Lacto-Fermented Pickled Veggies

The value of adding lacto-fermented foods to our daily diet cannot be overemphasized. This is the food our parents and parents' parents ate! I have experienced a complete change in my whole digestive system since adding homemade lacto-fermented foods to each meal. Since I make my own yogurt weekly, I strain the whey and save it in quart jars in the refrigerator. I add a few tablespoons of whey to each jar of vegetables I am preparing for lacto-fermentation for added probiotic benefit to my system. I highly recommend that you do some research online about this topic. 

Here is one of my favorite easy recipes with the following vegetables. I suggest you experiment and discover your favorite vegetable and spice combinations. The process is simple, quick, and oh so delicious - ready to eat in only 3-4 days!

LIQUID INGREDIENTS

For 1 quart add the following:

2-3 teaspoons sea salt
4 cups of lukewarm Spring water (Never use chlorinated water as it will ruin the fermentation!)
1/4 cup of BRAGG'S ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (or, juice of 1 lemon)
6 tablespoons of whey (drained from organic yogurt)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp dill seeds
1/4 tsp celery seeds (optional)
about 10 peppercorns
couple of shakes of Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
Cabbage leaf or two

Microwave the water for about 20-30 seconds to make it lukewarm; dissolve sea salt in the water. Add the vinegar and whey and mix well.

VEGETABLES

Use any of your favorite vegetables or combination, cut up

Cauliflower, cut into small flowerettes
Carrots, cut into strips or sliced
Onions, sliced
Whole beets, unpeeled, ends removed, cut up
Turnips, sliced or cut up
pickling cukes, washed in spring water, "flower" end removed. (Note, do not scrub the cukes for added benefit of the fermentation process!)
Daikon (white radish), sliced
Whole green beans, take off the vine end and leave whole or cut up
Beets - sliced or cut up. Note: only add beets if you do not mind everything turning "beet" red.

Wash your vegetables and leave a couple of hours for the tap water chlorination to evaporate before adding to to the jar. Or, wash your veggies in spring water.

Put it All Together

Add the spices to the bottom of the jar and add a combination of your favorite cut up vegetables. Pour over the liquid solution leaving about an inch from the top. Add the folded up cabbage leaf to keep the veggies under the brine. Cover the jar with the lid and leave for at least 3-4 days. Then refrigerate. The longer they sit in the refrigerator, the more the lactic acid will break down the vegetables and give it a more deliciously distinctive tart and pickled taste. The juice is just as nutritious by the way.

To Serve

Serve a bowl fermented vegetables with each protein meal.