Page 20 - ALG Issue 3 2021
P. 20

                                 cooking
with Erin
  Lacto
fermentation
Lacto fermentation is the process
of using salt and time to preserve vegetables. There are 2 methods in which to do this. One uses just salt
and the juices of the vegetable when macerated to preserve and the other uses a brine made up of salt and water, whey, or water kefir.
The basic ratio for a brine is: 1 litre
of filtered or spring water to 20g sea salt. This is a 2% solution and can be adjusted to suit your tastes. The lowest you should go is 2%, but you can go higher.
Brine fermented vegetables
1 carrot, cut into batons
4-6 brussels sprouts or radishes,
halved or quartered depending on
size
1⁄4 to 1⁄2 small cauliflower, cut into 3cm
pieces
1 fresh chilli, sliced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole 4 sprigs fresh dill or herb of choice 2 large pieces of orange or lemon
peel; fine to have a bit of the white
attached
1 tsp coriander seeds or spice of choice filtered water
sea salt
500ml glass jar with a rubber seal, sterilised
1. Tare the scales with the weight of the jar. Pack the prepared vegetable into the jar, layering if you are using different types of veg. Add spices/ flavourings.
2. Pour water over the vegetables, making sure that all of the vegetables are fully submerged. Leave room for expansion. Take the total weight of the vegetables and water. Take 2% of that weight by multiplying the amount by 0.02. This is your total amount of salt needed. If it weighs 500g you
will need 10g of salt. Take a few tablespoons of the water out of the
jar, mix with the salt until completely
dissolved.
3. Weight the vegetables down if
needed. Leave room for expansion.
Secure the lid.
4. Set aside out of direct sunlight for
5-10 days on a tray and burb daily unless using a secure lock that will release gases. Taste and decide if you would like to leave it a bit longer. The vegetables will be slightly softer. When you are happy with the flavour, pop in the fridge and consume after a couple of weeks once the flavour has matured. The salty taste should be less apparent.
This method can be used for beetroot, cauliflower, broccoli, turnip, kohlrabi, fennel, radishes, green beans, and other firm vegetables. Soft vegetables like courgette, aubergine and tomatoes
don’t really work that well; however, fermented salsa is worth making and absolutely delicious.
Grape leaves, blackcurrant leaves, loose tea leaves or anything with tannins will help to keep vegetables crunchy and are great to add to your ferments.
Erin is a chef and teacher based in Stroud. Each issue, she will be sharing with us a few of her delicious recipes for using allotment produce. www.naturalcookeryschool.com
Photographs: ©Michael Ruggier
        20 Allotment and Leisure Gardener




























































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