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Fermented onions

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cocktail onions, fermented vegetables, lacto-fermentation, pickled onions
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Small cocktail onions fermented in a salt brine, with a little culture to start them. Tangy onions for salads and drinks.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups small cocktail onions or 2 large onions sliced
  • 1 Tbsp non-iodized salt
  • 1 to 2 1/2 cups water chlorine-free
  • 1/4 cup culture optional
  • Supplies: quart-sized (1 L) jar; fermentation weight; loose-fitting or fermentation lid

Directions

  • Trim and peel the onions (pearl onions peel more easily after about 10 minutes in cold water; don't blanch them). Cut large onions in half and slice into thin rings.
  • Dissolve the salt in 1 cup of water in the jar, and stir in the culture if you are using it.
  • Put in the onions and weigh them down, since onions float. Add more water until they are fully covered.
  • Put on a loose-fitting lid or a fermentation lid and ferment in a dark spot for up to 1 week.
  • Refrigerate, and use within 1 to 2 months.

Notes

Onions can ferment up to a year with extra care (sanitized jar, fermentation-specific lid). Without a good weight, stir every two days so all onions stay under the brine. Sliced onions are easier to digest than whole pearl onions. Discard if moldy, slimy or off-smelling.