[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks to Pete for suggesting this thread idea! After reading the article a few times, I am anxious to try making Apple Cider Vinegar; have a glut of apples this season, the Fermented Ketchup; I should have enough tomatoes and Lacto Fermented Garlic; we had a good crop this season.

[dware]

Been fermenting everything from veggies to barley and even a good bit of corn on occasion for many years. Cool thread!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Here we go Diana; Fermenting for Farmhouse and Homestead and Fancy Restaurants!

Cordonbleu: The Art of Fermentation

How much salt?
The trick to perfecting your fermented vegetables is to be precise with the salt and water ratio. You will find there is a lot of trial and error involved to obtain your preferred taste, as it is a fine balance.
Salt is a critical ingredient and when used in the right proportions, creates the perfect environment to control the growth of microorganisms and create a ' happier' ferment. Salt in fermentation encourages the growth of healthy bacteria, while at the same time kills off bad bacteria. We need to be precise when measuring the salt and water, especially when fermenting vegetables that will be submerged in brine.

• Too much salt may kill off all the bacteria, thus preventing fermentation.
• Too little salt will allow bad bacteria to keep on living. Again, it is a fine balance.

One rule of thumb is to use 1-3 tablespoons salt per litre (4 cups) of water. The easiest way to calculate the exact amount of salt needed is this simple metric calculation:

• To cr

eate 3% brine in 1000 millilitres (1 litre) of water: 1000 x .03 = 30. So, it takes 30 grams (equal to 2.5 tablespoons of salt).

“https://static.cordonbleu.edu/Files/MediaFile/76377.jpg

Three common methods of preparing vegetable ferments include:

The dry salting method: Toss the vegetables with salt and allow the salt to draw liquid from the vegetables. For this, the typical amount of salt to be used would be approximately 1 tablespoon for every 680 grams of vegetables. The salt effectively stabilises the environment while the bacteria involved in the fermentation take hold. This technique is commonly used for sauerkraut.

The pre-brining method: Mix a brine by dissolving salt in water and then soaking the vegetables in the brine. This is followed by draining off the brine and then compressing the vegetables to encourage further liquid to escape the vegetables and cover the vegetables for the fermenting process. A stronger brine of 4 tablespoons of salt for 1 litre of water is effective for this method.

The brining method

: Mix a brine of salt and water, then submerge the vegetables within that brine. This method is commonly used for making pickles and 1.5% – 5% brine is recommended. This technique is often used for fermenting vegetables that don’t lend themselves to being compressed and submerged in the brine, such as asparagus, green beans, whole jalapenos, for example.

The art of fermentation is an age-old process which requires some precision and knowledge. The health advantages and environmentally conscious benefits makes fermentation the perfect skill to adopt today. Mastering the salt to water ratio as the trick to great fermented vegetables will not only allow you to perfect the craft, but will also guide you in understanding it’s important role in fermentation when starting out.