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Ferments

Fermenting Tools

Half gallon wide mouth mason jars
Glass weights
Wide mouth silicon airlock lids
Kitchen scale
Jar funnel
Food processor
Kitchen scale
Plastic tote for mixing large batches

Things to remember

Dry brine = 2% sea salt by weight of total material. Dry brine is best for produce that will 'sweat' or make its own brine with the salt added - such as cabbage, cauliflower, shredded carrot, shredded beet, etc.
Wet brine = 1-3 Tablespoon(s) salt per quart of water. I usually use 1 T, but experiment and decide for yourself. Wet brine is for things that won't make their own brine within 24 hours, or that are too delicate to massage by hand - such as green beans, asparagus, whole beets or carrots, eggs, cucumber, etc.
Mantra: "Under the brine and all is fine"
The warmer the environment the quicker the ferment. The slower the ferment the deeper the flavor.
For the first 3-5 days I monitor for air pockets in the jar. Using a clean, stiff plastic utensil I push the material down to force the air out.
Place your ferment jar in a bowl to catch any leaking brine that occurs in super active ferments. This happens more often than not.
Use clean and dry materials when fermenting - counters, jars, funnels, knives, chopping boards, mixing bins, hands and all. It drastically limits the likelihood of contamination.

Favorite Ferment Recipes

Simple Cabbage Kraut (start here)

To make 1/2 gallon use 2-3 large cabbage heads. To make quart use 2 medium heads.

wash and dry all tools (jar, spoons, big bowl or plastic bin, cutting board, knife, glass weight, airlock)
rinse cabbage briefly under cool water
chop into small pieces
place in large bowl or bin and weigh the pieces in grams
calculate what 2% of the weight is (e.g. 1200 grams of cabbage would equate to 24 grams ) 24 grams is how much salt to add
with clean (or gloved) hands massage salt into cabbage
massage cabbage and salt until a good amount of liquid is coming out of the cabbage (usually 10+ min) - I wear vinyl gloves for this part
pack all the massaged food into the glass jar. Pack it tightly. Leave 1" headspace
add a glass weight on top
put on an airlock and ring
for the first 5 days take a clean, dry plastic spoon and shove it down the sides to remove any air bubbles. put airlock back on. do it quickly and avoid prolonged air exposure. this is optional but is important if there are numerous air bubbles in the jar.
leave in cool dark area for 10-14 days
taste it after 7 days; in a warm space it will culture more quickly. it will have a delightful sour flavor. you'll instinctively know when it's "finished" to your liking.

Spring Harvest Chive Kraut

2 medium red cabbage, chopped
4-6 medium carrots, diced
1/3 cup fresh chives, diced
2% salt by weight

Ferment 2-3 weeks. Push air bubbles out with plastic or wooden spoon once a day for the first 5 days.

Good-on-everything Kraut

2 medium green cabbage, chopped
4 medium carrots, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced
2% salt by weight

Ferment 2-3 weeks. Push air bubbles out with plastic or wooden spoon once a day for the first 5 days.

Backyard Beet Harvest Ferment

4-5 large red beets, rinsed, peeled & shredded (food processor shred blade)
2 medium carrots, rinsed, peeled, & shredded (food processor shred blade)
1/2 green cabbage, shredded
2% salt by weight

Ferment 2-3 weeks. Push air bubbles out with plastic or wooden spoon once a day for the first 5 days. Excellent on rice bowls, grilled cheese, salads.

Homestead Hot Sauce

2 quarts hot red peppers (cayenne, jalapeno, and/or thai chili), halved
4 garlic cloves
Brine: 2 Tablespoons salt per quart of water
Wearing disposal kitchen gloves through the process is highly recommended

Ferment peppers for 2-3 weeks (7-10 days if using frozen peppers). Strain & save the ferment liquid. Blend in processor, adding brine to thin to sauce consistency. Strain blended material through sieve lined with cheesecloth. Bottle and label. Store refrigerated.

Keep-Em-Coming Curried Carrots

20-30 medium sized carrots, rinsed, peeled, and shredded (food processor shred blade)
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 Tablespoons organic malaysian curry paste
2% salt by shredded weight

Massage salt by hand into shredded carrots. When a good amount of liquid is in the bin add whole garlic cloves and curry paste and massage until thoroughly combined. Pack jar as usual. Ferment 2-3 weeks. Store refrigerated.

Fermented Asparagus

2 medium bundles of fresh asparagus
1 Tablespoon of salt per quart of filtered water

Lightly rinse asparagus under cool water. Trim off tough ends then stuff aligned stalks into 1/2 gallon mason jar. Make the brine, stirring thoroughly to dissolve salt. Pour over asparagus, add weight if needed, add air-lock and lid ring. Ferment 10-14 days or to taste. Store refrigerated.

Malaysian Curried Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, chopped
2-4 garlic scapes, chopped
1 Tablespoon of malaysian curry paste (or to taste/spice preference)
2% salt by total produce weight

Lightly rinse vegetables under cool water. Chop cauliflower into bite sized chunks. Chop garlic scapes into small pieces. Weigh all materials and add 2% sea salt by wieght. Massage salt into vegetables until thoroughly covered and releasing a moderate amount of moisture. Add malaysian curry paste and mix thoroughly. Pack material into a quart sized jar. Add weight if needed, add air-lock and lid ring. Ferment 10-14 days or to taste. Store refrigerated.

Green Beans & Heirloom Onion

2 pounds of green beans of any variety, chopped
3-4 small onion bulbs, quartered (Bianca de Maggio is 👍)
1 Tablespoon of salt per quart of filtered water

Lightly rinse vegetables under cool water. Chop beans into bite sized chunks. Quarter small onion bulbs. Place all material into the 1/2 gallon jar. Make the brine, stirring thoroughly to dissolve salt. Pour over material leaving around 1" of headspace, add weight, add air-lock and lid ring. Ferment 10-14 days +/- or to taste. Store refrigerated.