Preserving the Harvest- Discovering Fermented food.
Canning has been the way to preserve the garden harvest for many, I of course had to find something wrong with the conventional method of heating to the point of sterilization. I tried it, and i tried to like it, but the outcome was mushy and disappointing. All this crisp, alive, food being pressure canned to death just made me sick. Here i had spent so much time working on increasing the microbial count in my soil to increase the enzymes and good stuff in and on my veggies only to remove it before consuming. This was when i found fermentation. THE alternative to canned dead food, fermentation invites good microbes to begin breaking down your food for you. The process called lactic acid fermentation actually increases the nutrients in your food. Vitamins D, B, A, K and folic acid as well as enzymes, probiotic bacteria and beneficial yeasts are created during the ferment. Now this process won't keep things from rotting forever, more like a suspended animation, allowing you the winter and early spring months to enjoy the summer and fall harvest. The variety of ways to ferment all kinds of fruits and veggies are almost as great in number as the amount of health benefits associated with eating them.
As well as being better for you this method of keeping food is easy and can be done in the smallest to largest of batches and takes a modicum of time from you. The biggest problem being the space it takes as it initially ferments. It is nothing to harvest a bunch of beans, throw them in a crock or Weck jar, then cover with salty water and some herbs and spices. Left on your counter this mix gets fizzy as it starts to ferment and when it tastes right gets put into cool storage which can be your root cellar, basement or fridge. The brine solution i use is about 1.5 tablespoons salt to a quart of water more salt the higher the heat. For more detail visit Sandor Katz's webpage or buy the book Wild Fermentation. (These can be found on my links page and in my amazon store.)
As well as being better for you this method of keeping food is easy and can be done in the smallest to largest of batches and takes a modicum of time from you. The biggest problem being the space it takes as it initially ferments. It is nothing to harvest a bunch of beans, throw them in a crock or Weck jar, then cover with salty water and some herbs and spices. Left on your counter this mix gets fizzy as it starts to ferment and when it tastes right gets put into cool storage which can be your root cellar, basement or fridge. The brine solution i use is about 1.5 tablespoons salt to a quart of water more salt the higher the heat. For more detail visit Sandor Katz's webpage or buy the book Wild Fermentation. (These can be found on my links page and in my amazon store.)
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