Hi all,

If this post accumulates interest I was thinking of making a post once a week with instructions on a ferment that we can all do together.

Starting out week one, a nice and simple ferment with ingredients you most likely have in the fridge; Fermented carrots. It sounds bland, but fermented foods have a taste that can not be replicated by mass production.

Materials

1. Knife
2. Scales
3. Jar

Ingredients

1. Carrots
2. Water (either filtered or boiled and allowed to cool. This is done to remove the chlorine in the water that would otherwise inhibit the microbes on the carrots from thriving)
3. Salt (preferably pure rock / sea salt, without iodine or anticaking agent)
4. Garlic (or peppercorns, juniper berries, mustard seeds, anything you like the look of. If cautious, submerge spice in boiling water for 1 minute to kill any microbes on the spice)

Method

1. Wash your hands, knife, cutting surface, and jar.
2. Rinse your carrots.
3. Slice the carrots length ways, and peel your garlic.
4. Add carrot, garlic, and spices to your jar.
5. Make a 2.5% brine (2.5g salt for every 100 ml water) and pour over your carrots, ensuring all vegetables and spices are below the water line.
6. Lightly drop the lid on the jar; do not twist or create a seal, fermentation will create CO2 and if it is sealed you have just created a nice smelling frag grenade.
7. Place in cool, dark location, free of insects or molds. (I would recommend keeping it between 18 and 24C (comfortable room temperature) for predictable fermentation; too cold it might not ferment at all or could take months, or too hot and it will ferment quickly causing off flavors. If it is way too hot (>35C) the microbes might die and new, possibly unfriendly, microbes can take over.)

Now we wait for a week, checking that the carrots are still under the water line and pushing them under with a clean spoon if they’ve popped up. You may also want to think about using a weight too keep them submerged. Give your ferment a sniff, it should smell funky but not bad. You might see some bubbling, this is a good sign, but don’t be concerned if you cant see any either.

Thanks to anyone who’s still reading, I hope you join me this week in making some fermented carrots! Feel free to comment with questions. Good luck and happy fermenting