and othersLike a kid in a candy store, I often get carried away at the market. Vegetables are especially plentiful at this time of year, and I usually end up buying way more than I have space to store them. By the end of the week, I’m always left with a surplus that needs to be cooked or stored.
Lactic acid fermentation is a great way to preserve vegetables, not to mention diversifying your nutritional intake and promoting gut health thanks to the beneficial bacteria produced during fermentation. This recipe is not a dry fermentation like sauerkraut, but a wet fermentation. All vegetables are thoroughly washed and fermented, whether whole, sliced or finely chopped.
Simple lactic acid fermentation of summer vegetables
Today I fermented some leftover vegetables: broad beans with lemon and dill, carrots salted with lemongrass and coriander seeds, and eggplant with miso.
Wash and chop your vegetables, then slice or chop them to your desired size. Smaller vegetables like broad beans, radishes and cucumbers are fine whole, but we recommend slicing eggplant and dicing kohlrabi.
To keep the vegetables from getting too soft, add a source of tannins (such as grape leaves or raspberry leaves) to the jar and, once the fermentation has progressed sufficiently and bubbles have appeared, place in the refrigerator. Don’t worry if the vegetables get too soft; fermented vegetables are still delicious to eat. Use them like miso paste to add depth of flavor to dressings and stews (in the case of stews, add them at the end of cooking).
To prevent mold growth, make sure the vegetables are completely submerged in the brine. If necessary, use fermentation weights or clean, heavy, non-porous, non-metallic objects to keep the vegetables submerged in the brine. Also, keep an eye on the vegetables while they are in the brine and stir them every 1-2 days. After fermentation, store them in the refrigerator for longer storage.
To sterilise jars, rinse them in very hot water and place them on their side in a cold oven. Set the oven to 150C (130C fan)/300/Gas 2 and turn off once it has reached temperature. Leave the jars in the oven until you need them. To sterilise lids, bring a pan of water to the boil and leave them in the water until you need them.
Vegetables – 400g Examples: eggplant, broad beans, carrots
12g sea salt
1 herb sprig – e.g. sage, basil, thyme (optional)
3cm citrus peel (option)
1 garlic clovePeeled (optional)
Pack your chosen vegetables tightly into sterilised 500ml jars, leaving 3cm of space at the top. If necessary, cut your vegetables so they will all fit into the jars. I like to leave them whole where possible, or cut them into long, thick sticks. Add optional aromatic vegetables.
Mix sea salt in 400ml of water, preferably filtered, to make a 3% brine. Once the salt has dissolved, pour in enough brine to cover the vegetables. Cover loosely with a lid or cheesecloth and ferment at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for at least 4 days, or until the mixture is foamy and active. Stir the mixture every day or two.
You can leave the jars at room temperature to continue fermenting, or seal them and place them in the refrigerator to stop fermentation. Brine-marinated vegetables are best eaten within a month.
-
Find this recipe and others from your favorite cooks in the new Guardian Feast app, packed with smart features that make everyday cooking easier and more fun. Free Trial today.
