Why do you eat vegetables?
A few of us will say it's because we like them, love them, can't get enough of them. And there are days when we even mean it! But what about the rest of the time, the rest of us? When there are so many delicious, easy foods to be had in the world, what gives vegetables the pride of place as the food everyone feels they ought to eat more of?
Of course it's because they're healthy, right? Because they have fiber to help us digest. Because they have vitamins and minerals to supply our bodies' daily needs. Because for many of us, a meal of straight protein, fat and starch doesn't feel right--we instinctively know that while all those things are great and delicious, they need a little help along the way--an oar, as it were, to help them row their boat to Valhalla. A Charon to steer their ferry across the river Styx. I could go on.
I won't.
Instead, I'm here to tell you that while these vegetables you're eating do perform all the above functions, and do so quite well, they could be doing more. That's right, they could be helping your digestion more. They could be providing you with more available vitamins and minerals, and they could be providing a more refreshing palate-cleanse between your pork chop and your pierogis. How can this be, you ask? How can one ask so much of one's vegetables?
The answer is simple, it's a little scary, and it's totally on-trend.
Lactofermentation.
OK, Hannah, slow your roll. We've all heard of this, right? The magical kitchen wizards who put gallons of homegrown cabbage in giant crocks with loads of salt and eat it all months later. The amazing chefs who make a lactofermented salsa exactly four days before they're going to be eating grassfed beef tacos, timing its creation perfectly to coincide with the meat thawing and somehow even making the exact right amount to coincide with the needs of the diners. Those people exist, and they're phenomenal, but they are not us. We don't grow enough cabbage to fill a five gallon crock. We have tried countertop ferments, only to forget about them (or not find the right moment to use them) until they've grown some icky smelly mold on top. We are honestly a little nervous about the whole idea if you want to know the truth.
Never fear. I understand completely. And that's why, when I stumbled across the below method in my own kitchen blunderings, it filled my heart with joy: this ferment is easy to make, easy to use (in a variety of dishes), and exceedingly cheap in terms of its ingredients (literally the two cheapest vegetables in the grocery store produce section). I can't say I make it often enough to eat it daily, but I wish I did and I hope to come closer to that goal in the future. It's that good, that simple, and that versatile. Allow me to demonstrate.
two decent sized carrots
perhaps 2 tbsp. salt, or to taste
whey, as from the top of a tub of yogurt (optional)
slice as much of a hemisphere of cabbage off your cabbage head as you can, creating a brassicaceous dome on your cutting board. Slice it longitudinally (top to bottom) as thinly as you comfortably can, preferably less than 1/4 inch wide. Then cut across your slices, perhaps 1 inch apart, so you end up with a variety of sizes of cabbage pieces. If any stand out as being huge, slice and dice. put in a large bowl (I generally use a four quart one), adding a couple of sprinkles of salt as you go. The quantity should fill a four quart bowl a bit more than halfway. Cut more cabbage off your head if needed.
Grate your carrots with a coarse cheese grater, right on top of all that cabbage. Sprinkle more salt and let sit for a little while--say an hour. At the end of this time grab a quart jar (I just use a mason jar) and start adding cabbage-carrot mixture, a handful at a time; find a stomper from your Roma food mill or the butt end of a tomahawk, whatever you've got that you can use to crush down the veg at the bottom of the jar. Continue adding and stomping until the jar is full. (Generally for me, what looks like about 3 quarts in the bowl fills the quart jar quite adequately, as long as I'm stomping hard enough). If you need more veg feel free to slice off some more cabbage.
At this point I'll generally add a tablespoon or so of whey as an insurance policy, especially if I'm using storebought produce there's no guarantee that the right bacteria will be living on my vegetables. The yogurt whey contains live and active cultures, including the crucial lactobacillus acidophilus which will be doing most of the heavy lifting in this ferment--and populating your gut with feel-good probiotic friends.
If the liquid from the vegetables and the whey don't quite cover the top of the slaw in the jar, I'll add just enough water to do the job. I then put a lid on it, put the jar somewhere that's not too cool, and let it think about its life choices for a day or two. Tasting should reveal that the mixture has begun to get sour. When it's as sour as you prefer, pop it in the fridge: it's ready when you are!
I've used it as a garnish on curry or stirred into chili or other soups after they're off the heat; it adds a pleasant crunch but is otherwise just a healthy boost to whatever it accompanies. Alternatively, here are a couple of fancier salads I've used this recipe in with great results.
1-2 tsp baking soda, optional
2 apples
1 cup raisins
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. brown sugar
Taste your cabbage and carrot slaw; if it seems to be too sour for a sweet apple and raisin salad, add some baking soda to neutralize some of the acid, stirring thoroughly after the first teaspoon and letting it sit and work before tasting and adding more if needed. (Don't worry if you think you might have added too much--the lemon juice later on will neutralize any bitter residue as long as you stir thoroughly). Next, grate the useable flesh off the apples with your cheese grater, drop in the raisins, and dress with the lemon juice and brown sugar. This recipe is a family favorite with barbecued ribs or any summer supper of grilled meat.
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
ginger, finely diced fresh or else ground
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp. soy sauce
red pepper flakes (optional)
Stir all together and serve alongside teriyaki chicken, Asian seasoned ribs, or basically any Asian-style dish you fancy.
A few of us will say it's because we like them, love them, can't get enough of them. And there are days when we even mean it! But what about the rest of the time, the rest of us? When there are so many delicious, easy foods to be had in the world, what gives vegetables the pride of place as the food everyone feels they ought to eat more of?
Of course it's because they're healthy, right? Because they have fiber to help us digest. Because they have vitamins and minerals to supply our bodies' daily needs. Because for many of us, a meal of straight protein, fat and starch doesn't feel right--we instinctively know that while all those things are great and delicious, they need a little help along the way--an oar, as it were, to help them row their boat to Valhalla. A Charon to steer their ferry across the river Styx. I could go on.
I won't.
Instead, I'm here to tell you that while these vegetables you're eating do perform all the above functions, and do so quite well, they could be doing more. That's right, they could be helping your digestion more. They could be providing you with more available vitamins and minerals, and they could be providing a more refreshing palate-cleanse between your pork chop and your pierogis. How can this be, you ask? How can one ask so much of one's vegetables?
The answer is simple, it's a little scary, and it's totally on-trend.
Lactofermentation.
OK, Hannah, slow your roll. We've all heard of this, right? The magical kitchen wizards who put gallons of homegrown cabbage in giant crocks with loads of salt and eat it all months later. The amazing chefs who make a lactofermented salsa exactly four days before they're going to be eating grassfed beef tacos, timing its creation perfectly to coincide with the meat thawing and somehow even making the exact right amount to coincide with the needs of the diners. Those people exist, and they're phenomenal, but they are not us. We don't grow enough cabbage to fill a five gallon crock. We have tried countertop ferments, only to forget about them (or not find the right moment to use them) until they've grown some icky smelly mold on top. We are honestly a little nervous about the whole idea if you want to know the truth.
Never fear. I understand completely. And that's why, when I stumbled across the below method in my own kitchen blunderings, it filled my heart with joy: this ferment is easy to make, easy to use (in a variety of dishes), and exceedingly cheap in terms of its ingredients (literally the two cheapest vegetables in the grocery store produce section). I can't say I make it often enough to eat it daily, but I wish I did and I hope to come closer to that goal in the future. It's that good, that simple, and that versatile. Allow me to demonstrate.
Cabbage and Carrot Slaw
approximately 1/4-1/3 of a head of cabbagetwo decent sized carrots
perhaps 2 tbsp. salt, or to taste
whey, as from the top of a tub of yogurt (optional)
slice as much of a hemisphere of cabbage off your cabbage head as you can, creating a brassicaceous dome on your cutting board. Slice it longitudinally (top to bottom) as thinly as you comfortably can, preferably less than 1/4 inch wide. Then cut across your slices, perhaps 1 inch apart, so you end up with a variety of sizes of cabbage pieces. If any stand out as being huge, slice and dice. put in a large bowl (I generally use a four quart one), adding a couple of sprinkles of salt as you go. The quantity should fill a four quart bowl a bit more than halfway. Cut more cabbage off your head if needed.
Grate your carrots with a coarse cheese grater, right on top of all that cabbage. Sprinkle more salt and let sit for a little while--say an hour. At the end of this time grab a quart jar (I just use a mason jar) and start adding cabbage-carrot mixture, a handful at a time; find a stomper from your Roma food mill or the butt end of a tomahawk, whatever you've got that you can use to crush down the veg at the bottom of the jar. Continue adding and stomping until the jar is full. (Generally for me, what looks like about 3 quarts in the bowl fills the quart jar quite adequately, as long as I'm stomping hard enough). If you need more veg feel free to slice off some more cabbage.
At this point I'll generally add a tablespoon or so of whey as an insurance policy, especially if I'm using storebought produce there's no guarantee that the right bacteria will be living on my vegetables. The yogurt whey contains live and active cultures, including the crucial lactobacillus acidophilus which will be doing most of the heavy lifting in this ferment--and populating your gut with feel-good probiotic friends.
If the liquid from the vegetables and the whey don't quite cover the top of the slaw in the jar, I'll add just enough water to do the job. I then put a lid on it, put the jar somewhere that's not too cool, and let it think about its life choices for a day or two. Tasting should reveal that the mixture has begun to get sour. When it's as sour as you prefer, pop it in the fridge: it's ready when you are!
I've used it as a garnish on curry or stirred into chili or other soups after they're off the heat; it adds a pleasant crunch but is otherwise just a healthy boost to whatever it accompanies. Alternatively, here are a couple of fancier salads I've used this recipe in with great results.
Recipe: Apple Raisin Slaw
1-2 cups Cabbage and Carrot Slaw, fermented1-2 tsp baking soda, optional
2 apples
1 cup raisins
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. brown sugar
Taste your cabbage and carrot slaw; if it seems to be too sour for a sweet apple and raisin salad, add some baking soda to neutralize some of the acid, stirring thoroughly after the first teaspoon and letting it sit and work before tasting and adding more if needed. (Don't worry if you think you might have added too much--the lemon juice later on will neutralize any bitter residue as long as you stir thoroughly). Next, grate the useable flesh off the apples with your cheese grater, drop in the raisins, and dress with the lemon juice and brown sugar. This recipe is a family favorite with barbecued ribs or any summer supper of grilled meat.
Recipe: Pan-Asian Slaw
1-2 cups Cabbage-Carrot Slaw, fermented2 green onions, chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
ginger, finely diced fresh or else ground
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp. soy sauce
red pepper flakes (optional)
Stir all together and serve alongside teriyaki chicken, Asian seasoned ribs, or basically any Asian-style dish you fancy.
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