This is a delightful tasting and simple recipe that when added to a lunch or a dinner meal will elevate it to a new level of yum.

Plus, contribute to gut health because it's fermented and rich in healthy probiotics.

Not all species of beneficial microorganisms do the exact same job in the body.

That's why probiotic diversity is so important.

There are hundreds of species of probiotics and capsules that are bought and sold from a store typically only contain a select handful.

That's why it's important to eat a variety of fermented foods.

Each type of fermented food introduces different microbes to the body that are beneficial to our health.

For example, the probiotic profile of sauerkraut is different from, let's say, the probiotic profile of kombucha or kimchi.

Fermented onions are no different.

The probiotic strains we hear about the most and are most commonly sold in supplements are, for example, lactobacillus acidifilis, bifidum, plantarum, and brevis, just to name a few.

A scientific study found these probiotic strains to be most dominant in fermented onions.

These are very unique strains that you will not find sold in a probiotic bottle.

So the takeaway to this is diversify your gut microbiome by eating a variety of fermented foods and add fermented onions to the list.

Let's get started with today's recipe.

A link to the written recipe is provided in the description.

You're only going to need three simple ingredients.

Onions, any color will work.

I have found red onions and other types of sweet onion varieties like Walla Walla to be extra delicious when fermented.

A handful of fresh herbs.

If you aren't growing your own herbs, store-bought ones like these will work just as well.

Lastly, salt will be needed to make the brine.

Do not use a salt that has anti-caking agents added because these chemicals can cause a fermentation to fail.

Read the ingredient label to know whether or not your salt contains them.

The best salt to use is one whose ingredients say salt and only salt.

Let's make the brine first by adding the salt to the water.

Mix to stir thoroughly, then set it aside for later use.

Peel the onion, then slice the onion.

Thick slices, like what I'm doing, are going to keep their integrity more throughout the fermenting process.

So by the end of the two to three weeks, they will still have crunch and some firmness to them.

Slice them to the width of your preference.

Whether you go thick or whether you go thin, both will ferment and be equally delicious, so it's your choice.

Here's another note.

The thinner the slice, the more flexible the onion will be at the beginning and will load into the jar nicely.

If you do thick like this, they'll need to be further cut so that they better fit into the jar.

Place the onion in a large mixing bowl.

Now add a handful of the chosen herb.

Here I'm using thyme, but I also made other versions with tarragon and rosemary.

Pour the saltwater brine over the contents in the bowl and toss about to coat the onion and the herbs with the brine.

Right now the onion integrity is quite stiff, but we're gonna allow the onion mixture to rest in the saltwater brine for one to two hours.

The salt is going to begin working on the onion, drawing out its juices and softening its structure.

Here's a quick example of how easily the onion slice snaps when folded.

30 minutes later, we'll give everything another toss in the brine and remember to wash your hands each time before mixing the onions again.

And you'll see here how the onion is now softening and gaining some flexibility.

60 minutes now and we'll do one last toss.

It may look similar to the 30 minute flex test, but since I can actually feel the onion,

I can tell that it has noticeably more bounce to it than before.

To load the jar, take a handful and drop it into the jar.

I find using a canning funnel always helps when loading the ingredients.

After a handful or two, use a tart tamper like this or another type of mallet and press the mixture down.

Then add a couple of scoops of the brine.

Repeat the process by adding another handful or two.

Press it down, add some brine.

I'm getting towards the end here, so I'm just going to pour the rest in.

Take note here of the onion level when I press down and the brine level.

The onions are going to decompress even more throughout the fermenting process.

So we want to load the jar quite full.

I'm going to add some more onion here to bring the level up.

But if your onion level is already there, no need to add more.

Since it is quite full, add a plate underneath before adding the fermenting weight to catch any possible brine overflow.

Push the weight down as much as you can.

And FYI, do not skip the weight.

The weight ensures the content stays submerged beneath the brine.

The brine protects the food from harmful microbes and from mold.

In a couple of days when the CO2 bubbles begin forming, those gases will start pushing the onions up to the surface.

Once any of the onions or herbs come in contact with the surface oxygen, mold can possibly develop.

We obviously, we don't want that.

So always use a fermentation weight.

See how full this is?

This is what we want.

Now I'm going to take a clean spoon and remove any surface floaters.

Place a loose lid on the jar, then leave on the countertop for 10 to 21 days at room temperature.

Setting the jar on a towel or a dish will catch any brine overflow that may occur during the first week of the fermentation period.

So how long do you decide to ferment the onions?

10 days or 21 days?

That's up to you.

Flavors and tenderness develop with time, and so does the probiotic profile and its nutrients.

Give the onions a taste test on day 10 and decide from there if you want to ferment them longer or if they seem absolutely perfect right then and there.

I always keep a daily eye on things during the first week of fermentation since the first week is the foundation and will set the course for the entire fermentation period.

Plus, the first week is also where the most action tends to happen.

So if everything's going well on week one, it's a very high probability everything's gonna go just perfectly week two and week three.

Within 48 to 72 hours, CO2 bubbles will begin forming.

I'll push the weight down here so that you can see the bubbles.

This will most likely cause some floaters to rise up, so I'll immediately remove them with a clean spoon to avoid any future mold issues.

And by the way, me pushing the weight down, that was just for demonstration purposes.

If everything is safely submerged beneath the brine, then you do not need to agitate anything.

Within a few days, you will notice that the colors will begin to change to more muted tones.

This is normal.

Plus, the brine will become cloudy.

This is also normal.

Next, this is something that I like to do, but it's not required.

I take a pH reading of the fermentation so I can track its development during the first five to seven days.

The pH will tell me whether or not the fermentation is taking sound hold or if it's floundering.

On day one, the pH will read above 4.5.

This is considered more of a neutral pH.

By day three or four, and no later than day five, the pH should drop below 4.5, becoming acidic.

A pH of 4.5 or lower, preferably even between three and 4.0, is what I call the safety zone.

The beneficial bacteria, such as lactobacillus, feed on the natural sugars in the food and release acid byproducts.

These acids drop the pH into the safety zone, and the beneficial bacteria thrive in this acidic, salty, oxygen-free brine environment, while the potentially harmful pathogens die off, which is what makes fermented vegetables submerged beneath the brine safe instead of dangerous.

If by day five the pH has not dropped below 4.5, that indicates the fermentation is not taking hold and the food will soon spoil.

Additionally, you need to also smell the fermentation.

A light, soury, sweet smell is what a normal and healthy fermentation should have.

If ever there is a rotten or foul smell, that's caused by bad bacteria proliferating and taking over.

In that case, do not eat the fermentation.

Throw it away, even if the pH is reading below 4.5.

Although I do pH readings with just about everything

I ferment, it is not required.

I don't want you to feel discouraged if you don't have access to a pH meter or test strips.

I simply consider it a handy and valuable tool.

You can, of course, still ferment without it, and in that case, rely on your smell and your sight.

Root and vine-growing vegetables have a tendency to develop calm yeast.

Calm yeast is a general name for a variety of harmless yeasts that are naturally present in the air.

Although it's ugly, it's not dangerous.

The fermented food beneath the brine is still safe to eat.

This is day seven.

Calm yeast has developed on top.

Just let it be.

No need to remove it until the end of the fermentation, and I'll show you just how to do that when we get to that point.

As for the pH, on the left, you can see the pH on day zero.

It reads above 4.5 because no fermentation process has yet taken place.

On the right is the pH on day seven.

It's in the perfect pH safety zone, below 4.5, and is even in that preferred zone between three and four.

And as you can see, I just put the meter in through the calm yeast and I rinse it afterwards.

No problem.

Since everything smells fine and there's no sign of mold or other weird funk besides calm yeast, the pH is acidic and the CO2 bubbles have calmed down, all indications tell me that the fermentation has taken sound and successful hold.

I can therefore allow the fermentation to enter cruise control mode.

In other words, allowing it to just do its thing without further interruption from me.

I'll simply check back every four or five days with a sight and a smell check until I decide to end the fermentation.

And I also won't take any more pH readings until I decide to end the fermentation and place the fermented onions into the fridge.

This is day 18 and I'm going to end the fermentation and prep for long-term storage.

With clean washed hands, I'll reach in and grab the weight to remove it.

It's a little gross with the calm yeast, but no big deal, hands are washable.

And sometimes it's actually too slippery to grab, so I use a paper towel for better grip.

Clean out the remaining calm yeast with a clean paper towel by wiping the sides of the jar.

And since the weight took most of the calm yeast up and out with it upon removal, there will be just some flakes left over that I'll dab with a paper towel.

A few specks remaining is not a problem.

Oh yes, and take a taste test.

The abrasive flavor of raw onions will now have transformed into something sweet and tangy, no matter which color you decided to use, brown, white, or red.

What I love about fermented onions is they become mild and they aren't any more abrasive and they don't give you that intense onion breath.

And those herbs, a power punch of flavor, absolutely amazing.

Which one is my favorite?

All are delicious, but the sweetness that was brought forth from the red onion during fermentation is hands down the winner for me.

I'll do one final pH reading before transferring it to the refrigerator.

And I see that it's perfect.

Put the lid on tightly and place in the refrigerator for long-term storage.

The onions will last for many months.

So how do you eat them?

Personally, I love adding them to a sandwich.

If you watched my fermented hummus video where I made what I call energy sandwich, these fermented onions are a fantastic addition.

Also good over a salad.

Now don't cook the fermented onions because that will kill the probiotics, but you can add them to cooked meals after the cooking process is done, like stir fry, tacos, pasta.

Just get really creative.

If you're interested in getting some of those glass fermenting weights of your own or a pH meter,

I provide links in the description.

And if you do get a pH meter, do check out my video on how to calibrate it properly.

Also remember to check out that video on the three stages of fermentation right here and want to learn more about the unique probiotic profile of vegetables, check out this video right here.

And I'll see you next time.

Bye for now.