Ferment
If you think that attempting to ferment at home sounds like a bad science experiment waiting to happen… I am here to quell your fears. It is not scary or difficult. If you can chop and measure - you can ferment.
But first lets discuss WHY you might want to do this at home. First lets talk health. Eating foods that are good for your gut can help boost immune health, digestion, metabolism and even mood (your GI tract is your largest endocrine organ- who knew?) If that wasn’t enough, making foods at home will save you cash (that you can then spend on handmade pottery). If you are buying kombucha, organic Greek yogurt, sauerkraut or pickles from the store you are probably spending in the double digits just for these items… making these at home will cost a fraction. Last but not least, you can make foods that use the bounty of the seasons and flavor them the way YOU like (I am dill and garlic aficionado).
Ok, so now that we have made our logical case lets proceed. You can ferment almost any vegetable so choose one you (and your family) like - in my household that means carrots, okra, radishes, watermelon rind, cucumbers, squash, and cabbage.
When in doubt - start with ‘pickles’. You will need small pickling cucumbers that are firm, sea salt, dill, garlic, non-chlorinated water and a half gallon jar (or multiple smaller jars). If you can find grape or bay leaves these are really helpful to put on the top. Make a brine (a fancy work for salty water) by dissolving 5 tablespoons of sea salt in two quarts of water. Next stuff the cucumbers and garlic and dill (and maybe peppercorns or cloves) in the jar, then pour the brine over the pickles, leaving at least 1 inch at the top and put the grape leave on top and weigh the whole thing down with a weight to keep everything UNDER the liquid. (My crocks come with weights for this purpose). Then cover the top of the jar (use a coffee filter and a rubber band) and place the whole thing in a place that is 60-70 degrees. Leave this for at least a week (you will have the urge to check on your batch before then… resist!) Then give it a taste test - the brine should be cloudy and the pickles starting to sour. Check every few days until they reach the ‘right’ flavor for you- then put in your fridge or a root cellar (it needs to be between 32 and 45 degrees) and enjoy as you desire. A jar of pickles in my house rarely lasts a week.
If you like sauerkraut it is even EASIER to make! Check out my Instagram post for the step by step. There are also a ton of resources out there to help - like the Cultures for Health site (they are not a sponsor - I just like their approach) If you are interested in me making a video - let me know and I’ll make it happen. Until then I hope you give it a try. Happy fermenting!