Fruits & Veggies Monday/Fermented vegetables

Hello dear gourmets, this is my post for this Monday: Fermented vegetables. Thank you very much to @lenasveganliving and hosted by @plantstoplanks!

Bacteria in our kitchen? And that should be healthy? It should also taste, it is said? Everywhere one hears and reads about fermentation right now - so it's time for me to taste this kind of long-lasting vegetables.

We are surrounded by billions of micro-organisms, a fact that we like to banish from our thoughts, after all, our environment should be really clean and not just pure. But most of these microorganisms are basically very good for us. In the case of fermentation, they are lactic acid bacteria, which we use for preservation, better digestibility and a special taste of the food. Milk fermented foods are found all over the world. No Korea without Kimchi, no Germany without sauerkraut and on sourdough bread you want as an Austrian determined to relinquish reluctant. Fermentation affects us anyway - then I can try it myself. To love the taste and the health.

Anyone lucky enough to own a garden, as I do, knows what it means to harvest enormous amounts each summer and fall. Impossible to eat everything at once. So it is diligently boiled, dried, frozen and fermented. In contrast to the other preservative methods mentioned, fermentation is the only method that works without any added energy. Salt and time, you do not need more. Fermentation is therefore an integral part of a sustainable diet. Incidentally, the fermentation works best with organic vegetables from our own garden, because there are still enough of the required microorganisms available, which is not always the case with heavily treated vegetables.

The vegetables are placed in a brine, so it is in an environment without oxygen, in which virtually no life is possible. This is almost true, where life ends for other bacteria, it starts for the lactic acid bacteria only really. Bacteria that cause rotting die and the lactic acid bacteria can do their job calmly. As the vegetables are not heated in this type of preservation, the sensitive nutrients stay where they belong. Already the sailors have taken advantage of this knowledge and offered with the help of sauerkraut scurvy forehead.

Especially for our intestinal health, fermented vegetables are very valuable. In our gut we have billions of roommates. The bacteria located there are responsible not only for a hopefully smooth flow of our digestion, but also for our immune system. But not all bacteria in the intestine are on our side, some are just wide and life difficult for us. Milk-fermented foods provide food for the "guts" of the intestinal bacteria - they can proliferate and do their jobs adequately and do not leave so much room for the "bad guys".

In addition to the vegetables and salt to be fermented, you do not need great equipment. Although there are special fermentation pots to buy, for a first try but you can also help with the normal household equipment.

The vegetables must be crushed. The larger the surface, the faster the fermentation process will take place.
Jars for the Fermentiergut: Who has no special fermentation pot, can easily fall back on large mason jars. The beauty of the glasses, in contrast to clay fermentation pots, is that you can watch the fermentation well
Plates, lids, glasses or bottles to complain: The vegetables must always be covered with liquid, otherwise moldy. That's why you push it down with special weights. But this works just as well with plates that you complain with a filled bottle or the like. A sack of marbles could also serve as a weight and keep everything under one roof.

After the vegetables with spices and brine in the vessels stowed and weighted, it is time to wait. At least 4-5 days - as long as it takes about a fermentation process, but you can leave the ferment longer in the fermentation pot. Since fermentation is a rather complex and, above all, living process, there is no cure for it. Well, there would already be, but I think most of you have a chamber that they can temper the temperature for the next few days - is not so important. By observing (bubbles and foam form), eavesdropping (it is bubbling) and sniffing (it develops a special smell) we can experience the transformation of the vegetables up close.

Between 18 ° and 24 ° C, the lactic acid bacteria work best. Of course, the added salt significantly influences the fermentation. The warmer it is, the faster it comes to fermentation. If you add more salt, the process will take longer. One can therefore derive therefore - in the summer you need to ferment more salt than in winter to get a similar result.

Depending on the ambient temperature and added salt, the conversion should be completed in about 4 to 10 days. If no bubbles form anymore, the ferment can be filled in screw jars and stored in a dark, cool place for several months.

Fermented vegetables offer a colorful taste spectrum, which can be made even more interesting with different spices. In principle, it can be said that the spice also goes well with raw or cooked vegetables, and then it also suits its fermented version. So you can use well-known flavor combinations such as sauerkraut and caraway or tomato and basil - or you experiment a bit and try on less common mixtures.

First I chose red and green tomatoes, onions, garlic, pepperoni and herbs. Wash everything well and put in glasses.

Dissolve 50 g of salt in 2 liters of lukewarm water. Give this brine over the spiced vegetables. The procedure is similar for all vegetables. Grated vegetables can be kneaded with salt and squeezed out the juice. If you prefer the vegetables lumpy, you pour with more brine.

close the jars and leave to ferment in a cool room for a few days.

I have not tried the vegetables yet, I will leave it a little longer, because at the moment I still have enough fresh vegetables from the garden, but I'm very curious how it will taste.