Wash tomatoes thoroughly, core and chop into small pieces. You’ll want to save as much juice as possible, so cut them on a flat plate, rather than a cutting board. Set chopped tomatoes aside in a glass, or ceramic bowl.

Dice your sweet pepper, onions, garlic, cilantro and hot peppers (stems and seeds removed) and add to tomatoes. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to pulse everything together, but there is something to be said for having excellent knives – and the skills to go with them.

Add salt and dried cumin (if using), then stir everything together with a metal spoon.

Fill salsa into glass jars, or other fermentation vessels. Be sure to push the salsa down to remove all trapped air, and make sure that all vegetable pieces are underneath the liquid. Leave at least one inch of headspace, then add a grape leaf or fermentation weight to keep the solids down.

Seal the jars loosely with a lid or cheesecloth. Do not tighten the lid, you must allow the built-up carbon dioxide to escape!

The vegetables will separate from the liquid. When this happens, simply stir it with a clean spoon, pushing the solids back down.

Allow your wild fermented salsa to sit (out of sunlight) for a few days, in a cool room. Salsa made with whey will ferment faster, in about 2 days, depending on the temperature. Fermented salsa without whey will be ready in 3-5 days. Sample it after the bubbles have stopped and test it for acidity and flavor. When it is to your liking, place it in cold storage, fridge or cellar, to slow down the fermentation.

Enjoy!