Fermenting foods has many nutritional benefits such as great probiotics for gut health. It is also a great way to preserve your vegetables with the nutritional content in tact. Typical store bought pickles don’t have much nutritional content to them, since processing them at high heat destroys it, so you are left with salt, vinegar and a limp crunch.
Fermenting cucumbers and garden beans keep the crispness of the vegetable.
Brine:
4 quarts water
8 tbsps. sea salt or kosher salt
Seasonings:
Handful of fresh dill – leaves or heads
1 tbsp. peppercorns
4-5 garlic cloves smashed
Directions:
In a 2 gallon stone crock add seasonings to the bottom.
Add vegetables
Add in the brine.
Weigh down the vegetables with a plate, or glass bowl, or a gallon freezer bag filled with water, or fermentation stone.
Cover with dishtowel and set in a dark location at room temp 65-70 degrees is optimal.
Check on the ferment every few days and remove any mold on the surface. Vegetables under the brine will be fine.
Once the desired tang is achieved, jar them up and store in the fridge for up to 6 months. Fermentation time can be 2-4 weeks or longer.
Fermenting in a jar is a little trickier to keep the vegetables under the brine. You can purchase glass weights for your canning jars and special lids to let the CO2 out but keep the oxygen out.
Tips:
* tip cover vegetables with 2-3 grape leaves to preserve crispness and keep the seasonings from floating to the surface. The tannins in the leaves help preserve crispness.
* Only use fresh seasonings not dried dill. It will float to the surface and mold and be a mess.
* Make sure your veggies are under the brine or they will mold
Good luck and happy fermenting!