Everyone knows that fermented foods are healthy and considered a superfood. Many years ago, when I helped my mum by fermenting all sorts of food, it was not about health only. Lots of veggies are in abundance when in season so preserving them was a good way to use them all, avoid spoilage and enjoy them for longer. Preserving food was also a must if we wanted to enjoy summer veggies in winter as the shops didn’t have the variety on offer like today. Only seasonal fruit and veggies were available. Apart from fermenting foods, we also dehydrated, pickled and frozen all sorts of fruits and veggies, and you will find the recipes in my blog when you look for them 🙂 Comment below if you have any questions and tag @Permaculturehaven when you add your own images of your preserved food. Would love to hear from you!
Fermented Cucumbers – Quick and Simple Recipe
- Jars > Start with cleaning and sterilising the jars. Watch my video below if you wonder how to do it in an easy and effective way.
- Brine: bring water + salt to boil and cool it down to room temperature > 1tbsp salt per 1L of water
- Cucumbers – the younger the better – clean and cut out any suspicious dots. Cut into slices or quarters, or you can use the entire cucumbers if you wish so
- Dry Dill flower and/or seeds, a few fresh garlic cloves (about 1-2 cloves per one medium size jar), and a leaf or two of fresh Horseradish
Fill jars with cucumbers, dill, garlic, and Horseradish leaves by leaving some space on top. Fill jars with brine and weigh down the solids to make sure they stay submerged. I usually use a shot glass to do so. Close with lids, place on a tray, and leave in a dark place for a few days. Move to the fridge and enjoy as you wish! We eat fermented veggies as a side dish or on its own. Yum!!
Tips:
- Work in a clean environment, with clean dishes, clean hands, and a clean kitchen. Any bacterial contamination will spoil the fermenting food.
- Fermented food has a pleasant and slightly sour scent. A delicate white foam during the fermentation process is fine. Any bad smell or greyish/blackish/greenish mold is NOT good!
- Horseradish leaves and/or Horseradish root are optional but they keep the cucumbers nice a crunchy, even when fermented. If you don’t grow Horseradish yet, check my online shop at www.foodforestnursery.au I am selling it and sending AU-wide except where restricted.
