Tools needed
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife to chop with
- Grater
- Wooden spoon
- Tablespoon
- 2x 1L Kilner jars
- Tea towel
- Labels and a pen
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of salt, or if adding inoculant 1 tablespoon of salt.
Inoculant: liquid from a previous batch and/or whey from yoghurt.
Method
Chop and grate all vegetables and place in a big bowl. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of salt and mix well together. Add herbs and spices. Mix. Cover with a cloth like a tea towel. Leave to rest for one hour. At this stage, the salt will start to extract liquid from the vegetables and make them look ‘sweaty’.
After one hour place the vegetables in the Kilner jars using the wooden spoon. Use the wooden spoon to compress the vegetables as much as possible so you’re not leaving gaps between layers. When the jars are nearly full, about 1 inch or 2cm from the rim, stop adding vegetables. If you have inoculant, add now and top up with water, so that the vegetables are submerged. Close the jar and leave it at room temperature on some newspaper or serving tray or similar in case the jar releases and spills moisture.
Leave the vegetables and let nature take its course for about 5 days. Look for the good signs. After a day, or two, you should see large air bubbles between the vegetables – this is nature in action. In this part of the process the vegetable mix expands and can cause leakage, hence the advice to place the jar on a wipeable surface. If you have used red cabbage the colour goes from bluey purple to pinky-purple during the process.
Lacto fermented vegetables should not show signs of mould. Once left unopened and fermented the vegetables can be stored for 3-5 years, if not longer, so ensure you label them with the ingredients and the date you made them. Once opened place the jar in the fridge and eat within about six months.
Any liquid from the vegetables can be reused as an inoculant in the next batch, or to replace vinegar in vinaigrettes, added to soups, or made into a probiotic drink by diluting with water, cold tea or fruit juice.
Enjoy!
- 1.2kg or 3 litres of preferred. These could include cabbage, carrot, celery, fennel, tomatoes, peppers, etc. (but not beetroot as this ferments too quickly).
Other ingredients could be fresh herbs, dried herbs and spices (whole or ground); for example, garlic, juniper berries, star anise, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, anise seeds, ginger, chilli pepper, turmeric. This method of preserving is perfect to use up dried herbs and spices accumulated at the back of the cupboard and about to go out of date.
- 2 tablespoons of salt, or if adding inoculant 1 tablespoon of salt.
Inoculant: liquid from a previous batch and/or whey from yoghurt.
Method
Chop and grate all vegetables and place in a big bowl. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of salt and mix well together. Add herbs and spices. Mix. Cover with a cloth like a tea towel. Leave to rest for one hour. At this stage, the salt will start to extract liquid from the vegetables and make them look ‘sweaty’.
After one hour place the vegetables in the Kilner jars using the wooden spoon. Use the wooden spoon to compress the vegetables as much as possible so you’re not leaving gaps between layers. When the jars are nearly full, about 1 inch or 2cm from the rim, stop adding vegetables. If you have inoculant, add now and top up with water, so that the vegetables are submerged. Close the jar and leave it at room temperature on some newspaper or serving tray or similar in case the jar releases and spills moisture.
Leave the vegetables and let nature take its course for about 5 days. Look for the good signs. After a day, or two, you should see large air bubbles between the vegetables – this is nature in action. In this part of the process the vegetable mix expands and can cause leakage, hence the advice to place the jar on a wipeable surface. If you have used red cabbage the colour goes from bluey purple to pinky-purple during the process.
Lacto fermented vegetables should not show signs of mould. Once left unopened and fermented the vegetables can be stored for 3-5 years, if not longer, so ensure you label them with the ingredients and the date you made them. Once opened place the jar in the fridge and eat within about six months.
Any liquid from the vegetables can be reused as an inoculant in the next batch, or to replace vinegar in vinaigrettes, added to soups, or made into a probiotic drink by diluting with water, cold tea or fruit juice.
Enjoy!