Lacto Fermentation

I seem to be interested in all the cooking fads these days. My newest interest is in fermentation, or rather I have found a new variety of fermentation (see my kombucha post for info on my first plunge into fermentation). I found a recipe on the Kitchn for lacto fermented mixed veggies. Sounded interesting. I make pickles a lot - usually an Asian style with rice vinegar and sesame oil, so I'm used to the idea of pickling. This intrigued me since there is no vinegar. You use a salt brine to discourage the bad bacteria and use the naturally occurring lactobacillus to ferment or pickle your veggies. Sauerkraut is made this way, as well as real dill pickles. You can easily make these pickles in a jar with no other special equipment but I decided to go the extra mile and buy a jar with a hole in the top that would fit an air lock, guess I'm all fancy. Or really, I just got excited about a new kitchen toy.

bell pepper

carrot

cauliflower and spices

add brine and air bubbler

The pickles sit on the counter for a few days, then you start to taste them for doneness - to your liking. A few thoughts - I'm not sure I would mix softer veggies like cauliflower and bell pepper with a hard veggie like carrots in the future. I decided they were "done" when the cauliflower was good, but after I put the veggies in the fridge, I found out that the carrots weren't really soft enough. Live an learn, I guess. Also, the recipe called for 1 garlic clove and when I was pulling it off the head, 2 cloves came instead, so I put both in the jar. I thought there was a bit too much garlic flavor due to this, who knew there was such a thing as too much garlic? So, overall I don't think this batch was too successful. Oh well. Now in the process of making those real dill pickles, will let you know how they turn out!