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Fermented Foods List: Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Fermented Foods List: Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

For a few thousand years now, people have been fermenting foods. Many of the foods — even the highly processed ones — we all (guiltily) enjoy are fermented: Chocolate, soy sauce, coffee, olives and many, many more.

And while the process may seem mysterious, it is actually quite simple. Raw fermentation, the process in which many foods are transformed from regular vegetable to tangy, delightful fermented foods — think sauerkraut and kimchi — are easy, safe and incredibly healthy.

Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Fermenting foods requires taking food, in this particular case, vegetables, adding salt and allowing naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria to partially digest the starches in the food transforming them and preserving them.

In the process, the microbes that facilitate the transformation make the food easier to digest, create antioxidants and release vitamins and minerals.

The microbes that grow in the food are also healthy for the digestive system (think yogurt, another fermented food). The microbes in the human digestive system like fermented food. Fermented foods have been shown to restore stomach acid pH and were also used as a traditional treatment for ulcers.

PROCESS

Quite simply, the fermented vegetables we tried had at best, three ingredients — salt, water and vegetables.

We used mason jars, although some home fermenters have used plastic mayonnaise containers or any jar they have lying around the house. Some people even use 5 gallon buckets covered with cloth.

The food then ferments in the jars (or other containers) over a manner of days or weeks.

Once the process is finished (a matter of taste more than anything, some people prefer their food strongly flavored while others prefer theirs milder) the food is packed into jars and refrigerated, halting the fermentation process by causing the microbial activity to go dormant.

During the fermenting process, gas is produced.

The gas must be released, but exposing the material to air limits the fermentation process.

Many home fermenters “burp” their jars by opening the jars allowing the gas to escape and closing them.

If you have more than a few jars, however, this process gets time consuming — and quite frankly, annoying — really fast.

That’s why we use FermentTools products.

Their air locks come with special lids, allowing gas to escape and limiting the air exposure to the

product. They’re also sturdy enough for multiple uses, which means after we’re done with this batch, we can wash them and use them all over again. Fermentools also sells Himalayan salt.

The great thing about fermenting your own food is you can use additions like Himalayan salt to increase the mineral content of your food.

It’s an easy way to add healthy trace minerals to your diet.

Resources:

Find out more about Fermentools fermenting kits and products and fermenting here.

KIMCHI

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS:

FERMENTED ONIONS:

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

FERMENTED LEMONS

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

FERMENTED LIMES

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

FERMENTED GREEN TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

FAQs about Fermented Foods:

1. Can you ferment other vegetables like green beans and corn? Are the recipes about the same as for these?

Yes you can. Here’s a recipe for fermented corn and onion relish:

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/lacto-fermented-corn-onion-relish-recipe/

Here’s a recipe for green beans:

http://food52.com/recipes/29310-fantastic-fermented-green-beans

2. About how long is a good ferment for the green tomatoes?

We did ours for about a week. It really depends on personal taste. I would suggest three days as a minimum. Sandor Katz, fermenting guru, suggests for those starting out to give it a couple of days, crack open your jar (or crock, or bucket, or whatever) and taste it and see what you think. If it’s strong enough for you, then it’s done. If not, close it up and try again in a couple of days. Happy Fermenting!

3. What do you do with fermented lemons and limes? How do they taste?

We use them to add flavoring to many dishes. Any lemon dessert or seafood or chicken. We use the limes for desserts and rice. We also just eat them straight out of the jar. Good stuff!

4. After fermenting “to taste,” how long can you store them in the fridge?

I honestly don’t know. Usually my jars wind up empty in less than six weeks. Course, I wind up eating kraut and kimchee for breakfast, so your mileage may vary.

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