The biggest complaint most people have about canning the harvest is the amount of energy it consumes. Specifically, heat energy, most of which get thrown off into your home right when you’re doing all you can to keep cool.
Lacto-fermentation is an ancient method of food preservation that doesn’t require any cooking at all. Instead, it uses the same bacteria you use to make yogurt to turn your garden veggies into delicious pickles and kraut, without having to heat your home in August. This friendly bacteria is normally present on most veggies but especially on cabbage, which is why lacto-fermented sauerkraut was such a staple in the olden days.
Lacto-fermenting pickles
Here’s how it works: You clean your veggies, cut them up and pack them in canning jars as usual. Add dill or other seasonings. Now you’ll be adding a brine solution.
Add 1 ½ – 2 Tablespoons sea salt per quart jar and cover the veggies with pure, unchlorinated water. (Refined salt and chlorine can kill the good bacteria.) Make sure you leave an inch or so of head room for expansion during lacto-fermentation.
If you want you can reduce the salt to a tablespoon or so and add a couple tablespoons of whey. Whey is easy to get by draining yogurt through cheesecloth and is incredibly rich in the bacteria you want. Use the leftover yogurt cheese like you would cream cheese. One quart of yogurt makes enough whey for several jars of pickles or sauerkraut.
Cover the jars loosely with their lids and set them in a dark place for about three days. Some leakage during this time is normal so placing them in a plastic tray is a good idea. After three days the fermentation should be well under way. Then it’s time to tighten the lids and store your lacto-fermented pickles in a cool location, like your fridge, basement or root cellar.
Your lacto-fermented pickles will be ready to eat in as little as six weeks. Try a small jar at that time. If the flavor isn’t to your liking, let them age longer. Sauerkraut especially can take six months to a year to fully mature its flavor.
Why lacto-fermentation works
It’s simple, really. Friendly lacto-bacteria are more salt-tolerant than the nasty bacteria which cause things to rot. So when you immerse your pickles in salty brine, the friendly bacteria get to work and take over the kingdom, leaving no room for anything else. As an added side benefit, the friendly bacteria are great for your digestive health. And all with no need to turn up the heat!
For some great lacto-fermented pickle recipes, check out Sally Fallon’s wonderful cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
Anne Michelsen is co-founder of Marathon Renewable Energy, Inc., specializing in solar hot water systems. You can read more of her work at YourGreenLifestyle.blogspot.com
