Rizzo
01-09-2010, 11:13 AM
(information taken from the book 'Keeping Food Fresh, Old World Techniques and Recipes' by the Gardeners and Farmers of Terre Vivante)
Lactic Fermentation is the process by which vegetabless are preserved using no electricity or preservatives. It was the primary method of preserving vegetables before heat sterilization was discovered. Vegetables preserved this way will keep in a cool dark place for many months.
Most of us are familiar with sauerkraut...thats the prime example of lactic fermentation. You can also preserve many other vegetables using this method (cucumbers, green beans, etc) which also preserves much more of the vitamins and nutritional value that processing in the extreme heat of canning removes, and without using the electricity of the freezing method.
Here's how I make my own basic Sauerkraut:
I bought a big glass jar with a lid from Walmart for $12. Alot of recipes tell you to use a stoneware crock...but I haven't come across one yet, and the glass jar works just as well.
You can fit 3 average size heads of cabbage in the jar, sliced thin. As you slice the cabbage, layer in the jar with a couple Tbsp of salt. Ultimately the salt should equal about 1 1/2 percent salt by weight of the produce (this tends to be about 2 or 3 tbsp salt per quart). Additionally, the more salt used, the crunchier the cabbage at the end. You have to play around with it to get it just the way your family likes it.
As you layer the cabbage, mash it down as much as you can, making sure the salt is evenly coating the cabbage. I use a plastic soup ladle, mainly because I always manage to cut my hands while I'm slicing (don't ask about the single time I used a cabbage plane, yikes.) and we all know what salt does to open wounds. lol
Once you get it all sliced, salted and mashed, you've got to weigh it down. I use a glass plate with a rock on top. High tech right? Or you can use a quart jar full of water. Improvise...the important thing here is to get the cabbage juice to rise over the top of the cabbage. Any cabbage exposed to air will attract bacteria and your kraut is ruined.
So, cabbage is weighted down, lid on top. My jar isn't airtight, but you can find stoneware crocks that are made for making sauerkraut that are and I guess you don't have to worry about weighing it down...I haven't tried that method.
The cabbage should be covered by its own juice within 24 hours. If not, you'll need to add brine to cover..1 tsp salt to 1 cup water. I've found that if you use older cabbage, it doesn't get juicy enough...so get fresh cabbage!!
Then all you need to do is let it sit and do its thing for a few weeks. Check it a couple times a day and mash the cabbage...always making sure every bit of cabbage is covered with brine. Watch for signs that its going bad...you'll know. Trust me. The kraut should smell good. It will also discolor if its not going right.
You'll see bubbles, and occasionally foam will form on top..thats ok, scoop it off. Once the kraut is done I spoon it into old pickle jars and keep it in the fridge.
Homemade sauerkraut is NOTHING like the garbage you get in the store. Even the picky eaters in my house (ok, the picky eater is me) will eat it. Experiment with flavorings too....some traditional recipes use juniper berries, peppercorns, jalepeno, cumin, etc. Sauerkraut is also great for digestion.
The book mentioned above has some great variations and recipes for preserving vegetables by fermenting (and other methods too). I highly recommend it. Preserving foods without electricity or preservatives has become somewhat of a lost art and this book details the methods that people used before all of our modern conveniences were implemented.
Lactic Fermentation is the process by which vegetabless are preserved using no electricity or preservatives. It was the primary method of preserving vegetables before heat sterilization was discovered. Vegetables preserved this way will keep in a cool dark place for many months.
Most of us are familiar with sauerkraut...thats the prime example of lactic fermentation. You can also preserve many other vegetables using this method (cucumbers, green beans, etc) which also preserves much more of the vitamins and nutritional value that processing in the extreme heat of canning removes, and without using the electricity of the freezing method.
Here's how I make my own basic Sauerkraut:
I bought a big glass jar with a lid from Walmart for $12. Alot of recipes tell you to use a stoneware crock...but I haven't come across one yet, and the glass jar works just as well.
You can fit 3 average size heads of cabbage in the jar, sliced thin. As you slice the cabbage, layer in the jar with a couple Tbsp of salt. Ultimately the salt should equal about 1 1/2 percent salt by weight of the produce (this tends to be about 2 or 3 tbsp salt per quart). Additionally, the more salt used, the crunchier the cabbage at the end. You have to play around with it to get it just the way your family likes it.
As you layer the cabbage, mash it down as much as you can, making sure the salt is evenly coating the cabbage. I use a plastic soup ladle, mainly because I always manage to cut my hands while I'm slicing (don't ask about the single time I used a cabbage plane, yikes.) and we all know what salt does to open wounds. lol
Once you get it all sliced, salted and mashed, you've got to weigh it down. I use a glass plate with a rock on top. High tech right? Or you can use a quart jar full of water. Improvise...the important thing here is to get the cabbage juice to rise over the top of the cabbage. Any cabbage exposed to air will attract bacteria and your kraut is ruined.
So, cabbage is weighted down, lid on top. My jar isn't airtight, but you can find stoneware crocks that are made for making sauerkraut that are and I guess you don't have to worry about weighing it down...I haven't tried that method.
The cabbage should be covered by its own juice within 24 hours. If not, you'll need to add brine to cover..1 tsp salt to 1 cup water. I've found that if you use older cabbage, it doesn't get juicy enough...so get fresh cabbage!!
Then all you need to do is let it sit and do its thing for a few weeks. Check it a couple times a day and mash the cabbage...always making sure every bit of cabbage is covered with brine. Watch for signs that its going bad...you'll know. Trust me. The kraut should smell good. It will also discolor if its not going right.
You'll see bubbles, and occasionally foam will form on top..thats ok, scoop it off. Once the kraut is done I spoon it into old pickle jars and keep it in the fridge.
Homemade sauerkraut is NOTHING like the garbage you get in the store. Even the picky eaters in my house (ok, the picky eater is me) will eat it. Experiment with flavorings too....some traditional recipes use juniper berries, peppercorns, jalepeno, cumin, etc. Sauerkraut is also great for digestion.
The book mentioned above has some great variations and recipes for preserving vegetables by fermenting (and other methods too). I highly recommend it. Preserving foods without electricity or preservatives has become somewhat of a lost art and this book details the methods that people used before all of our modern conveniences were implemented.