Posted Dec 7, 2010
Fermentation is commonly used to produce staples of the Wisconsin diet: cheese, beer, wine and cider. It is also employed in the leavening of bread, and to preserve vegetables like cabbage.
So many local people are interested in learning how to ferment their own vegetables that Adrienne Fox’s workshop, “Powerkraut: The Probiotic Power and Delicious Health of Fermented Vegetables,” filled up quickly last Saturday as part of the six-week Reedsburg Fermentation Fest, running through next Friday.
The festival in the town 55 miles northwest of Madison featured yogurt and cheese making, bread baking, beer brewing, and a pickling and canning seminar. Fox offered the only demonstration on how to ferment vegetables. She is offering a second class at the festival from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday as well.
“Fermenting vegetables is definitely becoming more popular and it’s something that people can do at home,” said Fox, 44, taking a rare break from her busy sauerkraut-making business, where she sold at least 4,000 pints of her trademark Powerkraut last year. She also produces kimchi.
Fox lives on a farm in Viroqua, 90 miles northwest of Madison. Her workshops focus on how people can ferment cabbage or other vegetables safely at home.
“They can preserve their own vegetables through fermentation in their own home and have fresh local produce through the winter, which is really wonderful, plus have the probiotic benefits year-round,” Fox said.
Probiotic bacteria grow through the fermentation process and many people, including Fox, claim that probiotics have health benefits but so far they have been unsubstantiated by the medical community.
“There is considerable interest in the potential positive health impacts of fermented foods, although in most instances the scientific basis for these health claims are lacking,” said Jim Steele, a UW-Madison professor of food science and an expert on food fermentations.
Steele said the increase in interest in fermented vegetables is related to an increase in consumer interest about where their food comes from and how it is made.
The production of foods by fermentation is one of the oldest forms of food processing and is still big business today, he said, adding that approximately one third of all foods consumed are fermented.
Fermented vegetables are “delightfully tangy and maintain their fresh crunchy texture as they are still a raw food,” Fox said.
They are not cooked, pasteurized or canned through a heating process — they have their own inherent preserving medium called lactic acid, she said.
On her website — www.organicpowerkraut.com — Fox recounts how she came to name her sauerkraut: She was cooking for a group of kindergarten students and one boy asked for more “Powerkraut.”
And as he shouted the new name, he flexed his tiny arm like Popeye the Sailor and repeated, “Powerkraut!” The other kids quickly joined the excitement. Because there was so much joy and laughter, Fox agreed to forever call her product Powerkraut.
Fermented foods have longer shelf lives, which is primarily why they were originally produced, but it is really their unique flavors, textures and functions that are responsible for their continued popularity, Steele said.
“We can use refrigeration and modified storage conditions to extend the shelf life of cabbage, but the end result would not compare to sauerkraut,” he said. “Similarly, we can use drying to preserve barley, milk and grapes, but we definitely would not end up with beer, cheese and wine.”
Fox offers a simple and safe recipe for fermenting carrots, she said, because there is little that can go wrong. With sauerkraut there can be problems, so Fox said she’d rather encourage people to come to her workshop to learn about fermenting cabbage. Daikon radish or kale can be substituted for carrots using this same recipe. Fox advises those at home to make sure the kale leaves are pressed firmly and tight.
Fresh carrot crunch
1 quart glass mason jar with lid that has a seal
1 1/4 pound of organic or non-sprayed carrots
1 tablespoon non-iodized salt with minerals (possible brands: Real Salt, Celtic Sea Salt, Himalayan Salt)
1 pint non-chlorinated water
A spot in your house that is between 60 and 65 degrees. (Fermenting at this temperature allows a more consistent outcome than fermenting at higher temperatures.)
One small plate
A peeler (optional)
1. Wash hands. Sterilize your quart jar by boiling in water for five minutes. Pour boiling water over clean lid, knife, cutting board, peeler if wanted and the cup/jar for holding water.
2. Rinse carrots (using a clean brush or cloth) and cut off ends and any spots. You can peel the entire carrot or leave natural surface for more nutrition. Fermentation will be fine either way.
3. Dice in 1/4-inch pieces or slice in 1/4-inch thick rounds and fill quart jar firmly. Depending on how you cut, all veggies may or may not fit in the jar.
4. Stir 1 tablespoon salt into your pint of cool or room temp water right before pouring over carrots to 1/8 inch from the top. If there is extra water don’t worry. It’s the ratio of 1 tablespoon per pint of water that’s important. Close with lid firmly. This method of fermentation is anaerobic, meaning without oxygen. A loose lid would allow oxygen in.
5. Place on a plate in an area that is between 60 and 65 degrees. It should be dark. Cover with a dark cloth if needed.
6. Leave and do not open for 2 weeks. Check the plate for juice and clean. (However, carrots prepared in this way usually do not leak.)
It usually takes a minimum of 10 days, sometimes 14, for PH to stabilize for preservation. Flavor improves with time, and they taste best after a month or two. Toss in your favorite salad or serve with fresh dill.
Carrots will remain fresh and crunchy at this temperature for a minimum of six months. For longer preservation, move to a place in your home that is anywhere between 55 and 41 degrees (after 2 months of curing at between 60 and 65 degrees).
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