Supercharged Vegetables - Improve Taste and Nutrition With Lacto-Fermentation

Fermentation is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols, carbon dioxide, or organic acids using yeasts and/or bacteria.  It is an anaerobic (not exposed to air) process.  Natural fermentation precedes human history, but since ancient times, humans have been controlling the fermentation process. For instance there is evidence of winemaking eight thousand years ago in the Caucasus area of Georgia.  Fermenting food is a remarkable process that has enabled humans through the ages to preserve their food.  Ir is the technological innovation that enabled civilizations to be established in colder climates because excess food that was grown, gathered, and killed during the abundant warm times could preserved to enable survival through the lean winter times.

Fermented foods are everywhere you look.  For instance when you eat a pizza the crust, the cheese, and the pepperoni are all fermented. With a cheeseburger you can count the bun, the cheese, the vinegar in the mustard, and perhaps a pickle. You probably consume some most every day and don't even think about it.  There are many types of fermented foods from many different cultures.  Here's a partial list.

• Bean-based:  Soy sauce, soybean paste, miso, natto, stinky tofu
• Grain-based:  Beer, bread, sake, sourdough, rice wine, malt whisky, grain whisky, vodka
• Vegetable based: Kimchi, mixed pickle, sauerkraut, Indian pickle
• Fruit based: Wine, vinegar, cider, brandy
• Honey based: Mead
• Dairy based: Cheese, kefir, yogurt
• Fish based: Fish sauce, shrimp paste
• Meat based: Chorizo, salami, pepperoni
• Tea based: Kombucha

This post is about fermenting vegetables in a process called "lacto-fermentation".  This is the way most vegetables were preserved back in your great-grandma's day.  Many families had a cool "root-cellar" where root crops were kept through the winter in sawdust and brought out a few at a time as needed.   They also stored crocks and bottles full of beets, onions, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, garlic etc. that were naturally pickled using lacto-fermentation.  The process of lacto-fermentation not only preserves vegetables but also releases nutrients that are locked within fibrous walls.  In addition they add nutrients as the good bacteria metabolize the starches and sugars in them.  Finally lacto-fermented foods, if eaten uncooked, are FILLED with pro-biotic microbes that enhance gut flora which is so vital to human health.  Basically lacto-fermentation supercharges your vegetables.

How does lacto-fermentation work?

It works because of the fortunate fact that most microbes that are harmful to humans can't survive much salt or acid, while most microbes that are helpful to humans (in this case lactobacillus) actually thrive in those environments.  In the first stage of lacto-fermentation, vegetables are submerged in a brine that is salty enough to kill off harmful bacteria.  In the second stage the Lactobacillus organisms begin converting lactose and other sugars in the vegetables into lactic acid. This creates an acidic environment that safely preserves the vegetables - and gives lacto-fermented foods their classic tangy flavor.

Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions says:

"The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anti carcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine."

How to make lacto-fermented pickled carrot sticks: 

• 6 medium Carrots - peeled and cut into sticks
• 1 Tbsp Whey - just strain some yogurt or kefir1
• 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt - or some other un-iodized salt
• 1/2 Tbsp Fresh dill or 1/2 tsp Dried Dill
• 3 Garlic Cloves - could leave these out if you don't like garlic in your pickled vegetables
• Water - best without chlorine so either use well-water, distilled, or leave your chlorinated water out in an open container for 2 hours to evaporate the chlorine

Put the carrot sticks into a quart-sized jar.  You want them all standing vertically so it's easiest to fill the jar when it's laying on its side and then tip it vertically to cram the last few in.  Add the rest of the ingredients and then cram the last few carrot sticks in to get a tight fit.  Add water to within one inch of the top.  Cover the jar tightly and allow to sit at room temperature for 4-7 days (this is longer than sauerkraut because a carrot stick has less surface area than shredded cabbage).  Open the lid every other day to release the pressure build-up from fermentation.   The longer you leave it the more sour it gets.  Taste one after 3-4 days and if it's perky enough put your jar in the fridge where they will last for months.  If they're not sour enough for your tastes just leave them on the counter longer.

Here's how to make lacto-fermented salsa:

• 1 bunch Green Onions - chopped
• 1 bunch Cilantro - chopped
• 3 pounds Tomatoes - diced
• 2 Tbsp Whey - just strain some yogurt or kefir
• 3 Bell Peppers - diced (I like multiple colors)
• 4 Garlic Cloves - peeled and chopped
• 1 Lemon - juiced
• 2 Tbsp Kosher Salt - or some other un-iodized salt
• 1/4 cup water

Pulse tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor until you reach the consistency you desire.  Pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir the salsa and pour into two washed quart-size jars and leave 3 inches of head space. Pour in water to cover the salsa.
Cover the jar tightly and allow to sit at room temperature for 3-5 days.  If the solid vegetables may separate from the liquid stir it up with a wooden spoon and make sure the solids are submerged again. Put your jar in the fridge where it would last for months if you could keep from eating it all. 

It is so good and so good for you!