Let me show you how to preserve food
using the fermentation method
Hey there, welcome back to West Coast gardener.
Today I'm going to show you how to
preserve your food using the
fermentation method also called
lacto-fermentation
and it can create some yummy food
If this is your first time here my name is
Robyn and I have been gardening for over
a dozen years I've been cooking for my
whole life and I really like to preserve
some of my garden produce using the
fermentation method
So first, the supplies that you'll need:
some kind of vessel. I like to use mason
jars, fresh produce in good condition.
Today I'll do these purple beans and
these fresh chilies some kind of weight.
I like to use these glass weights
but you can also use plastic bags filled
with water
you'll also definitely need salt, and you
might need some seasonings, and chlorine
free water. So to prep, first you're going
to want to cut your veggies, now again
make sure these veggies are in great
condition and that they are fresh. I like
to make sure that they fit in the jar,
sometimes you want them standing up
sometimes you just want to be able to
stack them up. Whatever works for you
smash your garlic if you're using it
(this helps it release its flavour)
chop any chilies in half if you're using
them. Now how much salt are you going to
need? well that is a bit debatable, but
there are three techniques that I like
to use first you can just start salting
your produce directly, and then once you
add your water, taste it and if you feel
like it's salty enough (probably like it
tastes like the sea) then that's good. You
can either add more water or add more
salt to make it the right saltiness for
you. The other technique is to take two
cups of water and add one tablespoon,
maybe a tiny bit more of salt (again you
can do this to taste), another technique
that I really like that Pro Home Cooks
discussed recently is to take your jar
zero it out on the scale, add your
produce and seasonings, pour in your
water, take that weight, multiply it by
point zero to five, then take a separate
jar place it on the scale, add that
amount of salt in grams, pour the water
from the first jar in, give it a good
stir or shake, and then put the water
back in the vessel. Now once you have
your salt water sorted out, you're
going to need to weight the produce so
that it stays below the surface. Another
technique is: if you're using beans, you
can actually use them to hold the other
things down like I've done here
once your veggies are in and your water
is up to about one to one and a half
centimetres below the top of your jar,
put your weight in push it down, and then
add your lid, or you can use a plastic
bag filled with water. This can be pretty
messy, so I purchased some weights
separately, any weight that is not metal
should be fine. Wow about the lid, what
should you do? well you can get special
valves which let CO2 out, you can also
put your lid on loosely so any CO2 can
escape, or you can do what I usually do
which is just put the lid on and then
burp it every day, which is just to open
it up allow any extra CO2 to escape and
then close it up again. Just make sure
you do this every day or you could end
up with a bit of an explosion on your
hands. Now you want to ferment them in a
cool dark place. I like to put mine in
the pantry where it's out of direct
light. Definitely no sunlight. Another
great spot is a kitchen cupboard. How do
you know when they're done? well that's
the million dollar question. Definitely
not before or five days and usually
after that you can start tasting it to
see if you think that they're done, and
if they are, and you don't want them to
get any more tart or sour stick them in
the fridge, if you're okay with the
sourness increasing just keep them back
in there cool dark place and the flavour
may change a bit. They may become more
sour more complex these are just
different kinds of bacteria which are
supposed to be more healthy for you
What are some things that you should look for?
well make sure that you don't see any
mold growing. If you see mold, you have to
throw it out because this is mold that
can make you sick, if you see a light
layer of white or sort of creamy beige
color on the top, you can skim that off.
That is yeast and that is fine. It's also
good if you can see little bubbles
because that again is the CO2 in the
ferment happening. If you leave your jar
slightly open allowing the CO2 to escape
you might not see as many of those. Your
veggies might even have a bit of an
effervescent kind
taste on the tongue if you keep your lid
tight like I do,
which doesn't bother me at all
I hope that you've enjoyed this video on
how to ferment your food, if you did give
it a thumbs up, make sure you hit
subscribe, comment below on your favourite
things to ferment and I'll see you here
next time
