Lacto fermented vegetables! (The almost completely free Probiotic!)

Lacto-fermented foods workshop                               Ran on      21/09/15

Lacto fermented foods have been around for centuries in nearly every part of the world, In Europe we have the famous Sauerkraut, fermented cabbage and also Cucumber dill pickles, Countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Russia and Poland use these as a staple in their diets. In Asia we have Kim chi and Miso!

In India there are raw chutneys made from coconut and coriander, or green mango.

Today we are going to focus on three ferments, these being Sauerkraut, cucumber pickles and a fantastic beginners ferment of Carrot and ginger with a little garlic for some kick, Completely optional.

What are the benefits of lacto fermented foods? They contain a specific bacterium named Lactobacillus. It lives in our guts and helps us with intestinal absorption; it boosts our immunity and helps the body to fight of foreign threats, especially Viruses that the Uk is notorious for having. With this protection our digestion may improve which is excellent news for us because a healthy digestion is key to feeling great, Elaborating on this, the Gut holds 80 – 90 percent of serotonin there. So when we have poor digestion there are chances that we may also become melancholic or anxious due to the serotonin not circulating to the brain where the rest fires.

A successful fermentation will result in a tangy vinegary taste, the final product will look a little cloudy and the vegetables will become a paler colour.  This is a successful batch.

Sometimes white specks may form in your ferment, although this is harmless for our health, it still can multiply and change the flavour of the final product. This usually occurs when we have not added enough salt or we introduced too much air.

Green and brown mould is definitely an unsuccessful fermentation.

It usually means that we exposed the product to too much air or not enough and also when we didn’t weight the vegetables under the brine.

Staying on the topic of weighing the product under the brine, it is imperative that we do this otherwise aerobic bacteria can form on the surface, which grows yeasts and mould.

We weigh down the vegetables with stones or ceramic balls. Making sure we have sterilized them.

We need an airtight jar of about a litre, 4 cups of water to two tablespoons of unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt. We add this together and this creates the brine,

We must measure correctly for the fermentation process to work. We shred the cabbage or cucumber or carrots with a mandolin/knife or slice very thinly and put the vegetables in the jar, pushing down a little bit to make sure there are no air pockets.

We add the brine until the jar is filled almost to the top; we then use our stones to secure the vegetables from touching the surface. Finally we close the lid.  Please make sure your jars and stones a completely sterilized.

Each evening it is a good idea to open the jar very slowly to let out the gasses otherwise (very rarely) the jar may combust! It is going to be gassy and fizzy, that’s okay! Relax; it is very normal and as long as the mix doesn’t smell putrid! You have done brilliantly for your first try.

The vegetables should be fermented for around 7 days out of the fridge. You may store the kraut in a cupboard. Once 7 days has passed, the kraut is ready to eat or you may further ferment the vegetables for 3 months to create a very medicinal kraut. One week will still deliver fresh probiotic for all the family and is recommended when you are new to lacto fermentation.

Marlene Watson-Tara Has created a wonderful recipe, If anyone needs visuals, please watch! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyFgJSJdtyRvAVvG-mMuq8w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W34kwvw8hDQ

Beans and Barley also now sell a Raw unfermented Sauerkraut to help get your home made one on the way or to have as an emergency batch.