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I really wanted to like more fermented foods, but when I tried a couple recipes from Nourishing Traditions I just didn’t care for them. One was the pineapple compote and the other was fermented salsa. They both tasted like beer and I plain don’t want my fruit or my salsa to taste like beer. Thankfully I didn’t give up forever. I tried sauerkraut last summer and it turned out really good! Next I made fermented cranberry relish – yum! (Remember these are condiments and not side-dishes, so you only need a little bit with meals to help with digestion and add beneficial healing bacteria to promote gut health and a strong immune system!)
Then at the Weston Price/Wise Traditions conference in November I tried Caldwell’s fermented carrots (sold by Cultures for Health on my resources page).
Oh-my-gosh, those things were DREAMY. So much for fermented vegetables only being a condiment; these became a main dish I ate so much. I was hooked and found myself craving them in the weeks after the conference.
I decided to do a comparison, I wanted to try making my own and see how they tasted up against Caldwell’s.
Simon from Caldwell Fermented Vegetables was nice enough to send me some samples, and for my version I used the recipe from Nourishing Traditions, only I used less salt as I’ve heard from a few sources that 2 T. was too much: 
- 4 cups grated carrots (My Bosch made this go fast.)
- 1-2 T. freshly grated ginger (I like a lot)
- 1 T. sea salt
- 4 T. whey
Sally Fallon’s directions: “In a bowl, mix all ingredients and pound with a wooden pounder or meat hammer to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices cover the carrots. The top of the carrots should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.”
Isn’t that simple?
THE VERDICT?
I loved them both! And the weirdest thing happened, I seriously couldn’t get enough of any of the vegetables and decided this will be my new way to eat veggies all winter long! I especially loved trying all the different goodies that Caldwell’s sent me. I began to be drawn to the frig for “just a few more”. Writing about it now makes me want to go get my fork. Whether it was their carrots, their sauerkraut, their Kim chi, you name it. I wonder if these cravings were my body’s way of getting what it needs?! (You know how that happens when you’re pregnant? You crave meat or whatever…)
Here’s a picture of the Kim chi:
This was SO flavorful and had the perfect “bite” to it. It tasted like a spicy sauerkraut. Their carrots were a little sweet and a little sour (yum!), and mine were more on the sweet side. Two of the kids ate (and loved) my carrots, but none of them would eat Caldwell’s. If you have kids that like sauerkraut, though, they’ll love any of Caldwell’s veggies, but mine don’t. Hopefully someday they will as I keep offering it.
FOOD THAT IS ALIVE
I love knowing how beneficial these foods are for my body and that unless you have health issues and need a stronger therapeutic strength probiotic like Biokult, just eating traditional fermented foods is SO good for us! The living enzymes, the beneficial bacteria, all the other nutrients in the veggies, I love it.
DIE OFF?
Something tells me that the veggies from Caldwell were full of more of the “good guys” because I didn’t have the same, um, reaction after eating mine. They were obviously clearing my body of some toxins. (Kent said I should refrain from being more specific. Does anyone else notice this much?) So they’re definitely doing something better than I did. Maybe I need more whey? Or I think I’ll try using Caldwell’s fermented food starters next time so I’m sure to get all the little beasties I need and so I can be consistent. There’s no using making just a shredded carrot salad when I can be just as easily making a superfood!
Part of the Lacto-fermentation blog carnival, Fight Back Fridays, Friday Food and Finer Things Friday!
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{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
Yay, I ‘m glad you finally made the leap to lacto fermented veggies & fruits. We haven’t tried any fruits yet, but your cranberry relish idea sounds yummy! Is the recipe from NT? If not, would you mind sharing? At the moment, I have about 5 qts. of salsa, and 2 1/2 qts. of spicy carrots “working” on the counter. Yum!
Hi Kelly, I have been waiting on your post for ferments. Just started doing them myself about 2 months ago. I have noticed every batch I do turns out different since it is usually what I have on had. Never thought about my extreme fatigue and bloated belly as some sort of diet off but you made me think. Especially since I too , keep going back for more.
That looks so yummy! I’ve been saving the whey from goat’s milk yogurt hoping to use it in a fermented recipe. I’ve never used whey before – just salt – but I’ve never fermented anything that could be problematic given its density, like carrots. So I’m excited to try using it with this recipe. Thanks for posting it!
Can this be done without whey?
I’ve been thinking of making the gingered carrots . . . might have to try your recipe! I make a LF pico de gallo salsa that I can’t keep in the house we go through it so fast, it’s on my site if you want the recipe and it has never tasted like beer, just salsa!
And I too crave the LF foods and kombucha from time to time . . . always a great reminder to listen to our bodies!
Best,
Sarah
Hey! I love reading your blog! I was wondering where did you find that glass bottle with the plastic lid. I’ve looked around and haven’t seen any like that around here. I’ve been searching for a while, but admittedly not too hard. Thanks!
I know just what you are saying! I really crave my cultured veggies too. My kids and I made a gallon of Kim Chi about two weeks ago and now we are down to half a quart.
Hi Kelly! I appreciated your blog so much! Just wanted to stop in and let you know I’ve been buying from Amazon through your link!
You guys are all so fun. I love it when I post on something nerdy like fermented vegetables of all things, and still get great comments from other geeks like me who like to talk about this stuff! LOL
Kimber, the cranberry relish isn’t mine, here you go: http://oceansofjoy.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/fermented-cranberry-relish-dairy-free/
Tracy, that’s why I’ve heard it might be good to go with a fermented starter, so you get more consistent results.
Chandelle, I also use my whey a lot for soaking grains. (In case you need more ideas for what to do with it.)
Meagan, you can do ferments with salt only, but I tried once and it tasted too salty, but it could’ve just been a bad recipe. Check out the wildfermentation.com site for tips. I should’ve included that link here…
Sarah, I’m SO checking out that recipe!!!
Sandy, the glass bottles are just ball jars that you can get at hardwares or big grocery stores. The plastic lids can be found in the same spots and come in 2 sizes, regular and wide-mouthed. I use them a LOT.
Laryssa, Mmmmm kim chi, now I need to go get more thanks to your comment!
Kaitlin, you big SWEETHEART. I appreciate that SOOO much.
Thanks all!!
Kel
LOL Kelly, you are so cute with your TMI comment…yes, fermented veggies can clea In you right out as they say up nawth!!!
I have loved eating and making these lovely concoctions for years before i even got involved with NT/WAP..because my granny would make them-i even have her old wooden mortar and pestle that she used for crushing the veggies…lately, i have made kimchee, sour kraut and i have a bunch of beets/turnips to ferment shortly–your carrots reminded me of the lovely carrots made like that in switzerland, so i am going to make a batch next…
you really dont need any starter to tell you the truth…but it is easier and more consistent–i like to capture wild ferments, but mashing the veggies in my bread bowl and leaving them uncovered overnight in a clean area…then add one more day to unrefridgerated fermentation–you will get great results that way if you are willing to live on the wild side
Hey just a note, Jenny over at Nourished Kitchen has a free e-book with fermented recipes that are really good and her photos are gorgeous, it’s called Get Cultured: Probiotic foods from a Nourished Kitchen. Check it out!!!
Kelly, I have a question for you or any other lacto-fermenting experts.:) I have made the NT gingered carrots recipe several times and love it. But this last time that I made some, it turned out really slimy. It tastes and smells fine so I am rinsing it off and eating it anyway, but the consistency is gross. Did I do something wrong? I followed the recipe pretty carefully, only I did cut back on the salt.
My mother in law, who is german, makes a wonderful carrot salad. I never realized that it is a ferment vegetable. She makes it a couple a days ahead and leaves it on the counter. She uses a really good vinegar instead of whey.
Thanks for reminding me of it . . . I have carrots to use up and will make her salad.
Leah, I’m new at all this so I don’t know! Maybe someone else will jump in.
Lydia, yes! Thanks for reminding me about Jenny’s book! (Her pictures are always amazing.)
Jeanne, how neat to have a traditional family recipe to go by.
Alex, “capturing wild ferments” sounds so fun and geeky, I love it!
We didn’t care for the carrots, either, but loved the pineapple chutney (we are cilantro eaters.) I need to get more veggies going. After hearing Cheeseslave’s podcast, I’ve been considering getting some veggie fermentation starter from Cultures for Health. It never really occurred to me (even after reading Wild Fermentation) that different places have different cultures and my fermented carrots might be icky because of the little bugs that create the fermentation! It might be nice to try some culture that is tested and known to be yummy for a change. Hm…
I hope to do some ferments this summer when we start getting our CSA veggies again. Thanks for the encouraging post on it! Do you need a special attachment to do the carrots in the Bosch? I have one, but wish I had a list that showed me what attachments to use for the all the uses Marilyn Moll shows in her catalog.
Okay, Kelly, if *you* say so…then I will try my hand at the fermented ginger carrots again! We tried them once loooonnng ago, and unfortunately thought they were ghastly. The recipe in NT says to use 1 tablespoon sea salt, which I have been told to pare down to two teaspoons. I didn’t want to try it again after wasting all of those organic carrots, but if YOU say so…:) What surprises me is that you used the full tablespoon of salt and still seemed to like it! Maybe the extra ginger was the positive kicker…and two of your kids loved ‘em, too?! Wowza!
I will try to garner up the courage to try these again. My fermented cukes (pickles) have been a hit with my son, but my daughter isn’t too keen on them and neither care for the sauerkraut. Sigh. Maybe some day…:)
I will forever remain hopeful!
Kelly,
You crack me up! Fermented carrots——”DREAMY!”…..?! Either I am just not at the fermented vegetable stage yet and need to broaden my horizons, or I need to get off my sweet tooth and stop naming brownies and creme brule “dreamy”….! Ha ha ha!
Blessings on your day!
Sue E.
I have become obsessed with kombucha (I need to get a mushroom because buying G.T. Dave’s is getting expensive!). Pickles are up next! I WANT to like fermented veggies but I’m just starting out.
Peggy, so you were the opposite of us, you liked the chutney and not the carrots?!
Martha, I just used the slicer/shredder. FYI: you can get to Marilyn’s site through my resources page under “kitchen appliances”, and thank you if you do go there that way as I get a little bit per click.
Julie, keep in mind that the 1 T. was for FOUR cups of carrots, but if you’re worried, definitely use 2 t. the first time you try them again! (I’d feel bad if you had another bad experience because of me! LOL!)
Sue, I’m telling ya, there’s something about these, you gotta try them!
Kate, that’s great that you love kombucha, now that I’m onto Kefir soda I never make kombucha anymore, I loooove the kefir soda. I’ve had bad luck with pickles. They get slimy and don’t stay crispy. I’ve tried grape leaves – no luck.
Kel
I have just made the fruit chutney (using apples) from NT and the turnip recipe & both are good. Fruit chutney started out spicy, but seems to have mellowed a bit in the fridge.
Question – Kelly it looks like from the picture you used a non-mason jar. Did you do that? I’m wondering because I have some other glass jars sitting around that I’d like to find a use for.
I think the ambient temp plays an important role in the process. If the temp is too low, it may not work right. We can keep our house really cold & so my solution for that was to use a water bath my husband has for photo development. I fill it with water & pop the jars in (w/water below the rims / lids) and keep it at an even 75-78 degrees.
I have only used whey & it has worked for me.
Jessie, that is just a quart size Ball/Mason jar in the pic, but I do use old pasta sauce jars or whatever for lots of stuff too.
Kelly
I’m intrigued. My doctor (found one who uses holistic methods!! so excited!) advised me to eat lacto fermented veggies as condiments but I got skeered off by the salsa I tried. I don’t particularly care for carrots so I was afraid to try them but I might try to make this. It doesn’t taste vinegary at all?
Thank you, Kelly. When I am able to order that accessory, I’ll be sure to go in from your site. I do that for Amazon now.
a note about the carrots….and any really “sweet” veggie–if you use a food processor to “grate” them, you actually are releasing a whole lot of the sweet juices, and this makes the process go very fast and thus the fermentation is kind of like a slash and burn instead of a slow build…this affects the final taste of the product…
The swiss do a lot of lactofermented carrots and vitronox (sp–the swiss army knife people) makes a special grater just for this purpose–its kind of fun to use–and it doesnt release a ton of juice–then you just pound a little and the carrots end up tasting great…you can also use a hand grater, using the big holes, or a salad shooter using the big holes…
sweeter veggies need the salt to make sure that the process goes slowly…cooler temperatures will also make it go slow…
to start with fermented veggies, the easiest is probably the sauerkraut–or kim chi…i think its also easier to get used to the taste because they are not sweet veggies and the tang isnt as distinct as when using a sweeter veggie…
I’ve never fermented a single vegetable before, so I’m going to apologize in advance for the basic question, but can I just use the whey that I drain off of plain whole milk yogurt? Or do I have to get some kind of special whey?
Michelle, yep, you use that plain old whey–or as i like to call it the lovely elixir of life!
its so simple! just drain the yogurt into a cloth covered colander and bottle the “juice” as my kids call it–then save that great yogurt cheese for something else–most times i squeeze out even more from the yogurt cheese then mix in a small amount of herbs, sea salt, pepper and a tiny bit of dehydrated garlic–its GREAT on sourdough bread or bagels! i like it way better than regular cream cheese…
and then, you use the whey to ferment your veggies!
Enjoy!
Hi,
About how long do fermented veggie last in the jar(s)? So if I am the only one who likes them in my house how fast do i need to eat them?
I am a rookie so be gentle!
You are WAY over my head with the fermented veggies. I’ll just have to trust you that they are tasty.
How do most of you make your whey? When I am home I strained homemade raw milk yogurt, but what is the best yogurt to buy in the store for this? I do not have access to good raw milk yogurt as I am studying at school.
Meagan,
When I need to buy store-bought yogurt I always buy organic whole milk yogurt. No low-fat stuff for sure! But you knew that.
Kelly
Meagan, I’m using Redwood Hill goat yogurt right now – we prefer unpasteurized but our goatshare is currently dry. This yogurt is wonderful for whey because it naturally separates a bit on its own. Every time I open the container I just pour off the liquid and save it in a jar. I just used it to ferment anchovies into nam pla (Thai fish sauce). So I would say that RH plain yogurt is a good source for whey if you like that yogurt.
I don’t have to buy it often (the plain stuff), but when I do, it’s usually Stonyfield.
Kelly
Kelly,
I’m so excited! Remember all that salsa I mentioned making last week? Well, I gave away a few quarts to friends, and kept a 1/2 gallon for home, hoping I could convince my husband he NEEDED to eat it. (He can’t even handle the smell of my cortido or spicy carrots…) Well, he has willingly eaten it the last three days in a row! Yippee!! He’s had it with his eggs & toast in the morning twice, and yesterday when he finished his eggs & realized he forgot, he actually had some with chips later in the afternoon to make up for it. Double yippee!!
I’ve also got my first batch of kombucha working. It will be ready to be bottled for the secondary ferment later this week. My hubby WANTS, yes wants, to start drinking that, too! Ah… what a successful probiotic week this is turning out to be!
I love the fermented veggies, but continue having inconsistent results. Thank you for posting about the culture starts, I’m going to try that. I just tried these carrots and even putting in only 1 Tbsp of salt, it about puckered my mouth off my face! Is there any way of knowing how little salt can safely be added to these ferments? Also, any ideas of how to salvage this jar — what might it be mixed with to help tone down the salt but still retain the good bennies? The ginger was a really nice touch!
Thanks so much for mentioning “the reaction”! When I first started eating fermented veggies and tried the grain soaking I found the reaction disturbing because I couldn’t find any confirmation that it was normal, I thought I had done something wrong. I gradually figured out that it was normal, but it’s nice to hear someone speaking openly about it. :0) The carrots sound delicious. We’ve only done a few variations of saurkraut around here and they are definitely keepers.
Kelly, if you use a little bit of the last batch when you make the next one you’ll boost the good guys that have developed and speed up the process (sort of like adding the Caldwell starter).
Eileen, you can add extra fresh carrots to it when eating to cut the salt factor. I wouldn’t go below the amount of salt that SF recommends though.
Annette,
So I just add the carrots and all, like a couple tablespoons or ?? from the last batch, and then just that helps the process?
And you don’t think I should use only 1T. of sea salt in this? Any more and I doubt I could eat it either, like Elaine said… And I think it would be a pain to have to add extra unfermented carrots to this every time we wanted to eat some, instead of just grabbing out of the jar…
Thanks for your help!
Kelly
Hi Kelly,
I would just add a T of the liquid from the jar to your next batch to speed things up. I know when I don’t clean out my kefir or buttermilk jars they set up in just a few hours instead of a day and the buttermilk has explosive power in the pancakes that doesn’t just fizz up and die out. I make a double batch of pancakes each time to freeze the extra: http://www.sustainableeats.com/2009/03/22/whole-grain-buttermilk-coconut-pancakes/ which takes awhile to cook so when my buttermilk is weaker (if I haven’t used past. milk in awhile on the starter) it fizzes then dies out before I’m done. So I’m guessing the amount of probiotics increases as you continuously reuse the starter. I would follow the NT recipe as far as salt goes. BUT if it’s too salty that way you can always put the carrots on top of salad or mix it into an asian style coleslaw (I would use sesame oil & cabbage & rice wine vinegar.) That way you get all the probiotics in the carrots without it being too powerful. If you rinsed the carrots off before eating you would lose some of the probiotics. I hope that makes sense.
Annette, sorry to be dense, but you’re sure that less salt = less probiotics? Maybe that’s why I got the die-off symptoms with Caldwell’s but not with mine…?
Kel
Hi Kelly, no not at all. I meant I wouldn’t make it with less salt than SF calls for. But I think that using some of the starter from your last batch will increase the number of probiotics over time. I have absolutely no proof of that other than the fact that my buttermilk starter gets stronger over time, especially if I don’t use a clean jar (essentially increasing the starter).
Can I half this recipe and if so would I half the salt also?
This may be the dumbest question you were ever asked, but here goes: Is beer considered a fermented beverage? Cant wait for the answer!
Kim, that’s actually NOT a dumb question at all! Beer IS a fermented beverage, but I don’t think it’s as beneficial for us as other fermented foods, and I’m not sure why. I’m going to ask an expert this and see if she’ll comment here. Thanks for bringing it up!
Kelly
Fermentation refers to “an enzymatically controlled anaerobic breakdown of an energy-rich compound” (according to Merriam-Webster) so many foods, including beer, definitely qualify. There are different types of fermentation though. For example beer is normally fermented using an added yeast. This is different from something like lactic acid fermentation which is how foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, etc. are fermented. So beer would be a great deal closer to bread made with commercial yeast than it would be something like sourdough. Normally when we talk about the benefits of fermenting our foods, we are discussing lactic acid fermentation which results in lots of beneficial yeast and bacteria. Beer is a bit different but certainly the process has its benefits in terms of breaking down the grains, etc.
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