Lactofermentation
Experiments with wild lactobacillus
Foreword
This repository is a kind of journal containing my personal research/experience with lactofermentation with some maybe helpful tips for people looking into getting started with lactofermentation.
All of the stuff in here is documented and done in a very loose/non-scientific way, as I personally believe that goes against the nature of this hobby; humans have been fermenting foods for preservation for millenia to save it for the harsh winter months without milligram kitchen scales, and strict recipes suck the soul and love out of making food.
The main reasons I got into this were:
- My love for actually eating fermented food
- Digestive issues that are alleviated by the great probiotic properties of fermented food
- Me being a huge fan of Brad Leone from the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen and his YouTube show
It's Alive
On a different note, this repository is very much a work-in-progress and will undergo drastic changes until I've decided on a final format and layout.
For the moment, I'm only doing quick ferments (4 days - 2 weeks), but that is very much subject to change.
Useful tools
I will be the first to say I'm a lazy bastard, and therefore want everything to be simple and take care of itself. That being said, I heartily recommend everyone getting into fermentation to get themselves some tools to fool-proof the entire process.
General tools + Some theory
Mason Jar
Widely available + standardized format
Store the vegetables while fermenting
Wide mouth for easy access
Transparent so you can enjoy looking at your gorgeous ferment bubble up like crazy
Air locks
Lactobacillus converts the sugars and starches in food into lactic acid in salty, anaerobic environments. Therefore we need to make sure all of the food we're fermenting stays under our brine and as far away from oxygen as possible.
This is where air locks come in. Air locks allow CO2 from the fermentation process to escape and fill in the empty space in the jar, and don't let oxygen and bacteria/fungi inside the jar.
This way we can avoid having to "burp" (release gases) our jars during the warm fermentation stage.
Air locks come in many shapes and sizes so just find some that fit your jars and we're good to go. I found some mason jar lids on Amazon with built in air locks and a special pump used to suck the air out of the jar before leaving it to ferment, further reducing the chances our batch would spoil. This is, however, overkill.
Pickle Packer/Tamper
As mentioned in the previous point, we have to keep all the vegetables under the brine. A pickle tamper is a great tool to use for packing things like sauerkraut and kimchi tightly in the jar to not only fit more in it, but also to ensure proper submersion.
Glass weights
Glass weights help keep everything submerged under the brine and are non-reactive, making them an amazing aid in fermentation.
Common Ingredients
Sea Salt
Just get a big kilo bag of this. It's the basis to all that we're gonna ferment
Water
Tap water is fine, and I have used it directly from the tap, but some people say you should blend/boil it first to get rid of the chlorine.
Mustard seeds
Delicious on their own before and after fermentation, apparently help veggies retain some crunch.
Coriander seeds
Impart an earthy note to all ferments, common fermentation/pickling ingredient. Would avoid it if you don't like the taste of coriander.
Garlic cloves
God of aromatics. 2 part epoxy deliciousness. Allicin gets released when cell walls are damaged. That's what's really good for you; I believe...
Recipes
Regular veggies
Cauliflower
Giardiniera
Credits
I have to give a massive shoutout to the man, the myth, the legend that is Hendrik Kleinwächter for not only convincing me to start this repository, but also inspiring me with his own work: The Bread Code
Also, I cannot write anything about fermentation without mentioning the 3 Hungarian grandmas from my hometown that run a small store in the farmer's market selling fermented cucumbers, sauerkraut and the like. Without them, I would have never been so crazy about fermented foods.