Fermentation 101

Fermentation is a great way to enhance flavor, preserve food, and enhance its nutritional quality. 

Did you know that different microbes produced different fermentation results? Yeasts tend to play a bigger hand in fruit fermentation and brewing. In lactic acid fermentation of vegetables, lactic acid bacteria play a bigger role as they are salt tolerant.

So if you add salt to a vegetable, say cabbage, the salt will start to break down the cell walls and allow the salt tolerant bacteria to start eating the sugars of the plant. As the bacteria feeds, it produces lactic and acetic acids. As the pH of the mixture becomes more acidic, the bacteria levels will change as not all bacteria can tolerate high levels of acidity. In the end you are left with a high volume of Lactobacillus bacteria due to their ability to tolerate lower temps and high acidity. This slow dying off process of the other lactic acid bacteria creates a depth of flavor. If the mixture is too cold or too acidic from the beginning, you end up with on flat sour note to your ferment.  

In addition to taste, Lactobacillus is great at making nutrients easier for our bodies to absorb and curbing inflammation in the body. 

Fermentation is also a great food preservation method. Preservation helps prevent food waste.

As winter approaches, you can make your food last, taste better, boost your immune systems and adorn your shelves with a few jars of summer to light your way.

You can learn more about fermentation and get recipes and expert tips by checking out these books at Book Larder.