Canning, brining, smoking, fermenting—there are so many ways to extend the life of your garden harvest. And after a summer of intense weeding, watering, fertilizing, and coddling your garden, the yield from your Herculean efforts deserves to be preserved.
So let’s talk about lacto-fermentation, which turns regular produce into super-foods filled with enzymes, probiotics, and healthy acids. Think sauerkraut, kimchi, tsukemono, or pickles. And it’s an easy step on the path of food preservation that requires basic kitchen tools, minimal ingredients, and if something goes wrong, it’s obvious: visible mold or an obvious off-smell.
My favorite reference for fermentation is Sandor Katz’s Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. It’s the book that started my own personal relationship with fermented foods. His website, wildfermentation.com, is also a great resource, as are his other books on fermentation.
