FERMENTATION OF VEGETABLES
Spring has sprung and we are all busy planting and caring for our gardens. Many of us have even been busy harvesting our bounty. We are busy eating fresh vegetables along with canning and freezing them.
When it comes to fermenting, most only think of making sauerkraut in the fall of the year. But let me tell you that my wife and I have fermented asparagus to zucchini and many combinations of them together. The whole process is faster than canning. There is no need to can them either if you have a cold root cellar, or a cool basement wall the veggies will keep for months. My basement is not cool at all through the summer months, so I use a two-door commercial refrigerator and they keep for well over a year.
The whole process is very simple to do. I’ll use hull peas as a example. First harvest at the peak of freshness, shell and rinse them with clean water. And here comes the fun part put your desired amount of peas in a bowl and add want ever seasoning and flavors your family enjoys. We always add garlic and pepper corns, then we sometimes chop up peppers and onions for flavor. Using different colored peppers to contrast with the peas to brighten up the jar. Many times, I’ll add a hot pepper to put some fire in the jar. Don’t forget to also add your favorite herbs to your liking.
Now to put it all in a jar, we use quarts and half gallons. Fill the jar just like you would if you were canning it. Then you just add salt water to cover the vegetables. For the water use non chlorinated water and add a half cup of salt per gallon. Pour the water over the vegetables and cover them. The most important process in fermenting is to keep the vegetables always covered with salt water and let the jars vent of gases as they ferment for five to seven days. You can simply use grape leaves, oak leaves or the outer leaves of a head of cabbage. Another way is to use a freezer bag and fill it with some salt water and place it on top of the vegetables. You could also use a weighted object like a clean round flat rock and place it on top of the vegetables. Another way to just let the gas off is to use a air lock like you might use if you were making wine.
I hope you’ll try fermenting out for yourself and the family. I eat fermented vegetables almost every day. They go great with a meal, a snack and a packed lunch. All in an effort to build good gut health.