Red Cabbage Kraut with Cumin and Caraway Seeds

So far, this is my very favorite flavor of sauerkraut!
This recipe is based on a kraut we were purchasing regularly and spending way too much money on, so I decided to figure out how to make it myself. My favorite ways to use this kraut is with hot dogs, on fried eggs, stuffed into half an avocado, and as a salad dressing.

Cut the core out of the cabbage and cut it in to chunks that will fit in your food processor, if using one
Shred the cabbage in a food processor with the slicing disc (or you can chop it with a knife)
Put it in a deep bowl with the cumin, caraway, and salt
Pound it for 10 minutes with a kraut pounder, meat tenderizer, or large pestle (or just by squeeze it with your hands)
This will pull some water from the cabbage to make a brine
Place the cabbage mixture and brine into quart jars leaving at least an inch of space at the top
If you don’t have enough brine to cover all the cabbage, add filtered water to the jar until it’s covered
Place the lid on the jar and leave it on the counter to ferment
Check it after 3 days and see how it tastes, if it’s to your liking put it in the fridge, if not, close it back up and check again in a couple of days
Make sure you check the jars every couple of days and release some of the gases that build up. If you forget about it long enough your jar will explode. Then you’ll never make that mistake again!
Store the finished sauerkraut in the fridge

Fermented Shredded Indian Carrots

An aromatic blend of spices with shredded carrots, this tastes good fermented or not.

Shred carrots either with a grater or in a food processor. Place in a large non-reactive bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well and let rest for about 15 mins. by now the salt should have released the juices from the carrots. You can mash it a bit with a kraut pounder, wooden spoon or just squeeze in your hands. Spoon into a mason jar or fermentation vessel, pressing down so the carrots are submerged in their juices. Use a weight to keep the carrot submerged. Cover and let set at room temperature for about 5 days.

Brine Pickled Celery

Usually for me celery is just a tool to get ranch dressing to my mouth but I’ve fallen in love with pickled celery. This ferment is very simple to do with much rewards.

Trim celery and cut into pieces to fit your jar. Stuff celery in a quart sized mason jar (you might need 2 jars depending on how much celery you have). Insert garlic, onion slices and dill in between the celery stalks. Pour in starter culture and cover with salt brine to about 1″ from the top of the jar. Cover tightly and let set at room temperature for 5-7 days. Burp the jar daily to release built up gases.

Sprouted Navy Bean Hummus, GAPS Legal

A GAPS legal hummus made from navy beans. Fermenting adds a wonderful tang to an already yummy dip. Sprouting directions can be found on my website.

In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until a smooth paste. Place in a quart sized mason jar filling only to about 2″ below the lid (you might have some left over to enjoy now). Cover loosely and let set at room temp for 3 days. Move to cold storage.

Brine Pickled Brussels Sprouts

Closely related to cabbage, they are a perfect vegetable to pickle. The best part about these, besides the awesome taste, is how cool they look in the jar.

Layer the Brussels sprouts, shallots, and red pepper flakes in 1 quart mason jar, packing them tight. Pour whey or vegetable culture over the top and fill with salt brine to cover, leaving about 1” of head space. Use a small plate or cabbage leaf to keep Brussels sprouts submerged. Let set at room temperature for one to two weeks. Place in cold storage.
Beware when opening the jar. This smells almost as good as kimchi.

Lactofermented Indian Spiced Cauliflower

I’ve had the image of golden colored cauliflower in my head and having had cauliflower curry in the past, I knew this combo would be smashing. Crunchy, sour and spicy!

In a 1/2 gallon mason jar, layer cauliflower, spices and salt, gently pressing cauliflower in. Pour whey over the top and fill jar with filtered water. Cover tightly and shake to disperse spices and dissolve salt. Loosen cover and let set at room temp for 3-5 days. I like to tighten the lid on the last day of fermentation to seal in a little effervescence. Nothing more fun than fizzy vegetables!

Lactofermented Mushrooms with Thyme and Marjoram

These are great on their own or as a salad topping. Flavoring with thyme and marjoram just seemed right.

Quarter mushrooms and layer into a quart sized mason jar with thyme, marjoram and garlic. Fill to the top with the brine solution. Use a weight to hold the mushroom under water (I just used a small spice jar filled with water that fits nicely inside my jar). Cover loosely and let set for 3-5 days. If you don’t use all the brine, place remaining in the fridge for future use.

Simple Lacto-Fermented Salsa

Do you notice your store-bought salsa molds soon after opening? Or perhaps you’re only checking out this post because you’re skeptical about the word “simple” in association with “lacto-fermented.” I promise this recipe will take less than 15 minutes for the average person, and what do you receive in return? Salsa with a longer refrigerator life and an aid in your body’s digestion.

Pour salsa into Quart Jar and add whey.
Cover with paper towel or cheese cloth and a rubber band to hold the cover on.
Sit Quart Jar in a warm part of your house.
After 2 or 3 days, put the Quart lid on and refrigerate as usual.

Pickled (Lacto-Fermented) Garlic

We all should be eating more fermented foods and garlic is one food that many of us consume regularly. Why not ferment it to add some additional probiotics to our diets?

Place the whole garlic heads on a sheet pan and roast the garlic in the oven, at as low of a heat as you can go, for 45-60 minutes. The skins should be peel right off, but the garlic should still be firm. You don’t want to overcook the garlic, in order to preserve as many of the nutritional compounds as possible.
Remove from the oven and let the cloves cool for 10-15 minutes. The next part is a bit tedious. You have to peel each clove of garlic.
Once you have the garlic peeled, place all of the cloves in a clean quart mason jar. In a separate dish, dissolve the salt into 2 cups of filtered water. Add the whey (only if water is room temperature and not hot, otherwise it will kill the bacteria). Pour the liquid over the garlic cloves. If you don’t have quite enough liquid, just add a little more water until the garlic is about one inch below the liquid and the liquid is about one inch below the top of the jar. Shake everything around to mix and cover with a lid (not too tight). Leave at room temperature for 8-10 days and then move to cold storage.
Pickled garlic will keep for at 6 months to a year, if not longer.
Note: If your garlic turns blue or green, don’t be alarmed! The color change happens when the anthocyanins and/or the sulfur compounds react with the acidity or minerals in the water. Many times, it’s the reaction of the garlic to copper in the water. It is still totally edible and won’t hurt you.

Lacto-Fermented Sumac Onions

I first tasted sumac onions at my first visit to a Persian restaurant. Right away, I was hooked and was putting these sour marinated onions on everything, with extra sumac shaken on. Love that stuff! Since then, I have been wanting to create a fermented version for extra nutrients. Serve with just about any Middle Eastern dish!

Peel and thinly slice onions. I use a food processor. Sprinkle sumac over the onions and stir to coat.
Firmly pack the onion mixture into 2 quart sized mason jars and leave an inch of head space.
Mix together a 3.6% brine by adding 2 tbsp unrefined sea salt into 1 quart of non-chlorinated, filtered water. Stir to dissolve.
Pour brine solution over onions. Press onions down so they are under the liquid. At this point you can cover with a cabbage or grape leaf and weigh down with a sterilized rock or fermenting weight. Keep the 1 inch head space. I am using a homemade airlock system, but it’s not necessary. You can just cap them with a canning lid.
Set out of the way on the counter and cover with a cloth to block out light. Leave on counter for 3-7 days before transferring to refrigerator. Watch for signs of fermenting after a couple days. You should see small bubbles trapped on sides. After 3-4 days, smell to see if has the sour fermented smell. Use a clean fork to test a piece. If not to your taste leave out a few days longer. Will keep 6 months in fridge.
Note:Ferments happen slower in cooler weather. Also, if you choose to use a starter, such as whey, only use 1 tbsp of salt in your brine and leave on the counter only 2 days as the starter greatly speeds up the fermenting process.

Lacto-fermented Garlic

An amazing way to preserve garlic! The lacto-fermenting process also takes some of the heat out of the garlic, making it pretty easy to eat raw. The benefits of eating raw garlic are astronomical. Garlic is known to have great healing qualities. Use your lacto-fermented garlic in any recipe that calls for fresh garlic. Of course, if you cook it, you will lose probiotics, but the flavor is fantastic.

Place garlic heads on a cookie sheet and put in a warm oven, no more than 200 degrees for about an hour. Alternately, you could place in a dehydrator set at 160 for the same time. This precess helps to loosen the skins from the cloves, making the garlic easier to peel.
Peel the garlic being sure to leave the root end intact. Cutting off the root end of the clove could cause the fermentation process to be uneven.
Fill a clean quart size mason jar with the peeled garlic. Pour in the whey or veggie juice at this time if you will be doing it that way. Dissolve the 2 tablespoons of sea salt in 1 quart of water. Pour over the garlic, leaving at least an inch of head space.
I weigh down the garlic with a cabbage leaf and place a clean rock (that I’ve boiled to sterilize) on top to keep them below the liquid.
Cover with a lid and leave on the counter for 48 hours if using the whey option, otherwise leave on the counter for about 5-7 days. Open up the jar after a few days to see if it is beginning to smell sour to your liking.
Remove cabbage leaf and rock and store in the refrigerator for up to a year. Can be eaten right away, but I like them after they have aged about a month in the refrigerator.
*NOTE: Some garlic pieces may turn blue in this process. Don’t be alarmed. It is a chemical reaction with the copper in some water and is harmless.

Fruit Kimchi

A Korean fermented food, fruit kimchi, is spicy, sweet, and healthy. This recipe is very simple to make for even a beginner fermenter.

Place all the fruit, vegetables, and nuts into a 1 quart mason jar. I mixed my fruit up well to ensure a good consistent flavoring through the entire jar. Pack the fruit in very tightly.
Add the pineapple juice to the jar to fill in all the gaps between the fruit. The pineapple juice should cover your fruit. The pineapple juice acts as a brine solution. The acidic nature of the pineapple juice will prevent extra scum from growing on top.
Place the lid on the jar and screw on the top. Place the jar in a temperature stable location out of direct sunlight. I left mine on the counter away from the stove.
The next day loosen the top to release the gas build up in the jar. You will see bubbles and hear a distinct spewing sound of the gases being released. The bubbles and gas build up indicate that the fermentation is occurring. Retighten the lid.
Repeat step 4 everyday for a week.
After 1 week open up the jar of the fruit kimchi and remove any scum. I did not have any scum on top, but yours might have scum on top. Enjoy your kimchi!
Store in the leftovers in the refrigerator. This ferment will last a long time in your refrigerator, probably 3 months.