Wild Garlic Caviar
On seeded crackers with cashew cheese.
Caviar, capers, whatever you want to call it - you want these in your fridge at all times. Delightfully easy to make and a great topping for virtually any savory dish.
Psst - if you’re looking for a health glow-up, you’ll want to get in touch. I’m leading clients through a transformative detox and root cause healing journey, and I’ve opened my books for my next intake in late July.
The program made a huge impact on my life, and I’m now guiding others through that same empowering journey.
Book a discovery call with me to hear more about my 1:1 coaching to heal chronic symptoms - naturally, safely, and for long-term results.
Now; this is not a ferment. We are using two preservation methods - salt-curing and vinegar-pickling - to preserve these seeds by preventing ANY kind of microbial growth.
You might be wondering what the difference between pickling and fermenting is. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, which isn’t totally accurate. Let me break it down -
Pickling is the act of preserving something in an acidic medium. Fermentation is a branch of pickling: you’re preserving something through the use of microorganisms which produce acid, which then act as the preservation medium! In short, all ferments can be considered pickles, but not all pickles are ferments. Easy!
Preserving something in a pasteurized vinegar brine means that nothing will be able to grow; the pasteurization (or heat treating) of the vinegar will kill any live microbes it may contain (which you will otherwise get in a raw vinegar), and that vinegar in turn is too acidic to let anything else grow. Salt-curing the seeds, in addition to seasoning them, further helps with preservation because microbes really don’t like salty mediums.
Because of their briny, salty, vinegar-y tang, these are great in small doses as a topping on omelettes, pasta, and of course on my seeded crackers with cashew cheese.
Obviously wild garlic is a seasonal foraged delight, and we’re nearing the end of the season - if you’re lucky you might still be able to find some seeds over the next week!
However, this salting-then-vinegar-pickling method can be adapted to loads of other foods! Think artichoke hearts, cooked red pepper strips, cucamelons, or edible flower buds. The possibilities are endless - get experimenting.
Wild Garlic Seed Caviar
Ingredients:
Foraged wild garlic seeds, about 100-200g
Celtic sea salt
Apple cider vinegar
Peppercorns
Bay leaf
Instructions:
Separate the seeds from the stems. This will take a bit of time!
Rinse the seeds to get rid of any bugs, dirt, or leaves (some wild garlic petals may remain, that’s fine).
Place the seeds in a bowl and heavily salt them to cover the seeds. Mix the salt in and cover the bowl, then let the seeds cure in salt for 3 days, stirring daily.
After 3 days, rinse the salt off the seeds. Place the seeds in a glass jar along with 1 tsp of peppercorns, 1/2 tsp more salt, and the bay leaf.
Bring to the boil enough apple cider vinegar to cover the seeds in the jar. Simmer for 5 minutes, then let cool.
Once cooled, pour the vinegar into the jar to cover the seeds, and close the jar. Store in the fridge; these will keep for several months, if they last that long!
I’ve launched some e-books!
Intro to Lactic Acid Fermentation
The Detox Healing Recipe E-book
Learn to Ferment with Me!
Lactic Fermentation - June 22nd, 3-6pm at the Hornbeam Cafe in Walthamstow
Lactic Fermentation - July 20th, 3-6pm at the Hornbeam Cafe in Walthamstow