Lacto-Fermented Vegetable Goodness

Lacto-fermented vegetables help support gut health by increasing the presence of microbiota, beneficial bacteria, and probiotics in our digestive system. They are also a good source of prebiotics. They add a new dimension of taste and healthy benefits to your meals.

If you are not familiar with eating Lacto-fermented vegetables, the taste can be different. But it definitely grows on you and becomes something you crave. I like to use only enough salt to make the recipe work properly, and by adding other ingredients to the process, the taste is sweet-salty rather than overly sour. You can also add hot and spicy ingredients if this is the taste you are after. Kimchi is known for its heat, but various kinds are not so spicy at all. This means you will feel like eating them more often. We even have a spoonful with our breakfast most mornings.

Recently, we were away from home for several weeks and didn’t have any of our regular fermented condiments with our meals, and we could tell the difference in our digestion. Those of us on a gluten-free diet especially need to consider everything we can do for our gut health. Eating more fermented foods is great for everyone.

See how to make three tasty recipes below.

People in many cultures have been preparing Lacto-fermented foods for hundreds of years to preserve them. It turns out that they add a great condiment-style taste, and they are good for us, too.

When you have some foods already prepped in your fridge, mealtimes are easier. In my fridge, above are three types of vegetable ferments that I had prepared ahead of time. I usually have only one prepared at a time and use it up before making another, but on this occasion, I had more. Adding just a little fermented vegetable to a meal makes it easy to eat some every day.

The Benefits of Adding Fermented Foods to Your Diet.

During the process of fermentation, the healthy flora and fauna in the fruits and vegetables, or the bacteria, break down the sugars and carbon dioxide, removing oxygen and making the food taste more acidic. During this process, the fruits and vegetables are preserved since the growth and multiplication of the lactic acid bacteria originally present in the food prevent the growth of other harmful microorganisms that would cause the food to go bad.

Carbohydrates are broken down into lactic acid and carbon dioxide, creating an acidic and low-oxygen environment. By eating these foods, you encourage good bacteria in your gut and a healthy balance of microorganisms.

Fermentation also helps many foods, like carrots, etc., remain crisp and juicy. That sounds good already, right?

Enjoy them for breakfast or brunch and set up your whole day for health.

Gluten-Free Bread Recipes
https://glutenfreetrina.com/gluten-free-you-can-do-it-cookbook/

Preparing fermented vegetables and fruits also saves time since they can be stored for longer periods. The process provides a habitat that’s friendly to good bacteria and, when done correctly, discourages harmful organisms like fungi and molds from forming in the food. You can even incorporate a little fermented vegetable into stir-fries for added taste. Eliminate the salt that you might ordinarily add, as the salt in the ferment is usually enough.

Fermented Foods Can Help Reduce Wrinkles!
The benefits of fermented foods for skin health is well known. The Probiotics contained in these foods help reduce bacteria and yeast. Skin becomes clearer and acne or pimple breakouts are lessened. Fermented foods contain vitamins and minerals essential for skin. Lactic acid which is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) also has hydrating properties, which lessens the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Did you know that fermentation can also improve the nutritional profile of many foods?

You may have heard that there is sometimes a difference when it comes to eating raw vs. cooked spinach.

They are both good for you, but cooked or steamed spinach can have some added benefits, depending on your nutritional needs. Cooked spinach contains three times more beta-carotene than raw spinach. Raw spinach contains oxalic acid, which blocks some of the absorption of iron and calcium. This means you absorb more iron and calcium from spinach that has been cooked.

Lacto-fermentation Methods and Stages

• There are three stages in the Fermentation Process:
• In the first stage, When a ferment is first started, some oxygen is still hidden between the ingredients. This bubbles up and out within a day or so. Keeping the jar covered is important, but keeping it completely tight to eliminate oxygen entering the jar is not as critical in later stages. At this point, it is more important to stir or push the ingredients down below the juice line.
• In the second stage, fermentation begins to be noticeable as you see more and more bubbles. At this stage, the fermentation may push liquid outside the jar if there is not enough room at the top. It is still important to push the ingredients below the juice line or use a special weight or fermentation jar made especially for this purpose. During the second stage, you can leave the fermentation process for from three days or up to a week or more, depending on the sourness you are looking for.
• If you add fruit, sugar, or honey to the ferment, it will progress more quickly.
• The third stage is when the ferment has reached the desired taste, and it is then stored in the refrigerator. The shelf life varies depending on the ingredients and method used. Some fermentations can last for months. We like eating fermented vegetables for the first month or two since even in the refrigerator, the fermentation keeps on, although very slowly. When a ferment becomes too sour for our taste buds, we add it to stir-fries. Yummy!
• If, for any reason, you notice any hint of a putrid smell, you must discard the whole ferment and start again. Always make sure your jars and utensils are extremely clean.
• Once the jar of vegetables has finished fermenting and the taste is right, you decant the ferment into wide-mouth mason jars and refrigerate. Sometimes, I store a ferment in the larger jar for a further week before decanting as it becomes richer tasting.

The recipes shared here are made with a modified Kimchi method. The Kimchi fermentation method most often uses only the juices from the ingredients rather than brine and is said to be the most nutritious. Because we like the sweet-salty taste and the fact that less time is required we use added sweetness to these recipes.

Did you know that Sweet Potatoes contain the largest percentage of Beta-Carotene? We all need more of that!

As in the case of many other vegetables, eating sweet potatoes raw is actually quite beneficial. That is where lacto-fermentation can help since they are not very palatable raw.

We have all heard of Kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented cabbage. Not only is it a taste that you can grow fond of, but it includes a variety of amino acids and bioactive compounds that have been found to have health benefits, like reducing inflammation. Because of the added benefit to gut health, it is said to counteract obesity. There are many kinds of fermented vegetable combinations, not just traditional kimchi.

Other traditionally fermented foods like sauerkraut, olives, and fermented cucumbers (rather than pickled cucumbers) are rich sources of living bacteria. These good bacteria act like probiotics, which maintain gut and immune function. Some other benefits include reduced inflammation through antioxidant activity. Fermentation helps control blood sugars and weight control.

Think of adding a fermented food to your meals as a healthier condiment! You can add them to any meal. If you are not sure about eating sauerkraut for breakfast, think again. Here are some easy recipes that will tempt your taste buds with a sweetness and natural flavor that is not too sour.

The Basics Making Lacto-Fermented Vegetables.

Here are the basics for making lacto-fermented vegetables in their own juice, which intensifies their nutritional value while giving them a sweeter and milder taste.

Recipes involve using the correct amount, by weight, of a non-iodized salt, which ultimately creates a low-oxygen environment. Oxygen is usually what causes spoilage. The most common salt is called Pickling Salt since it does not contain iodine. But you can also use other pure salts that don’t contain iodine, such as Pink Himalayan Sea Salt or Celtic Sea Salt. Just be sure you have one that is 100% pure and not an imitation.

Controlled Fermentation of Sweet Potato Study
“Performed to enhance the nutritional value of sweet potato. An average 8.00 ×1010 Colony Forming Units (CFU)/g of viable cells were obtained over 5‐day high‐solid fermentation… Overall, the controlled fermentation of sweet potato enhanced protein, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, amino acid, and fatty acid levels. Development of value‐added fermented sweet potato has a great potential
as probiotic‐enriched food.”

Information From Study

Beets and Red Cabbage Ferment

Sweet Sauerkraut

Love the taste and the health benefits!

PS: Support your local farmers’ markets. I love the Niagara Falls, NY, farmers’ market. They are awesome!