Fermentation is the ultimate form of slow cooking. In our high-speed culture, it’s hard to devote our energy and attention to something that can take days to complete. Yet fermented foods are popular for a variety of reasons.
• Great taste: Soy sauce, miso, vinegar and cheese are all fermented and packed with flavour. A forkful of fermented vegetables is a delicious addition to potatoes, salads, noodle bowls and more.
• Food preservation: Before there was refrigeration, fermenting was a way to preserve food. It’s still a low cost, energy-free way to preserve seasonal vegetables.
• Probiotics: Wanting to improve gut-health is the most popular reason for eating fermented foods. However, probiotic bacteria cover all surfaces of our body and support our health and wellness in many ways. For example, they help us digest food, protect our skin from the sun damage and support our immune system to fight off pathogens.
Vegetables are the easiest thing to ferment. They naturally have lactic bacteria on their skin, so all that you need to do to ferment vegetables is add a salt-water brine and leave them out on the counter!
You can ferment vegetables in any glass container, with a weight to keep them submerged below the brine (usually a smaller jar). However, there is always the risk of contamination from free-range molds and bacteria. If you are concerned about spoilage, use a fido-style jar or an airlock instead.
Vegetable Fermentation Basics:
Sanitize before fermenting. I do this by pouring boiling water into my jars and over my tools and leaving them to soak for five minutes.
Vegetables like to ferment at about 18°C, so stick the jar somewhere cool and dark. A kitchen cupboard is fine. It’s also fine if your house is warmer than 18°C, just don’t store them near a heater.
Ferments usually bubble vigorously for the first four days, and the CO2 might cause them to bubble over, so leave two centimetres of headroom at the top of your jar and place the jar on a dish to catch any overflow.
Keep the jar covered (but not tightly unless you’re using a fido or airlock) to prevent bugs from getting in. A cloth or a loosely tightened lid both work. Just don’t use a tight lid or the buildup of CO2 could cause the jar to burst.
If you see mould growing on top of your jar or if the vegetables smell bad, then throw them away. Ferments should smell and taste good.
Snacking Vegetables
Fermented snacking vegetables are something I always have bubbling away in my kitchen. I love packing them into school lunches, and my kids love salty vegetables. (Warning: Fermented cauliflower is a bit stinky for school).
This is such an easy recipe that even young children should be able to do most of the steps themselves.
Ingredients:
Enough vegetables to fill one jar: carrots, beets, radishes, kohlrabi, green beans or sweet peas
1 cup of water, more as needed
1 Tbsp of pickling salt
1 clove of garlic (optional, for flavour)
Instructions:
Slice the vegetables into sticks and pack into a jar.
Sprinkle in the salt, then cover with the filtered water.
Ferment for two to three days. The vegetables will have developed a nice flavour; however, they will still be crisp. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy.
The brine can be reused for up to three batches of vegetables. Once you’ve eaten the vegetables, pack more into the jar and let them sit out for 24 hours on the counter. They will ferment more quickly than the first time.
