We love the magic of fermenting! And we’re not the only ones, fermenting foods like our ancestors did, is becoming more popular all the time. It’s so fun chatting with people at market, only to discover that they love fermenting too. Before you know it, we’re in a passionate conversation about pickles, with looks of adoration in our eyes.
I wrote about getting 25 lbs of beets and 50 lbs of cucumbers fermenting on the counter in this post. I’ve been very proud of our patience since then while we let them ferment to perfection!
Jeff harvested some grape leaves in the garden to ferment with the cucumbers (a little trick to make firmer pickles.) To ferment the beets and cucumbers, we used water, salt and the same starter culture from Cultures For Health (Caldwell’s is the best!) that we use to make our sauerkraut.
We’ve been asked why we use a starter culture. We’ve fermented with salt alone and salt with homemade whey from goat’s milk, but the results were varied. With the starter culture, our ferments turn out great every time and the flavor is amazing! When we are fermenting 50 lbs of something, we’d like it to turn out, rather than hoping maybe it will. You know? So that’s why we use the starter culture- because we are continually happy with the results and feel it’s so worth the money.
After the fermentation process, we add the flavorings before we stick them in the fridge. (And when we run out of fridge space, we keep them in crocks in a cool place until space opens up.) With this last batch, Jeff flavored the pickles with garlic, turmeric and a little cayenne (last year it was peppers from our garden) and flavored the beets with garlic, rosemary, thyme, and basil. The fermentation process will continue in the fridge, but will slow down considerably.
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I’ve enjoyed reading about the love of fermented foods in Nourishing Traditions and Wild Fermentation. They’ve inspired experiments with goat’s milk kefir, yogurt and cheese; ginger carrots, and beet kvass.
On one of my favorite real-food blogs, Nourished Kitchen, Jenny writes:
{You can read the rest of the post here.}
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We love the taste of fermented foods and we love knowing all those probiotics will be nurturing our digestive system. Plus fermentation increases Vitamin C content, which is heat sensitive, so eating raw ferments is a great source of Vitamin C (and an essential way to get Vitamin C during the winter time when eating less raw foods.) Fermented foods bless us with so many wonderful things.. increased Vitamin C.. enzymes..beneficial bacteria..
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What are your favorite fermented foods?
Which ones have you been enjoying lately?
Which ones would you like to try?
kim (Watermelon Kidz) says
I’ve been thinking about your fermented pickles, ever since Jeff posted it on facebook. Mmmmm. I’m a pickle freak! I can’t get enough…I’m one of those who will ever drink the brine. How does Bracken like them?
Taryn Kae Wilson says
Lindsey-
Yes, kombucha can be an expensive habit! We have experimented with making it many times, but we never liked the way it turned out and always preferred the raw ginger stuff from the store because it was fizzy! We need to give it a go again.
Sauerkraut with dijon mustard sounds so good!
Jeff LOVES kimchi, we want to try that too!
Hooray for fermenting! 🙂
Lindsey says
Heehee, I just finished up a little snack of homemade sauerkraut (with some added Dijon mustard for a kick) as I read this! Sauerkraut is a big favorite, as is beet kvass and kefir. Kombucha too! (That was becoming a very expensive habit before I finally started brewing it here at our house.)
And lacto fermented pickles are a stable with my hubby. Homemade pickles and a glass of buttermilk is his usual bedtime snack. 🙂
I also love soaking oatmeal overnight or longer (along with half the water, some kefir and 10% whole wheat flour), to get that great tangy flavor, plus help with digestion. Topped with brine-soaked-and-dried pumpkin seeds, some dried fruit, and raw honey, it’s so yummy.
I would love to get into experimenting with making kimchi. Hubby loves it and once had a Korean friend whose family made awesome kimchi; they would bury it in the backyard in a crock for 2 or 3 months to let it ferment.
I love lacto fermentation! It makes things taste so good! And it’s icing on the cake that it’s so good for you.