Fermentation Frenzy

Ever since I read Michael Pollan's article, Some of My Best Friends are Germs, a few months ago I had been wanting to try fermenting some veggies but was actually a little scared by it because I thought that I could make my family really sick if I did something wrong (which is also why I don't make jam).

Then about two weeks ago I read another article in Nurture Magazine by Dr. Sarah Lantz about the amazing health benefits of fermentation and decided that I really needed to give it a try. And I am SO glad that I did. I am now addicted to home fermented veggies and won't ever buy store bought pickles again.

To begin with I pickled some jalapenos just to see if I was doing it correctly and they turned out great so I then tried cucumbers, green beans - which are by far my favorite - cabbage and even carrots. I love them all but the green beans are fantastic. We ate an entire jar in just one day.

So, I highly recommend trying to ferment some things at home. It really is incredibly easy and the end product is nourishing and so tasty.

My pickled veggies. So yum!

The process I used was a combination of many things I read online. 

Firstly, I made a brine of good Australian sea salt, water and white vinegar -you can leave the vinegar out, I just really love vinegar. 

Next I added spices to my jars, a few slices of green chili in some, fresh chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, dill, pepper corns. Really anything you think you might enjoy. 

Then I packed my veggies into the jars and poured my brine over the top (I waited to pour in the brine until all of the salt had dissolved). In some of the jars I added a piece of cabbage to hold the veggies down in the brine but I don't think that it's really necessary. Then I put on the lids. I reused jars that I've been collecting along with the lids and it worked great. 

Lastly, I sat them in a warm place for about 4 days and then gave them a try. We loved how they tasted so we put them in the fridge and started to eat them. Yum! 

Seriously, it's really easy. I hope you all give home fermentation a try!

We've made an entire wall in our house C's Gallery Wall and she loves to look at her paintings. (There are many more since this picture)

Making more art for her Gallery Wall with homemade finger-paint.

C and her cousins

We found this hat and C really likes looking at herself with it on. 

We were in NSW this past weekend visiting C's cousin for his birthday so I will hopefully be adding a lot of new photos soon. Fingers crossed.

Hope you're all well! 

XO