Protective Diet Class #358

Fermenting Onions With Julie Marie

This class offers visual guidance and a simple system for fermenting onions–a fast, small-batch ferment to boost your meals and your microbiome. Protective Diet Education delivers the science and the strategy to make this lifestyle sustainable and delicious.

Announcements

• Engage in our official support group, Protective Diet Living (PDL). Join Live Chats & Coaching Hour for personal assistance.
• Shop http://www.protectivediet.com/bulk, the organic farm that delivers near you, for low-cost, high-quality PD staples.
• Comment below our “One Meal a Day” videos on YouTube. Let us know what you want to see us plate up as an example.

Vocabulary

Quercetin

Antioxidant

Lactobacillus

Capsaicin

Allium

Fermentation Tips

WHY FERMENT? Fermentation isn’t just preservation—it’s a powerful nutritional upgrade. Nutrient Boost: Fermentation multiplies nutrients like quercetin, and vitamins like C, B12, and K, making them more bioavailable so your body can absorb and use them better.Quercetin Power: Onions (especially peels and outer layers) contain quercetin, an antioxidant. It protects your cells from damage that leads to aging and chronic disease. Fermentation draws quercetin into the brine, and the onion slices soak it up.Microbiome Support: Fermented foods are packed with lactobacillus and other probiotics that populate the gut, support digestion, and help produce anti-inflammatory compounds.Flavor = Satisfaction: Fermentation creates bold, tangy, umami-rich flavors that stimulate dopamine—your body’s “satisfaction” signal. They make simple meals exciting and deeply satisfying.Fast, Flavorful Meals: A jar of fermented onions in your fridge means instant flavor you can add to any meal for an effortless upgrade. Try the Pro Bowl!	1	PREP TOOLS Cleanliness is key—avoid mold or off-flavors by starting with sanitized tools. Wrap phone in plastic wrap so you can use it without causing contamination. You’ll Need: Wide-mouth quart, 22 oz, or pint Mason jars (at least 2 of the same size)Jar Lids (plastic or metal—plastic is best because it allows gasses to release)Small 4 oz jars or glass ferment weightsKitchen scale (grams)Jar Funnel and Tamper (optional but helpful)
	2	PREP INGREDIENTS Onions: Red or sweet work well. Keep clean peels—discard dirty ones.Salt: Non-iodized and additive-free (Redmond, pink, gray, or sea salt).Water: Filtered or well water only (no chlorine; do not use bottled water)
	3	SLICE & LAYER Cut off onion ends, peel, and slice thinly, long ways, about 1/8” thick.Place up to 1 inch of clean peels at bottom of the jar—this boosts quercetin in the brine. Do not include any onion sprouts.Tightly pack onion slices into the jar—loosely packed makes it too salty.
	4	MAKE 2% BRINE (BY WEIGHT) Add water to the jar to cover the onions, tamp out air and press in weights.Weigh and tare an empty jar on the kitchen scale.Weigh the full jar (onions + water) on the tared scale.Multiply total grams × 0.02 to find salt grams. (use phone calculator)Measure salt into empty jar and add water from full jar. Cover and shake to dissolve, then pour brine back into onion jar. (See demo at minute 25:10)
	5	FINAL PACK & SEAL Tamp to remove air bubbles. Use a tamper or a smaller clean jar.Add 2 weights to keep onions submerged and anaerobically preserved.Secure lid tightly. (See demo at minute 23:06)
	6	FERMENT Label with date. Use a sharpie right on the jar, or a sticky note.Place on a tray or bowl near the sink but away from heat or sunlight.Ideal temp: 65–75°F. Warmer temps will cause faster fermentation.Ferment for 7 days, then transfer to the fridge to chill and store.Flavor and tang develop over time—brine may get cloudy, bubbly, or tangy.

PROTECTIVE SCIENCE Fermented onions =    concentrated quercetin + probiotics Quercetin in the peels → is extracted into brine → and gets absorbed by the onionsLive microbes on the onion: – Digest the sugars in the onion – Produce Lactic acid, which develops   flavor and preserves the onion    – Multiply to make more beneficial      microbes that improve digestion and      support immunity by boosting the      microbiome These beneficial microbes in your gut: – Eat fiber (prebiotics) → make short-   chain fatty acids → heal the gut lining – Protect against inflammation, cognitive   decline, and infection

TROUBLESHOOTING If you have to go out of town mid ferment, put it in the fridge. It will continue populating, especially after the third day on the counter.White yeast (“kalm”): harmless, skim off, chill fermentBlack/blue mold: discard the batch (usually due to unclean tools or veggies exposed to air)Strong flavor early on: chill for a week and taste againToo funky? Refrigeration mellows aroma/flavorSauerkraut: Use more green than red cabbage to keep it crunchy   SERVING IDEAS Use as a raw garnish with next-level flavor and probiotic benefits: On tacos, grain bowls, nachos, salads, sandwiches, mashed potatoesStir into cooked rice, quinoa, and pasta dishesReplace raw onions in salsas, slaws, or dips with fermented onionsBrine can season soups or sauces (1 cup = 1 tsp salt)Always chill your ferment before eating.Don’t eat the peels—their protection is infused into the onions. Compost.

Encouragement

• In this class you are seeing the “back end” of Protective Diet Education, the test kitchen where I strategize to get research-backed protective phytochemicals on your plate. You don’t even have to think about it. I’m taking care of it for you.
• Eat as protectively as possible so you can live free from doctor’s appointments, breeze through flu season, cancer and more.
• These are kitchen crafts. You are going to get better at your craft the more you do this. Customize and adjust to your liking.
• Make Protective Sprouts! Start them every week after class. Metal lids drain faster than plastic lids, which is good if you live in a humid environment. Sprout ratio: soak 3 Tablespoons of seed in one quart of water. Watch tips at minute 44:05.

“Quercetin is more concentrated in the peel than in the onion itself. ‘How can I get that into my diet?’ With my fermented onions, the stuff that I would normally just throw into my compost is now going into me, serving me and protecting me.”

“Sprout n’ Kraut Café” Gourmet Protective Sandwich Sliced Organic Whole Wheat Berry Bread Buttermilk Dressing or Real Plant-Based Mayo Probiotic Pepper Sauce Probiotic Pepper Rings or Pickled Jalapenos 7-Day Sauerkraut Probiotic Pickled Onions Pickled Mustard Seeds Protective Broccoli Sprouts

Recommended Recipes	Recommended Classes
Probiotic Pickled Onions	#348 Populate: The Microbiome Population Project
Plant-Based Kimchi	#350 Promote: The Microbiome Population Project
French Bread Pizza	#316 Seven Day Sauerkraut: Preserve Your Harvest with Small Batch Fermentation
Taco Melt	#285 Protective Kimchi 101
Plant-Based Etouffee	#231 Enjoying Fermented Food Featuring the Pro Bowl
Kraut Melt	#228 Benefits of Fermented Food
Sauerkraut Toast	#229 Fermentation Techniques and Tools, Part 1: Water Brining
Southern Chow Chow	#230 Fermentation Techniques and Tools, Part 2: Dry Brining & Fermented Hot Sauce
Sunset Rice Bowl	#232 Fermentation Techniques and Tools, Part 3: Probiotic Pickles

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Class Description:

This class offers visual guidance and a simple system for fermenting onions–a fast, small-batch ferment to boost your meals and your microbiome. Protective Diet Education delivers the science and the strategy to make this lifestyle sustainable and delicious.

Class URL: https://protectivediet.com/courses/protective-diet-education/lessons/lesson-358-fermenting-onions-with-julie-marie/