Here I go again! Another squirrel moment! But this time it isn’t about art. It’s about another of my passions: food. If you have ever seen me, you know that food and I have a “special” relationship! I enjoy eating. I also enjoy cooking, as well as discovering new foods. And just like with my exploration of art, some of these discoveries stick with me, some don’t. So this time it’s fermentation. More precisely lacto-fermentation. Possibly some of you know all about this, but my bet is that most of you don’t. You may have heard of it, but like me, you probably think it has something to do with milk. Fermenting in milk? Actually, no. Lacto-fermentation gets its name from the lactobacillus, a bacteria that occurs naturally in almost all fruits and vegetables, and the lactic acid that is produced in the fermentation process. Yogurt, sourdough bread, kimchi, and sauerkraut are some lacto-fermented foods that you probably know and may have consumed. Lactobacilli are very useful for human digestion. Some think that advances in food processing in the past few centuries have led to a reduction in the number and types of “good bacteria” living in our digestive tract, and that may have negative impacts on our health. Those products being pushed as “pro-biotics” are cashing in on this belief. Although I care about my “gut health”, that is not the main reason why I am trying this. I just like to try things!! Humans survived for millennia before pasteurization and refrigeration, and at some point they figured out ways to preserve food for leaner times. One of the preservation methods they discovered was fermentation. I am sure that not all their preservation efforts were successful, but fermentation has existed in various forms since at least 6000 B.C. As you probably know by now if you have been following me at all, I am not interested in spending a lot of money on “experiments”. That is the beauty of lacto-fermentation. You only need a few jars, and brine (water and salt)! And something to ferment. You also need the more difficult to find something-to-hold-the-food-under-the-brine, and something-to-keep-oxygen-out of your fermentation vessel (bad bacteria and mold like oxygen, whereas lactobacillus does not). But I also like to shop at second-hand stores for stuff that I can reuse in creative ways. Unfortunately, my treasure hunt for this particular project wasn't too successful, so I did have to buy some “pickle pipes” (those colored lids that look like baby bottle tops) to get started. And wouldn’t you know it, we gave away all our large mason jars some months ago, so I had to go out and buy new ones (none to be found in second-hand shops!) With the help of many people on YouTube, I did my “research” and decided to try cucumbers, salsa, cherry tomatoes, and limes (I found a bag at the grocery store for a ridiculously low price). And this being the season of abundant and slightly-more-affordable-than-normal produce, this was the perfect time to try this out! In a few days, I should be able to try the cucumbers. The salsa already smells wonderful, and I can’t wait to see how the limes turn out. I have read mixed reviews on the cherry tomatoes, so I am curious to find out if I like them or not. And once some of these jars are ready and transferred to the fridge, some of the pickle pipes will be freed up so I can try fermenting sauerkraut! What about you? Have you tried lacto-fermentation? Did you like it? What do you like best? Let me know in the comments!
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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