'Lacto-Fermented'
Sounds fancy…but actually just means adding salt to water and pouring over vegetables and letting it to do its thing for a few days.
I like to think of fermenting as a lesson in patience and delayed gratification.
And sometimes I like to think of fermenting a bit like gardening.
We ourselves are not physically growing the plants or actually fermenting the vegetables ~ all we are doing is simply making a nice home for the seeds or microbes to live and then giving them time and space to evolve.
The rest is up to nature.
Something I keep asking myself at the moment ~ is this good for my future self?
When it comes to fermenting, I think the answer is always yes.
Will pouring some salt water over these chopped vegetables and leaving them on the side for a few days be good for my future self? Most definitely. Yes.
Lacto- fermented vegetables are an easy way to add fibre and probiotics into the diet and we all know upping the amount of fermented vegetables and probiotics we consume is encouraged when trying to improve gut health (and keeping autoimmune diseases at bay).
So, here is a little recipe for making lacto-fermented veg at home.
This recipe is the simplest method for fermenting raw vegetables and the perfect place to start if you are just starting to dabble into the alchemical world of fermenting.
Carrots, radishes, red pepper and garlic are some of the easiest and tastiest to start with if you are at the beginning of your fermentation journey.
Extra points for cutting them into pretty shapes.
They are so handy to have to hand to add an umami flavour to any dish ~ scattered on top of salads; on the side of a meat dish or roast; a way to add something crunchy and delicious to a rice bowl; or as a snack straight out the jar.
I once heard on one of the hundreds of podcasts I consumed in 2021 that putting a fermented carrot in your lunch box will help keep your food extra fresh until lunch time. Win, win.
I hope you enjoy,
Fleur x
P.S. Scroll to the bottom for a video with fermentation wizard Sandor Katz talking about the health benefits of fermented foods.
LACTO-FERMENTED VEGETABLES
Ingredients:
Raw vegetables
25g sea salt
1 litre water
+ a 1 litre kilner jar with a seal
Method:
Dissolve the salt in a jug with a little hot water.
Add the rest of the water and leave to cool.
Cut up your chosen vegetables.
Place the vegetables into the kilner jar leaving a 1 inch gap at the top.
When the water is cold, pour over the vegetables to submerge them all in the brine solution making sure to leave a 1 inch gap at the top of the jar.
Seal the kilner and leave on the side for a 3-5 days.
After the set amount time taste test the vegetables to see how pickled they are ~ you are looking for tang instead of saltiness.
If you like the flavour you can then place the kilner in the fridge to be enjoyed over the next few weeks.
If you would like them more fermented, leave the kilner out for another day or two until you are happy with how they taste. Then move to the fridge.
Fermentation will continue in the fridge, just at a much slower rate.
Enjoy for up to 10 months :~)
