Fennel & Yam Lacto-Ferment - Made Dec 29/20

- approx. 1 1/2 cups of frozen chopped rhubarb

- 6 med/small "wild" apples chopped
- 8 slices of frozen Romanesco  Zucchini chopped
- 1/2 a large zip-lock bag of chopped frozen fennel 
- 3 med. sweet potato (my parents called them yams), coarsely grated
- 1 medium onion chopped

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 4 leaves of green cabbage chopped finely

- 1 1/2 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt
- 2 Tbsp. fennel seeds 1 ground & 1 crushed

I mixed everything together, then transferred the mix to  3 liter  mason jars, packed firmly to the shoulder. I left them in my cupboard above the stove for a little more than a day, but I could see it just wasn't warm enough... so I covered the jars and placed them in front of one of my rads.  They only needed a day here for me to see they had fermented VERY well, so I've now moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten...

Beans & Beet Lacto-Ferment - Made Dec 17/20

- 1 1/4 cups dried black turtle beans cooked

- 1 1/4 cups dried adzuki beans cooked

- 4 small pieces of kombu seaweed (approx. 1 1/2" square) crumbled

- 1 med. onion diced

- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

- 6 slices of frozen zucchini diced
- 2 med. red beets coarsely grated
- 2 med. carrots coarsely grated

- 1 cup frozen chopped chard stems 

- 1 1/2 cup of frozen chopped rhubarb

- 3 large leaves of green cabbage finely chopped

- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Himalayan pink salt

I added the beans to boiling water, cooking them until they were tender (about 2 1/2 hours).   Again this time I did not cook the kombu with the beans.  Instead it was mixed with the rest of the ingredients.  After mashing the beans with the water they'd cooked in,  I added this medium/firm paste to the rest of the ingredients, adding the cabbage last, after I'd mixed the other things together and the whole mixture was an even warm temperature (NOT hot)... I then packed it into three 1 liter  and one 500 ml. mason jars  filled to the shoulder.  I left them in my now not so warm cupboard over my stove for a little more than a day, but as they didn't seem to be doing much, I covered them and placed them in front of one of my rads where it's nice and warm... It only took 24 hours before they were fermenting so well they were exploding out of the jars.  What a difference a little warmth can make!  I've now moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten... 

Fennel, Chard Stem & Cauliflower Lacto-Ferment - Made Oct 28/20

- 6 med./large "wild" apples chopped - approx 2 1/2 cups

- most of a large zip-lock bag of fennel

- most of a large zip-lock bag of chopped chard stems 

- 1 med/small cauliflower chopped
- 2 large carrots coarsely grated
- 1 med./large onion chopped

- 2 Tbsp of "grocery store" whole fennel seeds ground

- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

- 6 small leaves of chard finely chopped

- 4 full stems of sweet cicely leaves finely chopped

- 4 leaves of green cabbage chopped finely

- 2 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt

I mixed everything together; then firmly packed it into 4 liter mason jars, filled to the shoulder. I left them in my warmish cupboard for 2 1/2 days when I could see they were fermenting well, then  transferred them to the fridge to stabilize... 

Cabbage, beet, Radish & Rhubarb Lacto-Ferment - Made Oct 28/20

- 5 med./large "wild" apples chopped

- approx 2 cups of frozen chopped rhubarb

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

- 1 med./large onion diced
- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
- 6 slices of frozen cucumber diced

- 1 med. chiogga beet coarsely grated

- 2 med. red meat radishes coarsely grated

- 20 sorrel leaves chopped finely

- 2 large horseradish leaves finely chopped

- 1 1/2 Tbsp of Himalayan pink salt

I mixed everything together... It fills 3 liter mason jars firmly packed to the shoulder.  I left them in my "warm" cupboard over my stove for 3 1/2 days, at which time I could see they were fermenting well, so I moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten... 

Pea & Bean with Cauliflower & Greens Lacto-Ferment Made Oct 14/20

- 3/4 cup dried Speckled peas
- 3/4 cup dried Pinto beans

- 1/2 cup dried Adzuki beans
- 1/2 cup dried Oregon Giant peas

- 4 small pieces (approx. 1 1/2" by 1") of kombu seaweed broken up

- 1 med. onion chopped

- 1/4  rounded tsp of garlic powder (I didn't have fresh garlic so I tried this...)

- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

-  a small bunch of celery & a small bunch of parsley leaves (both from my garden) chopped

- 1 medium sized horseradish leaf chopped finely

- 4 leaves of green cabbage chopped finely
- 1 sweet potato (my parents called them yams), coarsely grated

- 1 small head of cauliflower chopped

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

I  cooked the peas and beans for about 4 hours, until there was only a little water left and they were tender.   These took an extra ordinarily long time to cook... I don't know if the addition of the kombu helps to shorten the cooking time, or if beans & peas don't cook well together... I'll experiment and see...  When they were finally soft, I mashed both together to make a fairly firm paste.   As I understand much of kombu's nutritional value is lost with cooking, I did not cook it with the peas and beans this time.  Instead it was mixed with the rest of the ingredients and except for the cabbage these were all added to the pea/bean mix when it had cooled somewhat .  I added the cabbage on its own, last when the mixture was just warm (NOT hot).  After mixing it well, I packed it into three one liter and  one 500 ml. mason jars filled to the shoulder .  I left them in my warm cupboard over my stove for 2 1/2 days when I could clearly see they were fermenting well and moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten...  

Cabbage, Rhubarb, Carrot & Leafy Green Lacto-Ferment - Made Aug 27/20

- 2-3 cups of chopped frozen rhubarb

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

- 1 med./large onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 large zip-lock bag of frozen cucumber diced

- 4 med. carrots coarsely grated
- 2 large Horseradish leaves chopped finely

- 2 Tbsp of Himalayan pink salt

I mixed everything together... It fills 4 liter mason jars firmly packed to the shoulder.  I left them in my "warm" cupboard over my stove for only 2 days as I could see they were fermenting well, then moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten... 

Red Cabbage, Rhubarb & Celery Lacto-Ferment - Made Aug 21/20

- 1 small head of red cabbage (about 5" in diameter) chopped finely

- 1/2 an Italian style zucchini chopped

- approx. 1 cup of chopped lovage leaves

- approx. 1/2 cup of chopped arugula leaves

- 1 bunch of celery with leaves chopped

- 1 med./large onion chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- approx. 2 cups of chopped frozen rhubarb

- a little less than 2 Tbsp. Himalayan pink salt

I mixed everything together in my largest glass bowl.  After stirring it well, I transferred it to 4 liter  mason jars, firmly packed to the shoulder.   I've left them in my warm cupboard over my stove for just 2 days, before moving them to the fridge... as they fermented quite quickly in the warm weather...

Cabbage, Zucchini, Apple & Leafy Greens Lacto-Ferment - Made Aug 20/20

- 1/2 of an Italian style Zucchini -- skin finely grated and the rest chopped

- 1 1/2 med. onions finely diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

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

- 2 med. carrots coarsely grated

- approx. 2 cups of frozen "wild" apples chopped

- approx. 1 cup of amaranth leaves (Callaloo) chopped

- 1 1/2 very large leaves of Horseradish chopped 

- 1 1/2 Tbsp Himalayan pink sea salt

I mixed everything together, then packed it into 3 liter mason jars, packed to  the shoulder. I only left these in my warm cupboard over my stove for 2 days as they fermented quite quickly with the warm weather we've been having.  I've now moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten.... 

Squash, Cauliflower & Pepper Lacto-Ferment - Made Aug 17/20

- 1 red, 1 yellow & 1 orange bell pepper chopped

- 6 small leaves of green cabbage chopped finely

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

- approx. 2 cups of frozen "wild" apples chopped

- 2 small/med onions chopped

- 3 small cloves of garlic minced

- 4 pieces of frozen squash - flesh chopped finely and skins grated finely

- 1 small cauliflower chopped

- 2 Tbsp. Himalayan pink salt

I mixed everything together, then packed it into 4 liter mason jars, filled perfectly just to the shoulder...  I left them in the cupboard over my stove for only 2 days when it was clear they were fermenting well before moving them to the refrigerator to stabilize and be eaten...  

Squash/Rhubarb/Chard Stem/Cranberry Lacto-Ferment: made Aug 11/20

- 2 cups frozen chopped rhubarb

- 4 cups dried cranberries chopped coarsely
- 1 med. onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 4 pieces of frozen squash - flesh chopped finely and skin finely grated
- 1/2 a large zip-lock bag of frozen chopped chard stems

- 1 rounded Tbsp plus 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

- 4 small leaves of green cabbage chopped finely

This uses the last of my dried cranberries sweetened with sugar...  Unlike my first try with these, I've chosen ingredients that aren't very sweet to mix with them... We'll see how it works this time.  Although my first attempt ended up tasting VERY good, it was still a little sweet and took FOREVER to ferment.  This time, I've mixed everything together, making enough to fill 2 liter and a 750 ml.mason jars firmly packed to the shoulder. I plan to leave them in the warm cupboard over my stove until I can see they are fermenting well, before moving them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten.

Well, after almost a week (which is a little slower than normal) they are fermenting well and I've moved them to the fridge... but for the first time ever I've had a problem with mold... probably due to the generally VERY warm temperatures and the fairly high sugar content of the mix.  I scraped off about 1/2" from the top of each jar, I think getting anything contaminated with mold and added this to my compost pile... It should do well there.  I smelled and tasted what remained and it both smelled and tasted VERY good.  I made sure the solids were well submerged in the liquid and then sprinkled about 1/4 tsp. of pink salt over the surface of each jar to inhibit more mold...  I hope it works!  I HATE throwing out food!  Partially because I know what it is to be hungry and partially because my parents both spent their late teens and early twenties pioneering in northern Alberta...  Although they worked hard to provide the best food possible both for themselves and their children, neither of them were the least bit squeamish about occasionally eating slightly questionable or less than perfect things ... They'd cut or scoop out the "bad" parts and eat the rest...  As long as it was edible it was eaten.  Only food that really did taste or smell "bad" was thrown out.  They just couldn't toss edible food no matter how it looked, after facing a time when they didn't know if there'd be enough to last through a tough winter into a new summer when more might be available... and that thinking stayed with them.  It was what I grew up with as a child... so I too have a LOT of trouble doing differently!

Update:  As of Oct 18/20 no mold had reappeared, so it seems adding the extra salt on top is effective...

Pea, Squash & Chard Stem Lacto-Ferment Made Aug 11/20

- 3/4 cup dried Oregon Giant peas
- 3/4 cup dried Green peas
- 1/3 cup dried yellow split peas

- 1/3 cup  a mix of large green & french lentils
- 3 small pieces of kombu seaweed broken up

- 1 med. onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

- 4 leaves of green cabbage chopped finely
- 3 pieces of frozen squash finely chopped with skins finely grated

- 1 large zip-lock bag of frozen chard stems

I  cooked the peas with the kombu for about 2 1/2 hours, until there was only a little water left and they were tender.  I intended to add the lentils for the last 1/2 hour of cooking time, but by mistake I added them together with the other peas... we'll see... but it seems to be OK... When it was all cooked and the peas were soft I mashed the pea mix to make a paste before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.  I added the cabbage last when the mixture was just warm (NOT hot).  After mixing it well, I packed it into three one liter and  a 500 ml. mason jars filled to the shoulder .  I left them in my warm cupboard over my stove for less than a day (they were warm and the cupboard was warm and the fermenting bacteria seem to like the mix) when it was clear they were fermenting very well and then moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten...  It is a more liquid mix than the pea mixtures I've done in the past... maybe I left more water with the peas or maybe it's because the squash contains more water than the ingredients I've used before...

Cabbage, Cucumber & Rhubarb Lacto-Ferment - Made May 30/20

- 1 large zip-lock bag of chopped frozen rhubarb

- 1 green cabbage (about 4 1/2" in diameter) finely chopped

- 2 small onions - one red & one white - diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 large zip-lock bag of frozen cucumber diced
- 3 pieces of frozen Red Kiri Squash - flesh chopped finely & skin grated finely

- 1 1/2 Tbsp of Himalayan pink salt... plus approx. 1 tsp. added later...

I mixed everything together... It makes a very liquid mix which  filled 4 liter mason jars firmly packed to the shoulder.  II left them in my "warm" cupboard over my stove for almost a week until I could see they were fermenting well and then transferred them to the fridge...  It took a little longer than normal to ferment as the mix started off very cold and the weather has been mainly cool, so my cupboard wasn't so warm.   I was also a little nervous that I hadn't added quite enough salt, so I added an additional approx. 1/4 tsp. to each jar.

Beans & Beet Lacto-Ferment Made May 9/20

- 1 1/3 cups dried black turtle beans cooked

- 1 cup dried adzuki beans cooked

- 3 med./small pieces of kombu seaweed crumbled

- 1 med. onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 3 med. celery stalks chopped
- 2 med. red beets coarsely grated
- 1 small rutabaga coarsely grated
- 5 small leaves of green cabbage finely chopped 

- 3 cups (approx.) of frozen chopped rhubarb

- 1 3/4 Tbsp. Himalayan pink salt

I added the beans to boiling water with the kombu and then cooked them until they were tender (3 hours).   After mashing them, I added them to the rest of the ingredients, adding the cabbage last, after I'd mixed the other things together and the whole mixture was an even warm temperature (NOT hot)... I then packed it into three 1 liter & one 500 ml.  mason jars  filled to about 1 inch from the rim.  I left them in my "warmish" cupboard over my stove for 4 days.  At this time I could see they were fermenting well so I moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten... 

Cabbage, Yam, Turnip & Rhubarb Lacto-Ferment - Made Apr 15/20

- approx. 3 cups of chopped frozen rhubarb

- 2 med. sweet potato (my parents called them yams), coarsely grated

- 1/2 a green cabbage (about 6" in diameter) finely chopped

- 2 small/medium onions diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 small red beet coarsely grated

- 5 med. purple top turnips coarsely grated

- 1 1/2 Tbsp of Himalayan pink salt

I mixed everything together... It makes a very liquid, pretty, dark salmon colored mix which  filled 3 liter mason jars firmly packed to the shoulder.  I've left them in my "warm" cupboard (which isn't so warm these days) over my stove for a week, before I transferred them to the fridge...  Color is SO important to me... I love just looking at the colors of these mixes as much as I love eating them...  What a treat to be able to eat such beautiful colors!

Pea, Carrot & Celeriac Lacto-Ferment Made Apr 13/20

- 3/4 cup dried Speckled peas
- 3/4 cup dried Green peas
- 1/3 cup dried yellow split peas

- 1/3 cup  a mix of large green & french lentils
- 3 small pieces of kombu seaweed broken up

- 1 med. onion diced

- 1 clove of garlic minced

- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

- 3 leaves of green cabbage chopped finely
- 2 1/2 med. carrots coarsely grated

- 1/2  celery root (celeriac) coarsely grated

- 8 slices of frozen cucumber

I  cooked the peas with the kombu for about 2 1/2 hours, until there was only a little water left and they were tender.  I added the lentils for the last 1/2 hour of cooking time, then mashed both together.  I then added  this pea mixture to the rest of the ingredients, adding the cabbage last when the mixture was just warm (NOT hot).  After mixing it well, I packed it into 3 liter mason jars filled to the shoulder .  I'll left them in my "warm" cupboard over my stove for only 2 days when I could see they were fermenting well, then moved them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten...

Beans & Beet Lacto-Ferment Made Jan 16/20

- 1 1/3 cups dried black turtle beans cooked

- 1 cup dried adzuki beans cooked

- 3 med./small pieces of kombu seaweed crumbled

- 1 med. onion diced

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 7 large slices of frozen cucumber diced
- 2 med. red beets coarsely grated
- 1 med. carrot coarsely grated
- 1 small rutabaga coarsely grated

- 4 small leaves of green cabbage finely chopped 
- 1 cup of frozen chopped rhubarb

- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Himalayan pink salt

I added the beans to boiling water with the kombu and then cooked them until there was only a little water left and they were tender (about 2 hours).   After mashing them, I added them to the rest of the ingredients, adding the cabbage last, after I'd mixed the other things together and the whole mixture was an even warm temperature (NOT hot)... I then packed it into two 1 liter & one 750 ml.  mason jars  filled to a little more than 1 inch from the rim.  I left them covered in front of a rad for a day and then moved them to my "warmish" cupboard over my stove for one more day before moving them to the fridge to stabilize and be eaten... 

Pea, Carrot Rhubarb & Cucumber Lacto-Ferment Made Jan 10/20

- 3/4 cup dried Oregon Giant peas
- 3/4 cup dried Green peas

- 1/3 cup green & french lentils
- 2 small pieces of kombu seaweed broken up

- 1 med. onion diced

- 1 clove of garlic minced

- 1 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt

- 3 leaves of green cabbage chopped finely
- 2 1/2 med. carrots coarsely grated

- 1 generous cup of chopped frozen rhubarb

- 6 slices of frozen cucumber

I  cooked the peas with the kombu for about 2 1/2 hours, until there was only a little water left and they were tender.  I added the lentils for the last 1/2 hour of cooking time, then mashed both together.  I then added  this pea mixture to the rest of the ingredients, adding the cabbage last when the mixture was just warm (NOT hot).  After mixing it well, I packed it into 2 liter mason jars filled to the shoulder & one partially filled 500 ml. mason jar.  I left them in my "warm" cupboard for 3 days before putting them in the fridge to stabilize and be eaten...