I don’t know about you but I am always trying to add extra vegetables to my diet. The gut mircobiome is a hot topic for health and wellness currently so I’m trying to eat food with some good microbes in. I’ve purchased many versions of kimchi but I have realised that I actually don’t like it very much. Home made fermented vegetables are really easy to make, according to the internet but I have never really managed to make any sucessfully.
This time I made a small amount with only vegetables that I like. That usually includes cauliflower as I really like cauliflower and then I added what was left in my fridge for my home made fermented vegetables. Carrots and cucumber plus some well washed shredded cauliflower greens. I like the outer green leaves of cauliflower as well (no-one else does in my house).
Ingredients
- Chopped vegetables of your choice – I used cauliflower, 2 carrots cut into thin batons, shredded cauliflower leave and some cucumber.
- Brine solution – 2 cups of water in which 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of coarse salt have been disolved
Method
- Grab a clean jar that has been dishwashed recently or rinse out with boiling water to ensure no unfriendly bacteria are in situ.
- Add the chopped vegetables and press well down to pack them in. Gently add the brine solution until all the vegetables are covered. Push down the top layer of vegetables to make sure they are submerged.
- Screw/secure the top of the jar and put in a dark cupboard for 2-3 days. Open the jar after 2-3 days and check for fizz. It should be fizzing and you ought to see bubbles forming in you home made fermented vegetables as they, well, ferment.
- Taste the veg – if you want a sharper stronger taste leave it a couple more days. Put it in the fridge when you are satisfied with the taste and that puts the bacteria to sleep so it will stop fermenting. Enjoy! I add mine to salads for work and with chicken Shwarma style food.
If you like this recipe and like making your own food from scratch, you might like to try making home made lemon curd: https://cookingwithfi.com/lemon-curd/