Fermented Cultured Vegetables
HOW TO SALT & FERMENT
What do kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha all have in common? They are examples of preservation by fermentation, and are all loaded with gut health promoting probiotics. Fermented foods usually have a very unique odor, but that doesn’t mean they are spoiled or bad for you. In fact, quite the opposite is true. From tempeh in Okinawa to yoghurt in Bulgaria to chicha in Vilcabamba, fermented foods are a key factor in the diets of people who enjoy long and vigorous lives.
Fermentation works because it converts natural sugar to alcohol, which inhibits the growth of mold and harmful bacteria. Combined with the natural preservative action of salt, fermenting in brine is a safe and very tasty way to keep garden veggies for at least three months, but you will probably eat them long before that.
There’s basically two ways to start fermenting food:
the experimental adventurous way that relies on whatever cultures are floating around in the air
the easy foolproof way where you can add already-prepared probiotics (available at any health food store).
(If you aren’t the adventurous type when it comes to food preparation, skip the next section and proceed right to the second box below for the foolproof method)
The experimental adventurous way always works for me. But I live in conditions that are absolutely perfect for it. See, the beneficial bacteria that culture foods really are all around you--on surfaces, in the air, on food that hasn’t been sterilized by washing it in chlorinated water. But these bacteria really thrive in warm, humid conditions where there is abundant plant growth, fresh air, and a stable temperature, not too hot, not too cold. You can’t get much better than a rainforest for fermenting food. But as long as you have conditions at least somewhat resembling what I described you can try it. Fermenting next to an open window in the summertime will probably work.
Fermented Vegetable Salad (adventurous method)
from SdV founder Kristen Krash
Ingredients
any combination of garden vegetables (except lettuce), coarsely shredded
salt
spices of choice (peppercorns, cumin, coriander, or fennel seeds, and curry leaf are all good)
non-chlorinated water
Utensils
bowl
grater
clean towel
clean jars with lids
Directions
Put all the shredded vegetables in a bowl and salt them down. If you are making a big batch, mix the veggies and the salt in layers. Make sure all the veggies are evenly salted.
Massage the salt into the veggies a bit, cover the bowl with a light clean towel, and put it next to an open window anywhere from several hours to overnight to capture some good bacteria.
Make a good brine solution by dissolving salt in lukewarm water. Use at least 5% salt to water by volume, 10% if you want your veggies to keep longer. 15% salt to water kills anything but, well, that’s an awful lot of salt. Find a good balance of taste and effectiveness for yourself.
Pour off any excess liquid from the shredded veggies in the bowl. Pack your shredded veggies into clean jars and tamp them down a bit. Add a few spices, like peppercorns, star anise, cumin or coriander seeds.
Pour the brine over the veggies to cover them completely. Put the lid on tightly and put the jars in a dark place to ferment.*
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to “burp” your jars by removing the lids to let gas escape at least once a day. Otherwise, gas can build up inside and cause the jars to explode, which is very messy.
Now say it’s the dead of winter and your house is sealed off against the cold. Or you are just a little leery of this whole “capturing” good bacteria thing. Here’s the perfect way for you to enjoy the benefits of fermented food with less margin for error.
Fermented Vegetable Salad (easy foolproof method)
From SdV visitor and Patreon Manu Guz
Ingredients
almost any combination will work, here’s a few of my favorites
green cabbage & carrots, fennel or anise seeds
red cabbage & daikon, cumin & coriander seeds
yellow beets & green cabbage, garlic & curry powder
salt
garlic salt
non-chlorinated water
probiotic capsules
Utensils
bowl
grater
clean towel
clean jars with lids
Directions
Put all the shredded vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. If you are making a big batch, mix the veggies and the salt in layers. Make sure all the veggies are evenly salted.
Massage the salt into the veggies a bit, cover the bowl with a light clean towel, and set aside for an hour or so.
To make the brine, put lukewarm non-chlorinated water in the blender with a small handful of shredded cabbage, a pinch of garlic salt, and enough salt to make a 5% solution. Blend to liquify. Add the contents of two probiotic capsules and blend again for 10 seconds.
Pour off any excess liquid from the shredded veggies in the bowl. Pack your shredded veggies into clean jars and tamp them down a bit. Add a few spices.
Pour the brine over the veggies to cover them completely. Put the lid on tightly and put the jars in a dark place to ferment.*
*Temperature matters. If it’s nice and warm, seven days to ferment is plenty. In cooler temps, you might need ten to twelve days. Either way, you know that fermentation is happening when the veggies are bubbling nicely. When the bubbling stops, they are mostly done fermenting and you can put them in the fridge to keep for several months.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to “burp” your jars by removing the lids to let gas escape at least once a day. Otherwise, gas can build up inside and cause the jars to explode, which is very messy.
At Sueño de Vida we work in a meaningful way to heal land ravaged by deforestation. How meaningful? According to a recent UN Foresight Brief on climate change,
--It is of the utmost importance to stop deforestation and to increase reforestation efforts around the world. Agricultural practices should focus on soil building, year-round soil cover with plants and the use of agroforestry methods.
That is exactly what we do here at SdV. You can help by helping us do what we do every day: plant forests that nurture soil, people, and community.
Click HERE to donate directly to our reforestation fund OR make a monthly pledge on our Patreon.
Thank you.
Kristen Krash is the director and co-founder of Sueño de Vida, a regenerative agroforestry farm, education center, nature reserve in Ecuador’s Chocó Andino Cloudforest. Prior to moving, Kristen was known for her guerrilla gardens — productive green spaces she created in any available space. Now an urban transplant in the South American rain forest, she has adapted her urban gardening and sustainability skills to large-scale reforestation of degraded land. She takes a practical and accessible approach to helping others achieve more balance and self-sufficiency in their lives.
Kristen’s articles and interviews have been featured on popular sustainability platforms like Abundant Edge and The Mud Home, and in the Rainforest Regeneration Curriculum at the Ecological Restoration Camps.