My dad and are fermenting some pickles in the sun, in this easy photo tutorial you can learn how to conserve excess vegetables for a later time.
Definition of fermentation:
Fermentation is a natural process that happens when microorganisms, like yeast or bacteria, break down sugars in the absence of oxygen. As they consume the sugars, they produce byproducts like carbon dioxide and acids. This process is used to make foods like bread, cheese, yogurt, and pickles, giving them unique flavors, textures, and preserving properties. It's like a tiny party happening in the food, where microorganisms eat sugar and create new compounds that transform the ingredients into something tasty and longer-lasting. (chatgpt)
Here we go for fermentation because we want to enjoy out veggies on a later day. Fermented vegetables if stored in a clean jar and in the fridge can last for several months.
What you need:
2kg Vegetables(you can basically ferment any type of vegetables), mustard seeds, dill, peppercorn, garlic (8 cloves) a big jar (liters) water, salt, a small plate to cover the jar, a piece of dried old bread. (Best if made out of sourdough)
First we wash the jar and the vegetables and make sure all is clean.
Afterwards we prepare the cucumbers and cut them so the liquids can enter the pickles easily. There is several techniques to cut them. We just trim both ends and the stab through the full fruit and cut from one end to the other without ending the cut so the ends keep together.
Afterwards we prepare the jar with some mustard seeds and dill and peppercorns.
Don’t forget the garlic! It is optional and you can add your own flavours with spices of your choice.
Then just slightly tip the jar and start stacking the vegetables make sure the cucumbers stand verticaly in the jar so the liquids can enter the cuts.
When the first layer is done add some more garlic and other spices. Continue to fill up the jar until it is almost foll to the top.
Now we take a piece of dried old bread and place it on top of the vegetables.
Then we fill up the jar with salted water. Make sure the salt has fully disolved. Use one tablespoon of salt per liter of water. Fill up the jar to the top until the liquid covers all ingredients.
This is how your jar should look at the end.
Now we cover the full thing witha small plate and put the jar in the sun.
Now the magic starts happening. The yeast in the bread will start the process of fermentation and the sugars will be eaten by microorganisms and they will produce acids and conserve the vegetables and give them a sour taste. All you need is a temperature above 25 degrees celsius.
After about 12 hours your jar will look like this:
In about 4-5 days the fermentation process will slow down and the liquid will get a bit clearer.
I will give you an update how it looks at the end.
After the process is done you can remove the bread residues and fill the cucumbers in smaller jars and cover them with the liquid. Now you can close thise jars and keep your fermented veggies for a longer time in the fridge.
Enjoy!
I hope you liked this small tutorial. Let me know if you did and leave a comment!
