Food Fermentation for Beginners by Samantha Stewart

Author:Samantha Stewart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: food prep, meal prep, pantry, fermentation for beginners, pickle up
Publisher: Guava Books
Published: 2017-02-03T00:00:00+00:00

Other vegetable fermenting starters include whey, vinegar or apple cider, or a brine from a previous fermentation process.

Whey

To help you experiment with vegetable fermentation in your kitchen, we are including basic recipes with and without whey. Remember that way is dairy based and if you or members of your family have some dairy allergies, this will not work for you. If you decide to use whey, make sure you strain it properly and that it tastes fresh, because it will give its flavor to your vegetables.

Never fear: ALL fermentation can be started with salt only.

You also notice that our recipes with whey add a bit of salt – this is also for flavor and to keep your vegetables crunchy.

Play with recipes using either whey-plus-salt as shown, or just salt. Then try some with salt and lemon juice. Vinegar in a dose of 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per cup of water is also a quick fermentation agent of a different flavor (my friends like a quick summer cucumber fermented just with vinegar).

Remember to play with quantities – some people love a degree of saltiness that makes their lips pucker, and this comes from lots of salt in the water (e.g.: 1 tablespoon per cup of water) but most people would find the taste unappealing after a bite or two and prefer a lighter dose of salt (e.g.: ½ tablespoon per cup of water).

Be your family’s pioneer and experiment till you find what they love!

TIP: Label your jars with your dosages of whey, salt, lemon juice or vinegar. That way you can track your family’s favorites.

TIP: Dissolve your sea salt in water first, in a glass jar or 2-cup glass measuring cup. Your brine is now made and ready to pour over the vegetables in the jar. Do the same if you choose lemon juice, whey or vinegar.

Fermentation Times

Remember that although we have been fermenting foods for millennia, this is not such an exact science that you need to clock the fermentation time of your foods.

Example: The age-old way Mediterranean societies ferment olives is in a salty brine – leaving them in the brine for up to 4 winter months in large clay jars that sit on the flat rooftops of their homes. The warm winter sun and cool air of winter are just right to create a “room temperature” outdoors for this fermentation.

Climate and ambient temperature play a role in fermentation times, so you may find you need to ferment at room temperature for 7 to 8 days in the winter but only 5 to 6 days in late summer. Some fermenting can take 10 or more days.

Taste your foods – open the jar to see if the food takes “sour” or not yet. You are your own judge!

If you like the taste of the sourness or saltiness after three days, or after seven – you are done! Place the jar in cold storage, and that's it.

If you are aiming toward creating sauerkraut with a crunch, you may find that you are fermenting it on your countertop for 10 or 20 days.

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