What is Fermenting?
Pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi. You may think these foods are all made with vinegar, and yes, it is true that this is the quick, modern way of making them.
BUT the old fashioned way of making these, along with other pickled foods, is lacto-fermenting. Raw foods are submerged in a salt water brine and allowed to sit to naturally create that vinegar taste. The salt kills bad bacteria and good bacteria thrives. You know how people eat yogurt for its “good tummy bacteria”? Fermented foods has that bacteria, as well.
The jist: lacto-fermentation is a microbial process using beneficial bacteria that thrive in an anarobic (no oxygen) fermenting environment. This includes Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium spp. and other lactic acid bacteria (commonly known as probiotics).
Can I Can Fermented Foods?
Technically speaking, yes, you can can fermented foods. HOWEVER, heat will kill all those good bacteria we discussed above. You might as well go with the quick vinegar recipes if you are going to end up canning your pickled foods.
What do I Need to get Started?
- A fermenting jar (or glass canning jar, crock, or food grade bucket)
- Pickling/canning salt (or any salt that is not iodized and contains no anti-caking agent))
- Distilled water (for some recipes)
- Plate with a lip (or tray or baking sheet)
That’s it! Really. That’s it!