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
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is so easy and makes your kitchen smell delicious! It requires very little hands-on time and tastes just like Grandma’s apple butter.
Wash, core, and quarter the apples. Place in slow cooker and add water and cinnamon. Cook on low for 8-12 hours, or until the apples are soft.
When apples are soft, puree the apple mixture in the slow cooker using an immersion blender. (Alternately, you could transfer in batches to a stand blender.) Continue cooking on low in the slow cooker with the lid off until it reaches the desired consistency, usually about 1-2 hours.
Allow to cool, then stir in 2 T. of whey. Put into jars. Leave at room temperature for 24-48 hours before transferring to the refrigerator.
*This should keep for at least 2 months in the refrigerator. I’ve also frozen it both before and after lacto-fermenting with great results. Just thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Here is the way this extremely nourishing condiment was traditionally prepared, lacto-fermented style. This is a raw recipe that is chock full of enzymes that aid in digestion and the immune system. Cabbage is an amazing superfood that provides a lot of vitamin C, fiber, and is rich in cancer-inhibiting elements. Eating cabbage in the form of raw, lacto-fermented sauerkraut is probably the most nutrient dense way to prepare it, in my opinion.
Toss your cabbage in a bowl and add the caraway seeds.
Now add the sea salt and whey.
Pound it all with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer for 10 minutes.
Now stick it all in a quart-sized wide-mouthed jar and press it down really well until the juices cover the top. I found that a ladle did the trick for this part.
There should be at least one inch above the cabbage and the top of the jar.
Cover tightly and keep it at room temperature for about 3 days, then store it in the fridge. You’ll notice the flavor improves the longer it’s been stored. I wish more foods were like this…
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.