Benefits of Fermented Food, and How to Make Your Own Raw Fermented Food

Yes, I know that the title is long, but the subject is very interesting.

Growing up overseas fermented food was a part of our daily diet. For the most part it was raw fermented sauerkraut, which we used in soups and salads. I never thought that we intentionally fermented cabbage for its health benefits?it was a fringe benefit for sure, we simply did it to preserve enough cabbage to last us through the winter and until the next season of fresh harvest. I remember the days when my Dad would work hard shredding cabbage for hours on a huge mandoline-line slicker, while Mom and we would grate carrots. In the end we would mix it all together, sometimes adding other ingredients, massage everything with salt, place in a huge vat, put heavy stones on top to help the juices come out, and leave it to ferment. We never had to buy sauerkraut from a store in a jar.

We also occasionally made kombucha. You can read about it here.

Having moved to the US we slowly drifted away from our roots, since there is an abundance of fresh foods year around. It was not until last year when I started to reintroduce fermented foods into our diet. I started by making kombucha at home, then I started to buy sauerkraut to add to salads, and recently I was reminded just how simple fermenting veggies could be in the comfort of my home.

fermenting my own vegetables by a couple of other bloggers: Pure2Raw and Kristen's Raw [thank you, ladies]. Although I bought a set or probiotics, which I am planning to take for 1 month only, I realize the need for an ongoing intake of good bacteria. On Pure2Raw blog I was noticing the very colorful fermented veggies the twins were eating and I got super jealous! Their fermented food looked more exciting than my boring, lonely sauerkraut I got from a store. It was time to change that! So, last night I headed to the store and got a whole bunch of COLORFUL veggies I wanted to ferment, and then I went to shredding and slicing. By the end of the night I had eye candy: TA-DA!

I am hoping that by now you are interested in trying your hand in fermenting your own vegetables. It is super easy?anyone can do it! The only cost that is involved is what you pay for groceries and a little bit of your time.

However anxious you might be to find out all the HOW TOs, I would like to tell you about the benefits of fermented foods first.

Why Fermented Food?
1. Fermented foods introduce GOOD bacteria into our gut flora, giving it a PRO-biotic quality;
2. Fermented foods can help to reduce high cholesterol levels in our blood;
3. It strengthens and supports our digestive and immune systems, helping our bodies to fight off and prevent diseases;
4. Good bacteria help our bodies to detoxify
5. Good bacteria inhibits harmful microorganisms, thus fighting off infections
6. Fermented products are a great source of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals;
7. The process of fermentation increases the amounts of some vitamins;
8. Fermented vegetables are a great source of Vitamin C. [In ancient times Sauerkraut was often served as military rations to prevent scurvy.]
9. The process of fermentation increases the bioavailability of fermented foods.
10. Humans have consumed fermented vegetables for thousands of years. [Kimchi, a fermented spicy cabbage, is a staple food in Korea. Kimchi is very well-studied for its medicinal, antimicrobial, and anti-aging properties. Scientists found that chickens infected with avian flu started to recover after being fed a kimchi extract];
11. Fermented cabbage is actually easier to digest than unfermented cabbage, since some of ?digestion? has been started in the fermentation process;
12. Fermenting vegetables provides preservation, nutrition, flora, fiber, ease of digestion and flavor.

Why Ferment Veggies at Home?
The sauerkraut and other fermented vegetable you buy in the store may have little to no live active lacto-bacteria cultures because it is pasteurized, which kills bacteria. In addition to that fermenting at home will cost you only a fraction of what you would pay at the store.

What Can be Fermented?
Almost any vegetables can be fermented.

Organically grown vegetables are your best option: they are free from synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers and contain more lactic acid bacteria.

Cabbage is the most ideal vegetable for fermentation, since it contains an abundance of lactic acid bacteria, as well as a good amount of vitamin C and some vitamin A. Onions and tomatoes are good complements for fermentation with other vegetables. Fermented onion is mild and relatively easily digested.

How to Ferment?
Here is a quick Guide of How Tos, details can be found below by watching a video.

1. Vegetables should be shredded, sliced or cut into small pieces?this will accelerate the fermentation process.
2. Vegetables should be crushed/massaged with salt to release their juices.
3. Use chlorine-free water; if your tap water is chlorinated, boil it for at least 10 minutes, then allow it to cool.
4. Make sure that your hands, utensils and containers should are well cleansed and free of residual soap.
5. Use non-iodized salt only [sea or Himalayan salt will provide you with additional minerals];
6. Salt prevents both the overgrowth of yeast and the breakdown of vegetable proteins before enough lactic acid builds up to have a preservative effect. When making fermented vegetables, the salinity requirement is 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of salt per 2 pounds of vegetables. Saline water (1 tablespoon of salt per quart of water) should be added to cover the vegetables by at least an inch.
7. A proper initial temperature is 68 to 72 degrees for two to three days, which starts the fermentation. Then store the vegetables at 58 to 64 degrees for four to six weeks. After this time, it?s good to store them at 40 to 60 degrees, which is adequate for keeping the vegetables for a year or more.
8. Common spices for flavor include dill, mustard seed, juniper berries, caraway seeds, bay leaves, red pepper, coriander and many others. Raspberry leaves offer lactic acid bacteria as well as flavor.
9. Sliced horseradish root is added for its preservative qualities as well as its flavor, and often this is layered on top of the vegetables.
10. The best everyday containers to use for fermenting at home are glass jars with screw-on lids.
11. The lids must be very lightly screwed down during initial fermentation.
12. Individual jars may experience different rates of fermentation. Push down on the lids ? if they are popped up and you feel any resistance, release the gas by loosening the lids. Be careful when attempting this technique and keep the jars covered with a towel to protect yourself.
13. There are special crocks sold specifically for fermenting, if you wish to get more sophisticated and involved with the process.
14.Veggies can be cut by hand or using a food processor or a mandolin slicer [I use V-shaped straight blade for cabbage, and smallest divided blade for other vegetables, although I did use a food processor for shredding carrot for my cabbage-and-carrot batch].

My Ingredients
Last night I started 2 separate batches

Batch 1
Red Cabbage, shredded
Zucchini, sliced
Carrots, sliced
Beets, sliced
Salt

Batch 2
White Cabbage, shredded
Carrots, grated in a food processor
Dill
Green Onion
Salt

To make my life MUCH easier, the ladies of Pure2Raw blog had posted a video of how they prepare their food for fermentation. The videos are easy to follow and are fool-proof, I promise.

I am planning to let me veggies ferment for more than 3 days [if I can help it], and over the weekend start a couple of more batches, so I don?t ever run out of my good, all natural, organic probiotics ever again. And just imagine the possibilities with these beauties.