Get Started with Fermentation at Home

Come on, you’re likely bringing up children; one of the most complex jobs on the planet - you can do anything!

Let’s deal with the horror stories first, and explore how time consuming it can be to make fermented foods. Having made nakazuke - a Japanese bran pickle, sourdough bread and even fermented fish and meat, I will admit that some methods can feel like you are taking on an extra child. However, all of these things are a bit more complex than straightforward fermenting. Most fermented foods can be prepared easily, while prepping a meal.

So then, what about mould? In my early days of fermenting, I kept finding mould growing. I lost a few batches of sauerkraut before working out my folly. I’d allowed the cabbage to make contact with the air due to some sloppy practices. Once I worked out that the cabbage needs to stay submerged, the mould never returned. As with most things – including parenthood – once you get a little practice and allow any anxiety to fade, things become much easier. Don’t let any mistakes or problems put you off; teething problems are not the end of the world.

Just remember when fermenting food, your goal is to isolate the chance of any bad bacteria and moulds getting in and to create the perfect environment for the good ones to thrive.

Good bacteria also known as (but not limited to) lactobacillus bacteria thrives in a salt solution of 2–5% which is about 20-50 grams of salt per litre of liquid or just over one to just under three tablespoons. This concentration is perfect too much and you risk killing off the Lactobacillus, too much and you end up in trouble.

Ok, that the horror stories out of the way. Now let me reassure you some more by telling you just how easy it is. In order to ferment food you have to put what you want to ferment in a vessel, add brine and a bit of starter culture if you have any and then leave it until you like the taste. That is pretty much it.

My top tips for fermenting almost anything!
To help you further, here are a few do’s and don’ts:

• Use the freshest produce available, fermenting is about preserving nutrients, not reviving old food.
  
• Use soil grown fruit and vegetables – some of the bacteria needed for fermentation can be found in soil.
  
• Use filtered, dechlorinated, or, if you are lucky enough, spring water. Chlorine kills bacteria!
  
• Temperature: Try and keep your foods from getting too hot or too cold when fermenting - 18–22°C is ideal for fermentation. Wildly fluctuating temperatures is a big no no!
  
• Bubbles are your friend. If it ain’t bubbling, it ain’t fermenting. Is it warm enough? Have you overdone the salt?
  
• Use your senses. Some pretty funky smells can occur during the fermentation process, farts, rotten egg and old drain smells are normal. Rotten food smells are not. Discard any rotten food.
  
• Keep your jars clean and free of mould.
  

You can take chlorine out of tap water by filling a jug full of water and leaving it out for 24 hours.

Don’t be fooled into spending a fortune on fancy fermenting gadgets, remember if ferments could be made during the ice age in a cave, you can do it with what you have in your kitchen.

JARS – you’ll need something to put your food in. Washed out old jars are find, old honey and marmite jars can leave a bit of flavour even after scrubbing and are best avoided. You can also buy jars, I use both screw top and Kilner style.

A small piece of material and elastic band. It’s advisable to put a square of material around the top of your fermentation jar secured with an elastic band. This helps to keep out any unwanted flying insects.

AIRLOCKS – Specialist airlocks are available, and these neatly fit onto mason jars and Ball jars. They are useful because they minimize the amount of air that gets to your fermentation and thus helps to minimize spoilage. However, good practice negates the need for them. That said, they may be a godsend if you live in a small apartment as they can reduce the unpleasant odours that are sometimes released during the art of fermentation!

WEIGHTS, ZIP LOCK BAGS – You’ll need to keep your food below the waterline to protect it from airborne mold. Various options are available here. I use anything I that comes to hand from liberated saucers for espressos with stones on them, glass, stones that fit exactly in the mouth of a Ball jar or mason jars. I’ve also been known to use zip-lock bags full of water and even plastic bags or cling film with some stones on the top. However, I’m getting increasingly wary of using plastic when making food.

Whatever you decide to use just ensure that it doesn’t contain metal, as this can taint the flavour. Also, be sure it’s clean and not contaminated, and that it will keep the contents of the jar below the waterline.

Prep time: Up to 1 hour, including picking time

I came up with this recipe whilst writing my last book, Fermenting Everything. It was written with an American and European audience in mind, and so the ingredients can be found across much of the Northern Hemisphere during spring time.

You’ll notice that dandelion spring-chi calls for a set of specific ingredients, but don’t get hung up on that. This really is meant as an introduction to fermenting wild ingredients. Use what you find, as long as you know it’s edible. You can even bulk it out with spinach, rocket or other ingredients you have in the fridge. Think of this recipe as a guideline in order for you to make your own with what’s around you.

As with Korean kimchi there are many different types, I happened to make mine in the spring, hence the name; however, you could rename it summer-chi or autumn-chi and make it using wild edibles that you find in that season.

If you make this in the spring, I’d highly recommend sticking to the recipe and using dandelion greens. They are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, folate, vitamin K, and vitamin C, calcium, and potassium. As an added bonus, the fermenting process changes the greens, which enables your body to absorb even more of this goodness.

EQUIPMENT

• Unbreakable bowl
  
• Rolling pin
  
• Pestle and mortar or food processor
  
• Sharp knife
  
• 500ml Kilner jar
  
• 1 x jug or large cup for making the brine in
  
• Weights
  

INGREDIENTS

• 60g dandelion greens
  
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
  
• 200g wild garlic leaves
  
• 30g dandelion flowers
  
• 3 magnolia buds
  
• 1 red chili
  
• 1 cup filtered or unchlorinated water
  

1. Cut the dandelion greens and wild garlic leaves into 1 inch (3 cm) squares then place in an unbreakable bowl and cover them with the salt.
   
2. Pound them with the blunt end of a rolling pin until they release some of their juices. This should take around 5-10 minutes.
   
3. Toss in the flowers—the reason for omitting the dandelion and magnolia flowers until this point is so that they still show a flash of colour in the jar rather than look all bashed up.
   
4. Cut off the stem from the chili and slice in half. If you want to reduce the heat of the chili but keep some of the taste, remember to scrape out the inner pith.
   
5. Purée the ramp stems and the chili in a food processor or pestle and mortar, then massage this paste into your leaves.
   
6. Stuff all the contents of the bowl into your jar and then top up with the filtered water.
   
7. Add your weight or water filled bag ensuring the contents of the jar remain below the waterline. Add a small piece of material over your jar to protect from airborne pests.
   
8. Leave to ferment, out of direct sunlight and in your usual fermentation spot, for three to ten days. The cooler the place the longer fermentation will take and some say the tastier the ferment.
   
9. Once fermented, keep refrigerated, and use within a month.
   

Andy is known for his wild food knowledge, an author of several books and father of two. He lives with his family in Bristol.