Lacto-Fermentation Demo with Isabelle
We've attached a video of last Sunday's Fermentation talk! Thank you to everyone who made it out! We are excited to begin the learning segment of the "Food and Learning Cooperative" and are back to the drawing board to decide next months topic! We hope you enjoy the content of this video, we do apologize for the poor quality :)
To briefly summarize the talk...
There are several forms of food preservation: freezing, canning, heat-treating (pasteurization), dehydration, salt/sugar curing, and fermenting.
With the rise of the industrial revolution, automobile, shipping of goods, and needing a longer shelf-life, modern food preservation required sterile conditions and stable temperatures to ensure a safe product. However, with this shift, our culture lost the art of fermentation.
Why ferment? Add nutrient dense, bio-diverse, good bacteria to your micro-biom. Phytic Acid occurs naturally in lacto-fementation that acts as a great pre-digestive to better aid in your own digestion of complex foods like gluten, legumes, and seeds. Lactic acid and phytic acid both help to break down the food to make more nutrients available and actually increase vitamins A, C, and K. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, is made in your gut and by creating optimal gut health you can heal the brain-gut connection and help better regulate mood and emotions. Decrease food waste by fermenting veggies you may have seasonal abundances of! Also...IT'S EASY!
How? You will need clean veggies, clean glass jar with lid, non-iodized salt, clean nonchlorinated water, a weight to submerge the veggie below brine water line...this could be a large cabbage leaf, plastic bag with water, glass weights, be creative. Cut up your veggie to desired size. Salt generously so each piece has a little salt. Massage and pound with hands and let sit for a few minutes to allow more of the natural brine to release. Then, place salted veggie into jar and press hard for several minutes allowing oxygen bubbles to release and natural brine to come up and cover the top of the veggies, preferably an inch. If you find yourself without enough brine, simply make your own. The ratio is 3tbs of salt to 1 quart of water. Pour over veggies till you get that inch of cover. Fold your cabbage leaf and stuff it in the jar to help push and keep the veggies down in the jar, completely submerged. This is important. Rinse the rim and place the top on jar. Store in cool dark area for 3-5 days, ideal temperature range should be 70-75 degrees. You can check on it regularly, taste it as you go, then you place it in the fridge and enjoy for up to a year! WAHOO! (Please watch the video for how to ferment beets and other items you do not want to necessarily squish.)
Use your fermented goods as a condiment. Try using it in place of simply salting your meal. Mix it into salads, soups, pasta dishes, on omelettes, or by itself!
When you first begin eating your own ferments, don't be surprised if you feel a little "bubbly" yourself...this is natural and is your body adapting to the positive change and it is the good bacteria going to work. This goes away very quickly.
We hope you enjoy this creative process, don't be afraid to experiment with different veggies or spices. Just please share if you have any awesome or interesting recipes!
Thanks so much for reading along! HAPPY FERMENTING!
Love,
Isabelle Heydt