Fermentation Admiration!

Fermented foods are some of my favorite, mostly because I am of German decent. I grew up with sauerkraut as a side to everything. As I got older and my grandparents quickly passed, I found myself wanting more than just a CAN of kraut! (Enter Bulgarian Love of my Life) It almost seemed like my grandparents could hear my cries for something better and sent down my soulmate to fill that void I had been missing since I had lost them...from that point on, I was eating sour cabbage rolls and salad almost every week with my new family! On a beautiful Sunday morning exactly a year ago, my new little family and I did some exploring at their new farm house. We found some pretty amazing and interesting things that day.
After such a long day of exploring, we headed back home to make dinner. Baba was making fermented cabbage like she always did, in a large paint bucket! It always had my interest and amazed me. I'm sure she could tell, as she looked up at me and said "Come here, let me show you!" That day I learned the simple act of fermenting and I never looked back. It was a wonderful experience she shared with me; I had started to wonder if my family made it this way. I wondered if this is what it would have been like were my grandmother to show me some of her culture. I will never forget that day.

The Science⟾
When you combine fruits, vegetables and/or grains with salt water in an anaerobic state(no air/oxygen), a reaction happens between the good bacteria and the natural sugars found in these foods, creating lactic acid. This reaction lowers the anti-nutrient phytic acid(that stuff that makes you fart😷) that is found in grains and beans that inhibits the full absorption of nutrients into the gut. It also increases the activity of vitamins A, vitamin C and other macro- and micro-nutrients among various strains of probiotics. If you aren't familiar with probiotics, those are little miro-miracles that improve your digestion, help create a healthy gut and boost your immune system. It is also important to add prebiotics to your fermented foods as prebiotics are food for probiotics. When probiotics and prebiotics are combined, they form a synbiotic. Fermented foods can be amazing for keeping the common cold away, treating diarrhea and keeping good bacteria in your gut during antibiotics(just to name a few +'s).


The Act⟾
Fermenting is so simple. All you need is some local, seasonal, preferably organic veggie's, purified or filtered water and salt!! That's it. I started out using old pickle jars or whatever jar(cheeze whiz once hah) I had that was emptied as long as it wasn't metal and recently upgraded to Ball jars. You can literally use anything AND add anything to your liking, this is all YOU! Some of my favorite things to ferment are cabbage and radishes, yum.

The "Recipe"⟾
Sunday afternoon I came into some yummy, local carrots and knew I wanted to ferment them!! Have I ever fermented carrots before? No. Can I? YES!! I like to add garlic to my ferments because it is prebiotic so here is what I made. Again, you can add whatever prebiotics, herbs or flavors that you'd like to make it yours. NO SUGAR THOUGH :)

4 carrots sliced 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt(table,sea salt or Himalayan)
sprig of fresh dill
2 garlic cloves
approx. 1/2  cup filtered water
1 cabbage leaf

Cut carrots about an inch shorter than the jar you're using; there needs to be room for the jar to "bubble" or it WILL overflow. Place sprig of dill in jar and fill it with carrots until almost tight. Squeeze halved garlic cloves in between slices. Sprinkle salt over the top of carrots and fill with water until the carrots are covered. Place top on and shake jar a couple of times until the salt is dissolved. Open the jar and place cabbage leave on top of the carrots to insure that they stay submerged and that no oxygen reaches them. Replace top tightly and find a nice spot on the counter for your new friend. In a couple of days you will see your friend start to come alive!! You will want to burp the jar(loosen the lid for a second) every couple of days to release the gas that is forming. It is best to leave the jar on the counter for at least 7 days but you can start tasting it after 5 to see if it's at a sour level that you like. The warmer the room is, the faster the fermentation happens so don't forget about your friend! 

I would love to hear if you've ever tried to ferment at home and what kind of recipes you have. If you haven't, give it a try! I also have jars for purchase if you can't find time in your day to try it out on your own.
Happy Day,
Amanda J