About 3 years ago my husband was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. This began a close examination of the foods we eat. My non-cooking husband started making homemade mayo, ketchup, pickles, saur-kraut, bone broth and now he has begun fermenting foods. He has made several batches of saur-kraut, fermented tomatoes, peppers, saur-kraut, and cucumbers. I grew up with pickle and saur-kraut making but fermenting is a new thing for me.
So what is the difference between pickling and fermenting. My understanding is that pickling is preserving by acidity. Fermenting is a specific process of preserving but uses lactic acid (Lacto-fermentation). In her booklet, Cultured Beverages, Ann Green of Bread Stock and Barrel, says, “Fermentation began with creation – bacteria and/or yeast and vegetables, fruits, dairy or animals were all that was necessary. Man has had the joy and thrill of discovering and cultivating various combinations of these elements to produce such things as wine, cheese, chocolate, bread, pickles, and even …kombucha.”
What happens in the process of fermentation? Again quoting from Ann Green. “In every case, lactobacillus bacteria and sometimes various strains of yeast eat the sugar and starches found in the medium and replace the sugar and starch with lactic acid. In the process, many vitamins and minerals are increased, the food, juice or milk is made more digestible and sugar and starch are either eliminated or reduced. Antioxidant and anticancer substances may also be produced or enhanced. The bacteria are also very happy to eat the sugar and starch and reproduce to create what we call a “probiotic” beverage or food.”
There are a lot of resources available online for free about fermenting foods. Check it out! Let me know if you ferment foods and what you have found helpful.
***You can find out more about Ann Green at www.breadstockandbarrel.com or on Facebook – Bread, Stock, and Barrel
