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With the season changing, our palates tend to start craving warm and richer flavors which makes it even more enticing to transform lingering fresh fruits and vegetables into a heartier meal or side dish. This is where fermentation steps in.

Things to know about fermenting summer produce:

• Summer produce is typically bursting with sweetness which adds a nice complexity when making it your choice to lacto-ferment.
• More delicate produce like sliced tomatoes typically do better as a quick pickle than being put through a lacto-fermentation process, because it helps preserve their already-tender texture.
• Lacto-fermented produce like corn and tomatoes are great to use in salsas and gazpachos because of their evolved natural tanginess.
• Sour flavors increase saliva production, making food items “more appetizing.” Hence, any of these recipes make a great addition to any appetizer or snacking board which typically works to whet the appetite.
• Pickling and lacto-fermenting produce that is in abundance locally is not only more affordable but also helps reduce waste and the usage of fossil fuels.

Feeling Funky? Read More on Fermentation: A Beginner’s Guide to Brewing Kombucha

Here are seven fermented recipes to use up the last of your summer produce.

Recipe

Jalapeño Lacto-Fermented Corn

Yield: 1 half-gallon jar

Ingredients

• 6 ears corn
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 piece fresh turmeric root, peeled and sliced
• 1 jalapeño, sliced
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 2% sea salt, by weight
• water, to cover

Directions

1. Cut corn into 2-inch pieces and carefully quarter through the core into wedges.
2. Weigh corn, garlic, turmeric, jalapeño and peppercorns.  
3. Calculate 2% sea salt by weight. Massage ingredients with salt. 
4. Arrange items in a 1-gallon sterilized glass jar.  
5. Cover with water and use a fermenting weight to weigh down cut produce. 
6. Fasten lid of the carboy. Ferment at room temperature for 5 to 7 days.
7. Place in refrigerator for extended storage. 

Maple-Chili Fermented Corn Spoonbread

Yield: 1 12-inch skillet

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups masa harina
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup, more for glazing
• 1 cup water

Add-ins:

• 1 cup fermented corn (removed from core), additional for garnish
• 1 jalapeño, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. 
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk until mixture has no lumps. Stir in fermented corn.
4. Pour batter into skillet. Top with additional fermented corn pieces and jalapeño slices. 
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, using a pastry brush to glaze halfway through the baking process. Remove from oven when the top of the cornbread is firm and golden.  

Hot Honey Pickled Okra

Yield: 1 half-gallon jar

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons red chili flakes
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 pound okra

Directions

1. Heat mustard seeds, chili flakes, vinegar, water and salt in a small pan to create brine. 
2. Turn off the heat and dissolve raw honey.  
3. Slice and add garlic and okra to a sterilized half-gallon glass jar. Cover with brine.  
4. Weigh down the okra with a fermenting weight and fasten the lid. 
5. Refrigerate for 5 to 7 days.
6. Ferment can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Pickled Green Tomato Slices

Yield: 1 half-gallon jar

Ingredients

• 3 pounds green tomatoes, sliced into thick slices
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
• 1 bay leaf

Directions

1. Arrange tomato slices and garlic in a sterilized half-gallon glass jar.
2. Add white vinegar, 1 cup filtered water, black peppercorns, cane sugar, sea salt, mustard seeds and bay leaf to a small pot.
3. Bring brine to a simmer and turn off heat. 
4. Stir in the remaining water and pour the mixture into the jar with tomatoes.
5. Use a fermenting weight to weigh down produce.
6. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 1 week.
7. Pickled tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. 

Fried Pickled Green Tomato Avocado Toast

Yield: 12 fried tomato slices; 6 avocado toasts

Ingredients

For Fried Pickled Green Tomatoes:

• 1 small bunch cilantro, de-stemmed and chopped (makes approximately 1/3 cup)
• 1 cup masa harina
• 1/2 cup multi-color sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups seltzer
• 1/4 cup avocado oil, for frying
• 12 pickled green tomato slices

For Toast:

• 1 sourdough loaf
• 3 ripe avocados
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pint multi-color cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• flaky sea salt, for garnish
• 1 small bunch basil, for garnish

Directions

1. Whisk together chopped cilantro, masa harina, sesame seeds, salt and seltzer in a medium bowl to form batter.
2. Warm avocado oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat.
3. Working in batches, dip each tomato slice in batter and fry for 2 minutes per side or until golden and batter is cooked through. 
4. Slice sourdough loaf into slices. Toast briefly in oven or pan.
5. Smash avocados in a bowl and season with sea salt.
6. Spread smashed avocado on toasted bread slices.
7. Top with fried tomato slices and cut cherry tomatoes.
8. Garnish with flaky sea salt and basil leaves.

Lacto-Fermented Tomatillos

Yield: 1 half-gallon jar

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatillos, de-husked and cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cane sugar
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch cilantro stems
• 4 cups water

Directions

1. Place tomatillos in medium bowl and massage with sea salt and sugar.
2. Slice garlic and place on the bottom of a half-gallon sterilized glass jar.
3. Tie a piece of food-grade twine around cilantro stems and place in the same jar.
4. Add in massaged tomatillos and top with fermentation weight.
5. Cover with water.
6. Fasten the lid of the carboy. Ferment at room temperature for 5 to 7 days.
7. Place in refrigerator for extended storage.

Avocado & Lacto-Fermented Tomatillo Salsa

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 1 small white onion
• 1/3 cup fermented tomatillo brine
• 1 small bunch cilantro, de-stemmed and chopped (approximately ½ cup)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 serrano pepper
• 2 cups fermented tomatillos
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Directions

1. Dice onion (approximately 1/2 cup) and add to bowl with tomatillo brine for 10 minutes.
2. Slice garlic and use a microplane to grate pepper into a pulp.
3. Add diced onion, brine, cilantro, garlic, grated pepper, fermented tomatillos, avocados and sea salt to a food processor.
4. Pulse until the mixture reaches a salsa consistency.