For the last 3 years I've been learning how to produce my own food. Not just grow vegetables or raise meat, but to really make the foods I like to eat but have only ever bought in the store. Like cheese and wine. I mean, how dull would life be without cheese and wine?? I knew if the SHTF then basic foodstuffs would be hard to find and that meant the luxuries like cheese, wine and tobacco (for those that smoke) would be impossible to come by so I needed to know how to make them. What do those 3 things have in common?? They are all products of fermentation. Know what else is fermented that we would be hard pressed to live without?
- Coffee
- Tea
- Chocolate
Yep. Without fermentation you don't have them, as least not the way you are accustomed to them.
The first evidence of fermentation as a way of preserving food was found to have originated in the Caucasus region over 10,000 years ago and has evolved into what we have today. There's so much information on fermentation than I can't give you here and so many reasons why you should ferment your own products - not purchase them from big box stores. I found a great book entitled Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz that explains why this is important and also explains the health benefits of a diet rich in fermented foods. [[[Now, I want to preface this book with my own warnings about it and why I only read it for the information and that I do not condone his lifestyle, religious affiliation, political views or personal life choices. If you read the book you'll see what I mean.]]]
Aside from his strange life choices, this book is very informative from a medical and historical standpoint and has quite an extensive recipe collection. All in all, I like this book very much. It makes the mysterious process of fermentation seem simple and doable.
Yogurt is fermented milk and you know the benefits yogurt has to offer: digestive and immune health because it contains probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that have taken up residence in the milk and have caused the conversion from sugars to lactic acid and the end product is the thick, creamy yogurt we all recognize. If you make small batches and eat them regularly, fermented foods need no refrigeration, only a cool area to store them.
How does fermentation preserve foods? The naturally occurring and ever-present bacteria all around us are what is used to ferment food and lower the pH so that harmful bacteria cannot exist. Instead, the bacteria that thrive in this acidic environment and are beneficial to humans take up residence and create the high acidity that keeps the spoilage from happening. Great news - all fermented foods offer the same probiotic benefits that yogurt does! Fermented foods look different than vinegar pickled foods do, but don't let that put you off. The cloudiness of fermented foods is just because of the beneficial bacteria-rich brine and that's a good thing!
vinegar pickled vs fermented
Still, you may ask "why should I take the time and make the effort to preserve foods by fermenting them when I can just quickly pickle them with vinegar?"
Y'all know I am a survivalist and homesteader and I believe in being prepared for bad situations. Here's why I think vinegar pickling, solely, is not the best solution. A few reasons actually:
1) Vinegar has to be stored and that takes space. You can make your own but you'll need an Acid Titration Kit to check that the pH is at least 4.5 to insure it's acidic enough to preserve foods.
2) Pickled and canned foods take up shelf space and require a surplus of supplies such as lids, jars and a canner or big pots. Fermentation can be done on a smaller scale and made on an as-needed basis so you always have freshness and more variety.
3) Pickled items can be heat canned but they lack the nutritional benefit that fermented foods provide
4) Most importantly to me, if you heat can your pickled foods for long term storage, that requires energy in the form of gas, electricity or wood to create the heat. What if there isn't any? Fermentation is passive (on your part anyway) preservation. The bacteria do all the work, no heat processing required. After all, this is how our ancestors did it eons ago when there was no refrigeration.
You don't have to stop vinegar pickling, just try adding some fermented versions to your repertoire and see how it works for you. You can use quart jars, crocks, plastic buckets and most anything non metallic to ferment in. I tried it in a crock but I didn't like the gnat swarms so I ordered a fermenter from Amazon to fix that problem. Here's the one I have and I love it:
Here's the link, it's reasonably priced, quart sized and that's a good size for me for most things. There are much bigger ones available but if you're new to fermenting this is a great starting point. Plus it has an airlock and that's the most awesome feature about this one:
The first thing I ever tried fermenting was okra because I had gallons of whole frozen okra in the freezer and was out of ideas of how to eat more of it. I love okra and don"t mind the slime of hot, buttered boiled okra but I don't want a slimy, chilled pickle. I found that most vinegar pickled okra was still a tad slimy so I had no reason to expect fermented okra to be any different...but it was! It ended up being not in the least slimy! They're Indian spiced and they're spicy and crunchy and it is the best pickled okra I've ever eaten. The writer said she found them slimy but I didn't experience that at all. I found the recipe online (www.picklemetoo.com) and tweaked it a bit to fit the supplies I could find locally and my personal tastes and I want to share that recipe with y'all.
Masala Okra
1/2 t turmeric powder
3-5 dried red chiles or 1 t crushed red pepper flakes (this is spicy, so use less if you like less heat)
1 T cumin powder
1T coriander seeds or powder
1/2 t mustard seed
2-3 lbs fresh or frozen okra
1 qt water with 5 t non-iodized salt dissolved in it
Place all spices in crock, add okra. Pour brine (the salt water) on top and cover with airlock. Make sure all okra are under the brine or they might mold. Let sit at room temp for 1 week, burping it occasionally. Taste the okra after 1 week to see if you like the degree of fermentation you have achieved. If you want it tangier or sharper, ferment it longer. When it's to your taste, place okra and brining liquid in jars, cover with wax paper and then screw on lid. Store in a cool place or in the refrigerator. The longer it sits the more the flavors develop.
If you'd rather try for something even simpler, here's a recipe for sauerkraut:
Basic Sauerkraut
1 medium head cabbage, shredded or sliced thinly
2 T non-iodized salt, to be used in divided amounts
In your Korean fermenter, pack a 1/2" layer of cabbage in the bottom, sprinkle with some of the salt. Pack more cabbage on top of that and sprinkle with more salt. Repeat this layering until both cabbage and salt are gone. Place your airlock on top to maintain pressure. Check it daily to make sure the airlock is sitting on top of the cabbage. Soon you'll see liquid appear as the salt draws the liquid out of the cabbage. Make sure the airlock stays on the surface of the cabbage and the cabbage stays submerged under the liquid. After a week, taste the kraut to determine if it's ready. Let it ferment until you like the taste then place it in jars with the liquid and store in a cool place or in the refrigerator.
I will add that you can heat process fermented foods for long term storage but in doing so, you kill the probiotic properties. That's why you make small batches that you can consume in a reasonable amount of time.
Okay, so there ya go, fermenting basics. Give it a try and see what you think. Happy fermenting!
