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Fermented vegetable inspiration
Fermented foods are good, this we know. Our gut microbiome loves to get a good dose of probiotic bacteria so it can keep itself nice and balanced. But what’s even better than just fermented foods?
Fermented vegetables!
Not only are you feeding your gut all the good stuff, you’re getting some of your 5 plus a day too. Now when most people think of fermented vegetables they instantly revert to cabbage which becomes tasty, tasty sauerkraut. Surprisingly lots of people have tried sauerkraut and turned their noses up at it or find that their stomach doesn’t cope with that much cabbage. Well we’ve got good news for you, there are SO many vegetables that can be fermented.
Any vegetable that is relatively firm can be popped into your Mad Millie Fermenting Crock and away you go. The firmness level is required to make sure it can hold its shape throughout the 2 – 3 weeks of fermenting time. We don’t recommend lettuce or tomatoes, but most other things will work! There’s no need to cook any of the vegetables before putting them in, just give them a good wash, cut into bite sized pieces to allow a faster fermentation and get started!
If you have some handy, the Mad Millie Fermented Vegetable Culture can make a big difference. With a mixture of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis and Leuconostoc, it’s the perfect combination of good bacteria to get you started.
Below are a few ideas for different combinations of vegetables you can use. Don’t be scared to mix lots of different vegetables together for your ferment, this will give delicious flavour and texture combinations to add to a salad or eat on its own. Follow the Mad Millie Fermenting Crock instructions for details on sealing your crock, fermenting times and temperatures.
For all of these options we recommend using a brine solution of 3 Tbsp salt/1L water to cover the vegetables in your crock. If using Mad Millie Fermented Vegetable Culture mix this into your brine solution.
Fermented Asparagus with Chilli
Cut the ends off your asparagus stalks and stand them all upright in the crock. Pop some chopped chillies in there with the stalks and cover with your brine solution.
Fermented Carrots, Garlic and Pickles
We recommend finding the little cucumbers so you can make whole pickles, but if you can’t find those then chop your cucumber into 10cm pieces to get the similar effect.
Cut both ends off your carrots and peel them as the skin can create a bitter flavour. No need to peel the cucumbers, just give them a good wash. Peel the garlic and throw the cloves in whole, as many as you dare knowing they’ll flavour the carrots and pickles. Pour over the brine solution and let the fermentation begin!
Fermented Broccoli and Cauliflower
These little trees are the perfect snack to grab on the run. They hold their shape really well and are easy to pick out and crunch on.
Fermented Capsicum and Courgette/Zucchini
This combination is delicious thrown into a salad for flavour, colour and texture. Make sure you core the capsicum and remove the seeds before beginning.