Ingredients
Apples
- 3 kgsmall firm sour apples — Antonovka if you can get them
- rye straw, scalded, to line the crock
- 20blackcurrant leaves
- 10cherry leaves
Brine
- 3 litreswater
- 60 gsalt
- 150 gsugar or honey
- 100 grye flour
Directions
- Use small, firm, sour apples with no bruises or breaks in the skin. A single damaged apple will rot and take the crock with it, so check each one.
- Whisk the rye flour into a little cold water, then stir it into the rest with the salt and sugar and bring briefly to a boil. Cool completely.
- The rye flour is not a thickener. Its starch feeds the lactic bacteria and gets the ferment moving, which is why old Russian recipes call for it or for rye straw.
- Scald the rye straw with boiling water and line the bottom of the crock with it, then layer the apples with blackcurrant and cherry leaves, finishing with more straw and leaves on top.
- Pour over the cold brine so the apples are covered by 5 cm, and weight them down. Apples float hard, so the weight needs to be substantial.
- Leave somewhere cool, 15 to 18°C (59 to 64°F), for the first week, topping up with more brine as the apples absorb it — the level drops noticeably.
- Then move the crock somewhere cold, ideally 4 to 8°C (39 to 46°F), and leave it six weeks.
- They are ready when they are fizzy, sour-sweet and still firm. They keep through to spring, which is exactly what they were for.
Technique
- Perfect unbruised apples only. One rotten apple genuinely does spoil the barrel.
- Top up the brine in the first week. The apples drink it and anything that surfaces will spoil.
- The leaves and straw are traditional and useful — tannins keep the apples firm and the straw holds them apart.
Substitutions
- Any small firm sour apple; Bramley works though it softens faster.
- Blackcurrant leaves alone if you have no straw.
- Honey in place of sugar, which is the monastery version.
Variations
- Some recipes add mint or tarragon to the crock.
- Pears are soaked the same way, though they go soft sooner.
History
An old Russian monastery and village preserve, keeping apples fizzy and sour until spring.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mochonye yabloki?
Mochonye yabloki is a fermented & pickled from Russia: whole apples fermented in brine with rye straw and blackcurrant leaves. An old Russian monastery and village preserve, keeping apples fizzy and sour until spring.
How long does Mochonye yabloki take to make?
Mochonye yabloki takes 30 min plus 6 weeks fermenting of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills a 5-litre crock. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Mochonye yabloki?
Yes, within limits. Any small firm sour apple; Bramley works though it softens faster. Blackcurrant leaves alone if you have no straw. Honey in place of sugar, which is the monastery version.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mochonye yabloki?
The rye flour is not a thickener. Its starch feeds the lactic bacteria and gets the ferment moving, which is why old Russian recipes call for it or for rye straw.
