The simple key to successful vegetable fermentation is to make sure your vegetables are submerged in liquid. That’s it, the big secret. Usually the liquid is salty water, also known as brine, but fermentation can be done without salt, or with other liquids, such as wine or whey.
Is your tap water chlorinated? If you're making a ferment that involves a brine, use nonchlorinated water.
Water used for preparing brine or starter culture should be as free from contaminants as possible, for the best-tasting fermented vegetables.
Vegetables
Pretty much any vegetable can be fermented. Use what is abundantly available and be bold in your experimentation. Seaweeds are a wonderful addition to ferments, as are fruits, though mostly fruit ferments go through their process very quickly.
Salt
How much salt do you use? Traditionally vegetables have been fermented with lots of salt. There is no magic proportion of salt the process requires—it’s just personal preference. More salt will slow the fermentation process; less (or none) will speed it up.
Our rule of thumb for salt in vegetable ferments is 1-3 tablespoons per quart or 3 tablespoons per 5 pounds of vegetables is a good ratio to follow.
Add 1-3 tablespoons of salt directly to a medium head of cabbage or equivalent amount of other shredded vegetables before pounding or kneading, to make about 1 quart of finished product.
For making a brine to cover vegetables, dissolve 1-3 tablespoons salt in 1 quart water.
When you taste fermented food, if you find it extremely salty, try rinsing it in a little water before eating. Taste as you go to find the right salt level for you.
Taste your way through the salting process to see what works for you.
Did you use iodized salt? Iodine has antibacterial properties and has been known to affect fermentation. Use a salt that's free of running agents and iodine for best results.
As an alternative to salt, you can also use a vegetable starter culture. These will ensure that only the desired bacteria ferments your food, but they are not necessary at all when using salt. As yet another alternative to salt, seaweeds are also a great choice as they are high in sodium. Seaweeds are also packed full of micro-nutrients and are a great source of much needed iodine.
Container
What kind of vessel should you use to hold your ferment? Avoid metal, as salt and the acids created by fermentation will corrode it. Heavy ceramic cylindrical crocks are the ideal fermentation vessels, though they can be hard to find and expensive. Glass containers work well, especially those with a cylindrical shape or with a wide mouth, and so do nesting bowls. Crock pots with ceramic interiors make effective fermentation vessels and can often be found in thrift stores. In a pinch, you can use plastic, but even food-grade plastics leach toxic chemicals.
To ferment, the vegetables must be weighted under the liquid. Place the weight system you have devised inside the vessel, making sure the plate or jar you are using fits snugly.
Weighing the vegetables down under the brine, keeps them in an anaerobic environment during the fermentation period.
Another method is to pack the vegetables tight under the brine.
The important thing to keep in mind is that the vegetables should stay submerged all along to prevent mold from forming. Lactobacillus bacteria is a facultative anaerobic category of bacteria, meaning that it doesn’t need oxygen for energy production.
How did you sterilize your equipment? It's important to have clean fermentation vessels and equipment, but avoid using harsh or antibacterial sterilization solutions. Steam and boiling water do a fine job.
What should I do about a ferment jar that's bulging?
If you're fermenting in a sealed vessel or jar, it's common for it to bulge or leak. This is caused by the buildup of carbon dioxide as the fermentation occurs. Too much pressure building up can be a dangerous thing if it causes the jar to swell and break. You don't have to use a sealed vessel for fermentation. A cloth-covered, weighted vessel works well.
If you notice your jar bulging, open it over the sink and release the pressure. It may bubble or leak. Take a fork and press the vegetables down under the brine again.
How long do you ferment the vegetables?
“Ferment until ripe,” many recipes advise, but ultimately you will have to decide when it is ripe. Sour flavor—from lactic acid—develops over time. Longer fermentation translates to tangier flavor. This happens more quickly in warm temperatures than in cool ones.
At about 10°C: At temperatures this low, the process can take as long as 6 months or more.
At 15-20°C: Slow enough to develop many of the complex flavors and retain texture, while moving fast enough to enjoy the ferments within 2-6 weeks.
When temperatures exceed 20°C: Fermentation happens quickly.
The only way to really know when a ferment is ready is to taste it. While there is much debate on appropriate fermentation times, the best time to move a ferment to cold storage is when it tastes pleasant to the people who will be consuming.
Why is my ferment too soft or mushy?
A few factors can contribute to your fermented food being too soft or mushy:
It fermented too fast because the temperature was too high.
You didn't add enough salt.
Soft or mushy fermented food isn't necessarily spoiled. Some people prefer a softer ferment, but if the texture puts you off, try cooking with it.
Why did the color change?
The appearance of your fermented creation at the beginning of its fermentation time as compared to the end result can often be completely different!
Pink or red vegetables will turn your ferment into a variety of shades of pink, red, and purple. Some green vegetables naturally brown a bit as they ferment. Colors can fade or intensify based on the ingredients you choose.
If your batch of ferment has all turned brown, smells off, or tastes bitter, this is a sign that it has spoiled, and it should be composted.
Nutritious
Cultured vegetables add not only probiotics, but also vitamin-rich vegetables, sour-salty flavor, and intense color to every meal.
Fermented vegetables, fruits, and dairy products naturally produce probiotics. Fermented food probiotics will help optimize your digestion, support your immune system, and increase healthy good bacteria in your gut.
The good bacteria that fermentation produces helps predigest your food, so the resulting fermented food is easier to digest.
The enzyme activity in fermented food also helps you eat other foods that are eaten with the fermented foods.
Fermentation produces lactic acid in the fermented foods, which helps any healthy good bacteria in your gut to increase in number. This helps you get better digestive/gut health.
It is now estimated that over 500 species of bacteria are present in our intestinal track with reports of 50 – 75% of our immune system activity residing there.
Fermented foods are very nutrient dense. Fermentation helps produce B vitamins, vitamin K2, micronutrients, and healthy enzymes.
Good health starts in the gut.
Sauerkraut
If you want maximum probiotics in your sauerkraut, you’ll want to let your ferment go through the three stages of fermentation. This is particularly important if you are trying to heal your gut.
In a temperature of 65 – 72 degrees the first stage bacteria, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, are happiest. This is the average temperature in your home, which works out well. At this temp, the first stage bacteria kick in around day 3 and lasts until day 7.
Refrigeration slows down food spoilage; In the case of fermenting, you are also slowing down the bacterial action. The LABs (lactic-acid producing bacteria) dislike cold, and they cannot truly thrive in it. So, you want to leave your sauerkraut out a minimum of four weeks to give time for your sauerkraut to go through all three bacteria stages.
Mold
Don´t Scrape away mold thinking it can´t harm you.
Mold can make you sick, very sick. Some people show symptoms right away; others end up with mold sensitivities or other gut issues that evolve over time.
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