For some time now I fave been on a fermenting kick. When vegan trying to find dairy free probiotic items is sometimes a chore. I have learned to make my own. And one of my go to methods is through ferments. Fermented foods can offer your body the probiotics that it needs.
Historically, people used to get large quantities of beneficial
bacteria, i.e. probiotics, straight from their diet in the form of
fermented or cultured foods, which were invented long before the advent
of refrigeration and other forms of food preservation. As a result,
they didn't suffer the same kinds of problems with their gut health as
so many do today.
The fact is that almost any veggie can be fermented to yield high
amounts of probiotics, mostly the Lactobacilli type. The lacto term
comes from the fact that this type of bacteria creates lactic acid. The
lactic acid protects the fermented food from being invaded by pathogenic
bacteria.
A couple of the key findings in many studies were that each individual's
community of gut microbes is unique, and the groundwork for each
person's gut flora is laid from birth. In fact, the mode of delivery
during the birthing process has been shown to affect an infant's
microbial profile. This is in part why it's so important for pregnant
women to become mindful of their gut health, as it will affect not just
their own health, but also that of their child. It's not a static
thing, however. Your gut flora is highly susceptible to environmental
changes, and can rapidly respond to alterations in diet for example.
Fermented foods not only give you a wider variety of
beneficial bacteria, they also give you far more of them, so it’s a much
more cost effective alternative. Here’s a case in point: It’s unusual
to find a probiotic supplement containing more than 10 billion
colony-forming units. But when my team actually tested fermented
vegetables produced by probiotic starter cultures, they had 10 trillion
colony-forming units of bacteria. Literally, one serving of vegetables
was equal to an entire bottle of a high potency probiotic! So clearly,
you’re far better off using fermented foods.
For my unique gut microbes fermented foods seem to be working well...
What fermented foods offer probiotics you ask:
Kombucha
Saurkraut
Kimchee
Kefir
Apples
Beets
Horseraddish
Jalapenos
Onions
Honestly this will take forever, dang near every veggie can be lacto fermented and will have traces of probiotics some more than others of course.
Here are a few of my simple recipes for some easy lacto ferments to start right away, you will not be sorry you did I promise you!
All you need to start is:
*Rubber Bands
*cloth towels or napkins, if you have it use un bleached coffee liners
*Mason Jars ( I use Quart or gallon)Or old cookie jars from a thrift store.
*Sea Salt
*Distilled water
And a few minutes of yo time ;)
Fermented Salsa
Fermented Figgies
Pint Organic Ripe Figs
Honey
Wash and cut figs in 1/2, add to jar and cover with honey. Just cover fruit, they will release water and it will overflow if you add too much honey. Sit on counter room temp for 3 days, and add to fridge. These are insane over oatmeal or add it to a sauce pan with a little brandy for some figs foster over vanilla ice cream!
Will keep up to 6 months in fridge! Harvest in fall and enjoy all winter!
Fermented Jalapenos
2 lbs Fresh Jalapenos sliced
sea salt
In a large gallon mason jar add sliced jalapenos, cover with water and 2 tbs salt
Take a large baggie and push with hands the jalapenos down so that they are under the water... Fill the baggie with water so that it holds the jalapenos down under the water. Sit on counter for 2-3 days covered with a cloth napkin and rubber band making sure that jalapenos are under the water so adjust accordingly. After day 3 take out baggie and add lid and stick jar in fridge. Super delicious over baked potatoes, or tacos. We eat them like crazy!
Simple Sauerkraut (pictured above jalapenos)
1 cabbage grated
1 Napa cabbage grated
2 tbs sea salt
1 tbs peppercorns (optional)
In a large mason jar, like really large... I use a ice tea glass jar add all grated cabbage, as well as peppercorns and salt. Cover with water.. And press the cabbage down with hands, try to compact it as much as possible add a little more water, the basic idea being cabbage, 3 inches of water above cabbage if possible. Using same method as jalapenos take a large zip lock and I also use a smaller pint mason jar and stick it down into the baggie in the jar... I than fill it all with water, in hopes that the mason jar of water keeps my cabbage snugly compacted under the water! Keep the kraut on the counter covered with a cloth napkin and rubber band for 3-4 days, making sure to compact if the kraut is surfacing above water. Sometimes it will sit tight, sometimes daily I will have to take out baggie and mason jar, re compact the cabbage down, I also give it a taste to see if I should add more salt but usually it is good. After day 3-4 depending on how sour you like it ( leaving it for longer out will make it sourer I go 4 days personally) I than stick kraut in fridge with the jars original lid, or I divide it up into several pint mason jars for gift giving... Stays perfect and even pickles a little more for about 3-6 months. Sensational over baked potato, vegan sausages, in stew, on a salad or just go eat a spoonful once a day... ;) You will love it and it could not any simpler!
Pickled Leeks and Radishes
2 large leeks washed and sliced
2 lbs of Radishes wasted and 1/2ed or sliced based on preference
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbs sea salt
5 sprigs of thyme
Add all items in a large mason jar, cover with water and compact down under water. Keep on the counter covered with cloth napkin and rubber band 3 days, making sure to check and compact more if radishes are not covered by water. After day 3 refrigerate and enjoy up to 6 months. So great on salads...
Kosherish Pickles
4-5 pickling cucumbers cut in 1/2
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbs pepercorns
2 tbs sea salt
3 sprigs of dill
5 sage leaves whole
In a large Quart mason jar add all ingredients and cover with water. Add a lid and kind of toss back and forth as to get some of the peppercorns to the top. Take off lid and cover with a cloth napkin and rubber band. Set on counter 3 days, and add to fridge w/ original lid at day 4. Enjoy these amazing pickles up to 6 months. And drink the liquid for an optimal health! Europeans have been doing it for centuries for gut health...
These are just a few simple starters, I am sure that once you start you will be looking at every veggie at the farmers market different thinking hmmmm wonder what I could ferment that with to make it yummers. And then you will be hooked with little jars taking over your kitchen counters.
A few F.Y.I's
Never use metal lids while fermenting on the counters, only add lids to jars once they are moving to the fridge.
Leave ferments on the counter in a nice cool shaded area, if no space on counter you may also put in the cupboards just don't forget about them ;)
It's nice to use weights but make sure whatever you use to weigh down the veg, is clean and in a zip lock for added sanitation.
Here are a few goodies for embarking on the fermenting adventure. These things are not necessary, but once you get hooked and get your grove these items are a splurge and might be useful for your new hobby or in my case obsession ;)
The Goods:
Now I know these are pricey, but it is supporting an artist and they are worth every penny, and a hair prettier than all those mason jars ;)
Beautiful potted fermenting crock
These are by far my most favorite fermenting jars. There is every size, they have large mouths for using weights and they have an attached lid so you don't have to be frantically looking for lids that fit the mason jar, a pass time I hate by the way ;) You can grab these at your local ACE, I have seen them at Dollar stores, and local natural foods stores pretty easy to find and they are lovely...
These are dear to my heart because they freaking work wonders to weigh down the veg. Worth every penny!
There are many blogs completely devoted to ferments if you just Google... Here are a few more references...
Finding online info:
Facebook has a great group I joined to learn about more kitchen fermenting:
This site is a good one to take a look at once in awhile:
Wonderful space for recipes when you have hit a wall ;):
My favorite ferment books, most can be found in your local library first:
I hope that this post gives you a little info and helps you start your adventures. Please leave a comment if you have any fun recipes to share, lord knows I like a new ferment recipe or two.... If you have questions email me at earthyconsumer@yahoo.com and please consider nixing the dairy and move into the world of delicious plant based probiotics. Tread Lightly!
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