Katherine Green - DIY Fermentation: Over 100 Step-By-Step Home Fermentation Recipes

DO-IT-YOURSELF FERMENTS

Is the art of fermentation new to you? Get started with these simple DIY ferments and unleash the crafty cook in you.

Sauerkraut () will be your trusty fermentation primer. Perfect for first-timers, a jar of homemade kraut will make even the simplest dinners sublime.

Kimchi () is a great next step for vegetable ferments. Prepare a batch and enjoy its probiotic benefits as an accompaniment to every meal.

Looking for a simple fruit ferment? Whip up a batch of Blackberry-Sage Jam () and jar it for a DIY gift that is sure to please.

Make your own Kombucha () and ditch the expensive store-bought bottles.

Happy Fermenting!

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Interior photo credits: Shutterstock/Jack Jelly,

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Illustrations 2015 by Tom Bingham

ISBN: Print 978-1-62315-528-5 | eBook 978-1-62315-585-8

I
FUNDAMENTALS

CHAPTER 1
THE BASICS

CHAPTER 2
IN THE KITCHEN

II
RECIPES

CHAPTER 3
VEGETABLES

CHAPTER 4
FRUITS

CHAPTER 5
DAIRY

CHAPTER 6
GRAINS & BREADS

CHAPTER 7
LEGUMES

CHAPTER 8
MEAT & FISH

CHAPTER 9
VINEGARS & CONDIMENTS

CHAPTER 10
BREWS

CHAPTER 11
COOKING WITH FERMENTED FOODS

Appendix A:
The Dirty Dozen & the Clean Fifteen

Appendix B:
Measurement Conversions

O nce upon a time, long before refrigeration allowed us the luxury of planning meals and storing food, fermentation was king. Originally used as a way to preserve foods, fermentation has given us some of the food worlds most treasured delights. Coffee, chocolate, cheese, beer, wine, and pickles all make use of this ancient process to transform food from its original state into something extraordinary.

Simply defined as a metabolic process that converts sugars into acid, gas, or alcohol, fermentation can take many forms. Although the standard American diet does not include a wide variety of these foods, many cultures around the world serve fermented food with just about every meal. These itemsoften raw and living foods teeming with beneficial bacteriacan improve health and vitality. Bonus: They taste great, too!

As early as the third century BC, laborers building the Great Wall of China were served fermented vegetables as part of their daily rations. From there, the tradition spread throughout Asia and Europe, with many far-ranging styles and varieties gaining recognition in different regions.

Fermentation was probably originally developed to help stretch the harvest and provide nourishment when fall changed to winter, but the end result is so much more than just preservation. The process of fermentation begins breaking down food, making the end product more easily digestible by the human body. This can provide relief to a system feeling the effects of modern processed foods, and can help balance the body to allow for healthy digestion and better absorption of nutrients.

Today in the United States, we are becoming aware of the health benefits of fermented foods. According to Tufts Universitys Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Food Policy, the fermentation process used to make sauerkraut and kimchi increases the glucosinolate in cabbagenaturally pungent compounds thought to fight cancer. Additionally, the healthy bacteria found in a number of fermented foods have been shown to increase immunity and decrease inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and allergies.

Supermarket shelves are lined with processed foods, such as breads, cheeses, vinegars, and condiments, all of which are laden with preservatives to keep them fresh. Additionally, many commercially packaged products undergo pasteurization to kill harmful bacteria, but this process also kills the healthy organisms your body needs. Although it may seem safer to eat these mass-produced products than items that you ferment in your own kitchen, thats just not true.