This is a great ferment or pickle with lactic acid, that I got from a great Indian lady who happens to be the mother-in-law of my youngest sister. She is a great cook who knows Indian cooking very well. I love everything she makes and this has become a favorite with me and many of her grandsons.
It requires a lot of lemons, so a whole bag full from Costco or Sam's Club would be the starting point. A good chunk of fresh ginger about 5 inches is the next ingredient and them some sea salt and cayenne pepper.
Procedure for 1 quart;
12 lemons juiced and seeded ( keep the juice and pulp but throw out the seeds)
pull some of the tough fibers free and keep the rinds, cut into quarters
5-6 inch piece of fresh ginger scrapped and sliced thin. Rinse the peel off.
Stuff the lemon peels, a few slices of intact lemon slices or chunks, and slices of ginger in a clean quart jar. Pour in the lemon juice and add...
1 Tablespoon of sea salt.
Cayenne pepper, a few shakes or to your taste. Frieda, is Indian...she likes these hot.
The lactobacillus bacteria is on the lemon peels and the ginger unless the producer has sterilized the lemons and ginger, in that case look for organic lemons or...
add 1 Tablespoon of whey (the watery liquid from strained raw milk or yogurt).
Natural whey contains living lactobacillus bacteria.
Lactobacillus are very salt tolerant, and they will consume the sugars in the lemons and ginger and produce lactic acid which tastes so good and it preserves vegetables.
Loosely cover the quart and allow to sit on counter at room temperature for 4-5 days to ferment. It might leak some and if it does, just add a little more lemon juice or pure water to it. After fermenting a few days, put a tight, wide mouth lid on it and set in the fridge for another week. It can be eaten then or put in cold storage elsewhere.
