (although I am from Argentina and I am not buying the same brands that you use, it is very useful for free time).- Happy Easter!
I read on some farm's website that it is not good to use a plastic bag to weight down, cause of plastic particles that react with acid....what they suggest is cabbage core or a rind of apple. I used an apple. Thank you for showing how to do it. Also on some folks website I found the info that if you want to keep the fermented foods for longer, the brine should be stronger, like 5%salt for every 100 gr of water.
Just fermented whole green onions ... remove root end and cut off green top when it branches or more to fit upright in your fermenting jar ... I added peppercorns, dried dill and a pinch of red pepper flakes - ferment for 3 days ... sweet crunchy with a bit of heat!
They have this food grade netting they sell. I comes in big flat boxes. You open the box, lift the pizza of the netting. then you cut the netting to the size of the jar you are using. Its great for holding down fermentioning food.
metal lids release iron oxide (rust) that's actually healthy in enough small quantities (and you cant ingest big quantities from a rusted lid) that way you get your daily intake of iron that your body needs, plastic on the other hand if it's not BPA free in contains Biphenol A (BPA) thats actually a poison that's not healthy at all even in the smallest of quantities...... awesome video tho, will try this for sure, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE yellow onions even raw and I would imagine this fermentation makes them even more awesome ^_^ where I'm from when people make dill pickles they always put few slices of yellow onion for taste, that's the first thing I go for even before the pickles themselves I imagine this will be even better ^_^
fasdr I can't advocate eating rust. Buying high quality food safe products is a good way to avoid toxins. Do your research into the brands that you buy.
I'm not saying "eat rust" I meant that a little rust from a iron lid i much better and healthier than BPA from a plastic lid, no way eating rust is healthy but a bit of iron oxide (that is rust) that your body needs either way is much better than BPA from plastic that is actually poison and you don't need it in your body at all, if you use BPA free plastic that's a whole other story. Don't misunderstand I love your vids and I have much respect and love for what you do. I'm not trying to do anything, I'm just stating the obvious.
I just discovered and love your awesome informative videos. I use a counter top water distiller at home. I recently started fermenting. I thought you needed to put a lid over the jar. Looks awesomely delicious.
So fun to watch! I have been keeping your videos on in the background while doing other things and flipping over to the tab to check in. I find I am flipping back over to the video more often because you bring up such great experienced info. I also enjoy that you take time to explain little details. "Set the knife down, the sharp side away." Thanks!!
I'm glad you're finding it all helpful. I want people to learn to be able to cut up some vegetables so they can feed themselves and not rely on McDonald's'.
Can't wait for my 1/2 jars to arrive and get a jar of onions and mixed vegetables down. In Australia, pressure canning and fermenting has never be n traditional food staples. It is expensive for us to get supplies because they all come from America. We have always water bathed. Having digestive issues through a type 3 hiatal hernia and being on a really bland diet, and medically having large, strong session of antibiotics administer by my surgeon, I really am hoping to get some good bacterial gut action. I have going. Yoghurt and chocolate probiotics just aren't doing much. Also going to get into a couple of the drinks. Imam so pleasd I found your channel. Thanks.
I keep hearing people say the reason not to use iodized salt is because the iodine will ruin everything. I don't think that is true, and I'll tell you why: I have made sauerkraut many times using dehydrated sea vegetables -- which are also salty of course -- and the sauerkraut came out great. Those seaweeds all had pretty high iodine levels. I think the problem with iodized salt is not so much the iodine as it is that all the other minerals have been stripped from the salt (and sold to vitamin companies). Not only are such table salts lacking the minerals normally in salt, but some of the bigger companies do nothing to protect the salt from toxins (which is important since salt absorbs toxins). Thanks for your videos. I really enjoy them!
Iodized salt is fine for fermentation. I have made hundreds of ferments with it. Caking agents are probably not good. So if you go for iodized salt, pick one without caking agents.
You're so lucky with your water. We have water here that's treated with chloramine, which doesn't evaporate with airing, but needs a special expensive filter system to remove. I end up buying spring water at the market to do my ferments. Thankfully it's cheap enough. Love your fermenting vids.
2:38 best to cut the top and root off, then turn onto either cut side. This makes the onion more stable and safer to cut, faster too as one reduces the cutting by two cuts per onion. I am a chef.
Yea I agree with chef there I have not seen this technique you use ever, not saying you cannot but I also have ... ahem ... cut a fuck ton of onion and have always lopped of the top and root, cut in half, removed paper, and have a stable platform to slice as you do but in such an odd angle I bet others trying this first time would injure them self. You, not a chance but a novice or first timer ... I would hate them to learn this then go into a restaurant ... only to have chef give them hell for their wonky ass technique ...
When I studied at culinary school, the awesome German instructors taught to cut the bottom off, halve and peel back the onion the use horizontal and vertical cutks. I found it more efficient to use the Culinary Institute of America method of cutting (as you do) like sunrays. However, I always place the widest side down for safety. The final cut is the top, which frees all the rest of the usable bits. Safe and fast.
This is great! Cant wait to do this. My friend grew a ton of onions this year. I do worry about your plastic bad trick. Seems like the plastic chemicals can leech into your ferment and that would be a shame. Maybe use a large piece of outer onion under your glass jar like we do with cabbage ferments. Thank you again for this great idea
Get a small squat jar to put inside your bigger jar as a weight with a circular shaped cabbage leaf under the squat jar to help keep everything under the water.
Sad that I can't make this one due to the salt situation, but appreciate you making the video and did want to let you know that is about the least safe way you could cut onions. Pleeeease look into this, viewers, and look at safe ways to cut. From your friendly neighborhood prof chef.
Thank you so much for this video! I love onion sammiches and so does my sister. I think I will surprise her with a jar next month at our monthly card game. Having said that, can you chop them as you would for adding to other recipes like soup, stew, etc. and still ferment them?
Hi there I tried these onions and they had a wonderful smell and taste. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Could you please do a video on fermented tobasco hot sauce ?
@@juanedoses8715 I do that too. But I use a heavy saber for the bigger onions. It's harder on the upswing but easier on the downcut. Just follow through with your elbow and shoulder a la golf. Pros slice right through their cutting board. Get that genuine wood chip flavor in your ferment.
So pleased to find you. I've been making the fermented vegetables recommended by Dr.Mercola and adding his probiotics. I find I run short on ways to include them in meals. The onions look tasty and I'd like to find out how different in taste they are to the fermented veg as I never include onions. I will probably find more use for these...thank you xx
Lynn Purfield That's great that you're fermenting and learning. Next lesson: you don't need to buy probiotics. They come free on the vegetables. You just need to make someplace for them to grow--that's the brine. Please don't add any expensive powders when you ferment. Natural probiotics are healthier because they're more diverse than the single strains that are for sale.
Well, the ones he has produced contain these bacterial strains and since I have had a lot of digestive issues of late, I thought I'd bring in some heavies :) I don't know what strains form naturally on the vegetables. Anyway, it is quicker that way too. I only need one or two tablets so they last a long time. Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS®-1 Supports digestive and immune health, is acid and bile resistant and provides long lasting colonization* Lactobacillus casei Supports a healthy immune response as well as aids in stress management by promoting healthy serotonin levels Lactobacillus plantarum Helps to ease digestive distress and supports a healthy inflammatory response Lactobacillus salivarius Promotes a healthy inflammatory response in the gut as well as immune health. Supports healthy cholesterol levels already in the normal range* Lactobacillus rhamnosus Can reduce symptoms of gastrointestinal distress, as well as supporting healthy weight and cholesterol levels already in the normal range* Lactobacillus brevis Supports healthy inflammatory and immune responses* Bifidobacterium lactis Promotes a healthy inflammatory response including allergy response and supports the growth of other beneficial bacteria* Bifidobacterium longum Promotes a healthy stress response and may reduce gastrointestinal symptoms* Bifidobacterium bifidum Supports healthy blood sugar levels already in the normal range and may help alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea* Streptococcus thermophilus
Lynn Purfield Yep. Those bacteria are extremely common bacteria. I get all those same benefits for free. I can't guarantee that each of those are in my ferments but I don't think these pill manufacturers can guarantee that all those strains are still viable in their little pills. But you know what works for you! 😁 And it sounds like you have a very specific need but I read that stuff and it just reeks of marketing to me. I just urge you to try to free, natural, unprocessed stuff. Maybe it'll be a slow transition to just ferments. Anyways. Lemme know how you like the onions when they're done!
Save the skins and ends for stock! And if you use a Brita or similar filter, let your tap water sit in an open pitcher before pouring it in, lets the chlorine evaporate.
Hi I love your video and love how thoroughly you explain the process. I added in error, 1 tablespoon of salt to 1.5 cups of water, is that too much, if yes, how can I fix it if I need to?
I was going to say pour it off, tweak the water and redo but it appears to me you might be ok. My goal is usually 2.25% by weight of water and (peppers) combined deducting the weight of the jar. That said I have a cheat sheet I keep because I do it every year and I now just use 1-1/8 tablespoon salt to 1 5/8 cup of water which seems right on with what you did. My guess is onions and peppers probably weigh about the same and you got this!
Hey BDY, great recipe, tried it tastes great. Althought i myself add a little Baileaf for the taste. I am kinda jealous of your well, althought the clorine part is kinda bollocks. The chlorine in tap water does not influences the taste, if there was enough chlorine in tapwater to taste it, it would probably kill you in the long run. You cant lacto ferment without adding Chlorine to your brine, since Salt is Potassium Chloride and breaks apart into Ions of Chlorine and Potassium and those Chlorine Ions are what they put in the water to keep it safe to drink and free of bacteria. Cheerio