Yam, Beet & Cucumber Lacto-Ferment

- 1/2 a large zip-lock bag of frozen cucumber chopped

- 1 med/large onion chopped

- 3 med. red beets coarsely grated

- 3  med./large sweet potatoes (my parents called them yams),coarsely grated
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Himalayan pink sea salt

- 3 Tbsp. of my Cucumber Cabbage starter

I mixed everything together in my large glass bowl, mashed it down best I could, then transferred it to 3 liter mason jars, firmly packed to the shoulder.  This fermented unbelievably FAST even in my cooler winter cupboard.  It was exploding out of the jars after only 1 day... so I moved them immediately into the fridge to stabilize...  I'll move them to the basement later...

Beet, Carrot & Radish Lacto-Ferment

- 6 med. carrots coarsely grated

- 5 med red beets coarsely grated
- 1 large red meat radish coarsely grated

- 1 med./large onion diced

- 3 med/large "wild" apples diced - approx. 2 cups

- 6 large slices of frozen cucumber diced

- 1 1/2 Tbsp Himalayan pink sea salt

- 3 Tbsp of my cabbage/cucumber starter

I mixed everything together, then packed it into 3 liter mason jars, packed to  the shoulder. In spite of my cupboard being cooler now that it's winter, these fermented VERY FAST.  I moved them to the fridge after only 2 days in the cupboard.  

Cabbage & Cucumber Lacto-Ferment -To Use as a Starter

- 1 small head of green cabbage (about 4" in diameter) chopped finely

- 1/2 a large zip-lock bag of frozen cucumber chopped

- 1 med. onion chopped

- 1 clove of garlic minced

- 2 med. wild apples diced

- 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt

I mixed everything together in my largest glass bowl.  After stirring it well, I let it sit for a few minutes to warm, before transferring it to 2 liter mason jars, firmly packed to just below the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for 4 days, (a little longer than usual because the cupboard is not so warm in winter) then put them in the fridge... 

The cabbage is some I had left from a large head I'd bought on sale... It was still good to use, but I was tired of fresh cabbage... I'd had enough!  I wasn't sure what to do with it... I don't like wasting food...  I thought about making another ferment, but nothing felt inspiring... In the end, I've made this and plan keep it in the fridge ready to use as a starter for subsequent ferments which need one...  It's a little saltier than I would usually make too, but for this purpose, it should be fine...

Squash Cucumber & Celery Root Lacto-Ferment - Made Sep 3/17

- a mix of frozen squash (red kiri, pumpkin, and buttercup) - approx. 4 cups diced

- 11 small. wild Apples cored and diced - approx. 2 cups

- 1 med/large red onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 1/4 of a green cabbage (about 4" in diameter) finely chopped

- 4 mature field cucumbers diced

- 2 small celery roots (celeriac) coarsely grated
- 5 Tbsp desiccated coconut

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea-salt

I mixed everything together; completely filling my large glass bowl.  I mashed it down best I could then I let it sit for a few minutes to warm, before transferring it to 4 liter mason jars, firmly packed to the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for 3 days.  I then transferred them to the fridge and once fermentation slowed I moved them down to the basement...

Beet, Rutabaga, Zucchini Lacto-Ferment - made Aug 28 /17

- 1 large Rutabaga coarsely grated

- 1 large red beet coarsely grated

- 1 med/large  onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 1 large Italian Zucchini - the skin on this one was hard so I grated it finely, and the seeds too tough to eat, so I discarded them and coarsely grated the rest
- 11 "wild" apples cored and diced (approx. 2 cups)

- 3 slices of a 4" diameter green cabbage finely chopped

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt

I mixed everything together, then put it into 4 liter mason jars, packed to just below the shoulder.  These fermented VERY well so  I only left them in the cupboard for ONE day,, before moving them to the fridge. They are a beautiful wine red and already have an interesting taste... As my ferments continue to feel SO good for my body whenever I eat them, I keep making them...

Corn, Celery & Cranberry Lacto-Ferment - made Aug 17/17

- 1/2 of a large zip-lock bag of frozen corn

- 1 large. bunch of celery with leaves chopped

- 1 lb of  frozen cranberries sliced in half

- 11 small "wild" apples cored and diced - about 2 cups
- 1 med celery root (celeriac) grated

- 1 medium/large onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp. of my Cabbage, Carrot, Zucchini mix and since it was so new...
- 1 Tbsp. of my Cabbage, Rutabaga, Celery root (Celeriac) mix as starters

- 1 1/2 Tbsp  sea salt

I stirred everything together.  This made enough to fill 4 liter mason jars to the shoulder.   I left them in the cupboard for 2 days and then refrigerated prior to moving them to the basement...

Zucchini, Cabbage & Carrot Lacto-Ferment - Made Aug 14/17

- 1 large Italian Zucchini -- 1/4  coarsely grated and the rest chopped

- 1 med/large onion finely diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 1 green cabbage (about 5" in diameter) finely chopped

- Approx. 1 lb. pale yellow carrots coarsely grated

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt

I mixed everything together, then packed it into 4 liter mason jars, packed to  the shoulder. I left them for 3 days in the cupboard, before moving them to the fridge. 

I would normally have used some apple with this, but this year neither of the two "wild" apple trees I usually collect from have born fruit, so apples are scarce...  I still have a few left frozen from last year, so I'll maybe use a few for ferments, but I'm going to be experimenting mainly without them this year.  However, I've tried  zucchini in my garden for the first time this year and have some beautiful large ones growing, so I'm experimenting with these...  They take A LOT of space, more than I'd anticipated.  I've dug out a new fresh space for them next year as I'd like to make these a regular feature in my garden and my ferments... 

Corn Etc. Lacto-Ferment - made Aug 9 /17

- 1/2 of a large zip-lock bag of frozen non-organic corn

- 3 slices of a 4" diameter red cabbage finely chopped

- 1 med. celery root (celeriac) shredded

- 1 large  onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic chopped finely

- 1 large Italian zucchini chopped
- 4 Tbsp. desiccated coconut

- 1 Tbsp. of my cabbage/ celery root & pineapple mix as a starter...  I'm hoping this will be enough since I'm already using cabbage as part of the mix and I notice I've done one with about the same amount of green cabbage and no starter... We'll see...

- 1 1/2 Tbsp  sea salt

I stirred everything except the starter together, then left it out to warm up a little before adding the starter.  This made enough to fill 4 liter mason jars to a little below the shoulder.   I left them in the cupboard for 2 days after they came up to room temperature, which took about a day, so they spent a total of 3 days in the cupboard...  and then moved them to the fridge...

An Update:  This fermented VERY well, so I definitely didn't need more starter and could maybe have used none...  The cabbage also gave it a nice rosy, pink color, which is very pretty to look at...

Cabbage, Pineapple, Celery root (Celeriac) Lacto-Ferment: made June 18/17

- 1 med, head of cabbage (about 5 1/2" in diameter) chopped finely

- 1 large celery root (celeriac) grated
- 7 slices of frozen chiogga beet chopped finely
- 2/3 of a med/small pineapple finely chopped

- 1 medium onion chopped

- 2 garlic cloves minced

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt

I mixed everything together; completely filling my large glass bowl.  I mashed it down best I could then I let it sit for a few minutes, before transferring it to 3 liter mason jars, firmly packed to the shoulder.  I  left them in the cupboard for 3 days.  I then transferred them to the fridge to stabilize before moving them down  to the basement...

Chard Stems, Corn & Yam Lacto-Ferment - made Apr 26 /17

- 1 med. onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 10 slices of frozen cucumber chopped

- 6 small sweet potatoes (my parents called them yams), grated

- 1 pkg. (1/2 of a large zip-lock bag) of frozen corn

- 1 pkg. (1/2 of a large zip-lock bag) of frozen chopped chard stems

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt

- 3 Tbsp of the liquid from my Chard Stems, Cabbage, Squash, Celery root (celeriac)  mix as a starter

I mixed everything but the starter together; mashed it down best I could then I let it sit for awhile to warm, before adding the starter and transferring it to  3 liter mason jars, firmly packed to the shoulder.   We got a couple of warm days, so these were exploding after only 1 1/2 days... I drained off a total of about a cup of the liquid from all 3 jars (which I've kept in the fridge and will use) and then put them in the fridge to stabilize... before moving them down to the basement...

Cucumber, Carrot & Celery root (celeriac) Lacto-Ferment - Made Apr 26/17

- 1/2 a large zip-lock bag of frozen cucumber chopped

- 1 med/large onion chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 5 wild apples chopped

- 4 med. yellow carrots grated
- 1 med. sweet potato (my parents called them yams), grated

- 1 med/large celery root (celeriac) grated

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp. of my Chard Stems, Cabbage, Squash, Celery root (celeriac) mix as a starter

I mixed everything but the starter together; in my large glass bowl,  I mashed it down best I could then I let it sit for awhile to warm, before adding the starter and  transferring it to 3 liter mason jars, firmly packed to the shoulder.  We got a couple of warm days, so these were exploding after only 1 1/2 days... I drained off a total of about a cup of the liquid from all 3 jars (which I've kept in the fridge and will use) and then put them in the fridge to stabilize...  I'll move them to the basement later...

Chard Stems, Cabbage, Squash, Celery root (celeriac) Lacto-Ferment - Made Mar 31/17

- 6 pieces of frozen pumpkin (squash) chopped (approx. 3 1/2 cups)

- 5 med. wild Apples chopped
- 1/2 a large zip-lock bag of frozen chopped chard stems

- 3/4 of a green cabbage ( about 6" in diameter) finely chopped

- 1 med. celery root (celeriac) coarsely grated

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea-salt
- 1 med/large onion chopped

- 2 cloves of Garlic minced

I mixed everything together; completely filling my large glass bowl.  I mashed it down best I could then I let it sit for awhile to warm before transferring it to 3 liter and one 500 ml. mason jars, firmly packed to the shoulder.  I left them in the cupboard for 4 days.  I then transferred them to the fridge and once fermentation stabilized I moved them down to the basement...

Cranberry, Cabbage & Yam Lacto-Ferment - Made Mar 25/17

- 5 med. wild apples chopped - approx 1 cup

- a little less than 1 lb.. frozen cranberries cut in half

- 3/4 of a green cabbage (about 6" in diameter) finely chopped

- 1 1/2 med. sweet potatoes (my parents called them yams), grated

- 1 med /large chiogga beet grated

- 1 med onion chopped

- 1 large clove of garlic minced

- 1 1/2 Tbsp unrefined sea salt

I mixed everything together; then packed it into 3 liter & a 500 ml. mason jars, firmly packed to the shoulder and left them in the cupboard to ferment for 3  days, before transferring them to the fridge to stabilize and moving them to the basement..

Chard Stems Parsnip & Rutabaga Lacto-Ferment - Made Mar 13/17

- 1 med./small rutabaga coarsely grated

- 1/2 a large zip-lock bag of frozen chopped chard stems
- 5 med wild apples - approx. 1 1/2 cups chopped

- 1/2 a large zip-lock bag of frozen, chopped green cabbage 
- 10 slices of frozen parsnip chopped finely in a food processor (about 1 cup) 

- 1 med onion chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 1 1/2 Tbsp. sea salt
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. of my Cabbage, Cucumber & Rutabaga mix as a starter

Unlike fresh cabbage, frozen cabbage seems to require a starter, so I mixed everything together except the starter and let it warm for a couple of hours.  After adding the starter, I packed it into 2 liter & one 500 ml. mason jars, and left them in the cupboard for 3 days... I'll refrigerate them when I take them out of the cupboard... They are filled perfectly just to the shoulder... 

Corn Relish Lacto-Ferment - Made Mar 11/17

- 1/2 of a large zip-lock bag of frozen corn

- 1 med./small chioga beet grated

- 1 small daikon radish grated

- 1/2 med. celery root (celeriac) grated

- 1 med/large onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic chopped finely

- 5 med. wild apples chopped

- 1/2 of a large zip-lock bag of frozen cucumber diced

- 3 Tbsp. of my cabbage/cucumber/rutabaga mix as a starter

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt

I stirred everything except the starter together, then left it out to warm up a little before adding the starter.  This made enough to fill 3  liter mason jars to the shoulder.   I left them in the cupboard for 3 days after they came up to room temperature, which took about half a day, so they spent a total of 3 1/2 days in the cupboard...  , and then refrigerated...

Peas, Carrot, Kohlrabi & Celeriac Lacto-Ferment - Done Mar 10/17

- 1/2 cup dried whole yellow peas
- 1/2 cup dried whole green peas
- 3/4 cup dried speckled peas

- 2 Tbsp  of green lentils

- 2 Tbsp of green split peas

- 1 med.  onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 5 med/small wild apples diced
- 1 med./ large yellow carrot grated 

- 1/2 a small celery root (celeriac) grated
- Most of 1/2 of a large zip-lock bag of kohlrabi diced

- 1 Tbsp. sea salt
- 3 Tbsp. of my beet/radish/cabbage mix as a starter

I cooked the whole peas for almost 3 hours, adding the lentils and split peas for the last 1 1/2 hours also adding 1/2 of the onion for the last 1/2 hour of cooking time.  After they'd been cooked until there was only a little water left and they were tender, I mashed them together.  I mixed the rest of the ingredients together and then added the pea mixture once it had cooled a little. I mixed it all together and packed it into 3 liter mason jars filled to the shoulder; then left them in the cupboard for 3 days, before putting them in the fridge...

Peas, Tomato, Celeriac & Rutabaga Lacto-Ferment - Done Jan 10/17

- 1/2 cup dried whole green peas
- 1/2 cup dried whole yellow peas
- 3/4 cup dried speckled peas

- 1 Tbsp  of green lentils

- 1 Tbsp of green split peas

- 1 Tbsp of yellow split peas

- 1 med.  onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 1 cup of frozen green cherry tomatoes quartered

- 1/2 a small celery root (celeriac) grated
- 1 1/2"piece of rutabaga grated

- about 1/4 of a green cabbage (about 6" in diameter) chopped finely

- 1 Tbsp. sea salt

This pea  mixture is quite different from my others as it contains more vegetables... Also since cabbage is a major ingredient, and the mixture starts off warm, I'm trying it without the addition of a starter...

I cooked the whole peas for almost 3 hours, adding the lentils and split peas for the last 1 1/2 hours also adding 1/2 of the onion for the last 1/2 hour of cooking time.  After they'd been cooked until there was only a little water left and they were tender, I mashed them together.  I mixed the rest of the ingredients together and then added the pea mixture once it had cooled a little. I mixed it all together and packed it into 2 liter & a 500 ml. mason jars  filled to the shoulder; then left them in the cupboard for 4 days, before putting them in the fridge...

Cabbage, Green Tomato & Radish Lacto-Ferment - made Jan 3/17

- 1 med head of green cabbage (about 6" in diameter) chopped finely

- 5 pieces of frozen atlantic giant pumpkin (squash) chopped (approx. 2   cups) This kind of pumpkin is very meaty, juicy & mild flavored a litttle like zucchini...

- 1 med/large onion chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- about 3 cups of frozen green cherry tomatoes chopped  in quarters
- 10 med red meat radishes coarsely grated

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt

I mixed everything together; in my 2 glass bowls,  mashing it down best I could, then I let it sit for a few minutes to warm, before transferring it to 4 liter mason jars, firmly packed to a little above the shoulder.  They're filled a little high, so I did have to drain off a little of the liquid as they fermented... I left them in the cupboard for 4 days, then  put them in the fridge to stabilize... Again, I think, due to the cool cupboard and the COLD ingredients this was a little slow to ferment...