Fermenting and Microwave Bottling

Recently Food Garden Group members visited Jenny's kitchen for a demonstration of fermenting and microwave preserving.  This blog post is based on notes Jenny provided, with some extra info and photos added.

Fermenting

Fermenting is the process of preserving vegetables in brine.  Pretty much any vegetable can be fermented.  Use what is abundant and fresh.  It is fun to experiment.  Root vegetables ferment really well.

People choose to ferment vegetables for a number of reasons:

1. It is a low-cost and effective way of long-term storage.
2. Fermented vegetables are very good for the gut.  They improve irritable bowel.
3. Vegetables remain crisp, yet easy to chew and taste very nice.

The main ingredient added to the vegetables is brine.  Brine used in fermenting is '2% brine', which means 1 level tbsp of salt (or 19 grams) added to 4 cups of boiled water.  Add to vegetables when cooled down.

For fermenting use salt without additives.  Normal salt contains iodine and anti-caking agents and they affect the taste and the fermentation process.  The amount of salt determines the speed of fermenting: less salt means faster fermenting, more salt means slower fermenting.

Other ingredients are optional.  Tannins can be added, so vegetables stay crisp, so there is less chance of them going mushy.  Good tannins are found in grape leaves, sour cherry leaves, bay leaves, cloves, tarragon, cumin, thyme, vanilla and cinnamon.  Pepper and other spices can help to create tasty results, but of not contain tannins.

Use ceramic pots (crocks ; there is one in photo 2 below), glass jars with metal clips (fido jars, see middle of photo 1) or jam jars, vegemite jars or similar with plastic lids and air locks (on the right in photo 1).

photo 1: fido jars (middle) and a glass jar with plastic lid and airlock (right)

photo 2: a crock (middle) and a jar with an airlock (the other jars are microwave bottles)

For glass jars with plastic lids buy small black rubbers (gaskets) and air locks (look in the brewing kit section of hardware stores), drill a hole in the plastic lid and then fit gasket and airlock.

To make sure all vegetables are submerged in the brine, in other words to stop 'floaters', and to prevent spoilage and mould, put a ziplock plastic bag without holes with a bit of brine as a weight in the top of the jar.  Alternatively, you can cut a cabbage or grape leaf to size and use that (see photo 3 below).

photo 3: using a cabbage leaf to keep floaters down

During the fermentation process CO2 bubbles come to the top of the jar. The fido jars and glass jars with airlocks allow this CO2 to escape.

Sauerkraut ('sour cabbage')

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size white or green cabbage
• 1 tbsp of caraway or dill seed or cumin
• Salt without additives (see above)

Method:

1. Core and shred the cabbage, except for an outer leaf you may like to use as cover
2. Weigh, put in bowl, then add 1 tbsp of salt per kilogram of cabbage
3. Add caraway or dill or cumin and mix ingredients
4. Pound the mix for about 10 minutes with a rolling pin to release juices.  If the cabbage has not made enough of its own brine, add a small amount of 2% brine.
5. Spoon into jars, pressing down to release air bubbles.  Do not fill right to the top.  Leave about 2 centimetres so CO2 can escape.
6. Cut the outer cabbage leaf to size and put that in the top of the jar or fill a small plastic bag without holes with a bit of brine and put that in the top of the jar.
7. Put the lid on, not too tight.  If using airlocks add some brine to the top of the airlock.
8. Leave in an area with moderate temperatures, not in direct sunlight.  Put jars on bowls to catch liquid that bubbles out. 
9. When mix has stopped bubbling CO2 (3 - 6 weeks ), store in cool area, for instance the fridge.
10. You can keep the sauerkraut for up to a year before it becomes too mushy.

photo 4: pounding the Sauerkraut mix with a rolling pin

Fermented carrots

Ingredients:

• As many carrots as you would like to preserve
• Fresh dill or dried dill seed or other spices (ratio depends on your taste)
• 2% brine (see above)

Method:

1. Chop the carrots into small sticks
2. Cover with cooled down brine
3. Add spice of choice, dill or turmeric etc. and mix well
4. Same as Step 5 - 10 above

There is a lot of info on the internet on fermenting.  A good site is Wild Fermentation .

Microwave bottling

The major attraction of microwave bottling is that you can do a jar or two at a time.  The process is fast and easy and the result is yummy and healthy.  Microwave bottling is mainly used for fruit, but it can also be done for tomatoes.  It can not be used for green vegetables.

Jenny recommends that you use a traditional microwave, i.e. one with a rotating platform, because otherwise jars may not heat evenly.  Use the 'medium high' setting on the microwave.

For fruit that is sweet you can add water or light syrup (1 cup of sugar per 3 cups of water).

For fruit that is not sweet you may want to add heavy syrup (1 cup of sugar per 1 cup of water).

You can use jam jars or Fowler Vacola jars with clips.  There are no problems with metal lids if you adhere to Step 6 below.

photo 5: Jenny fills a jar with a mix of fruits

Ingredients:

• Fruit, a mix of fruits or tomatoes
• Water or light syrup or heavy syrup

Method:

1. Wash unblemished fruit, then peel, core, slice or dice
2. Pack fruit until no more fits in the jar without pushing down
3. Add water or syrup until fruit covered, but not to the rim of the jar
4. Put lid on loosely so excess liquid can escape.  If you are using Fowler Vacola jars clip them the normal way
5. You can microwave more than one jar at the time, but give them ample space and make sure jars do not touch the microwave walls or each other
6. Microwave according to 'Microwave times' below
7. Do not leave the kitchen: keep an eye on what is happening.
8. Tighten lids as soon as jars are removed from microwave (be careful they are hot)
9. You should hear lids 'pop' as the jars cool down (a sign that the jar is properly sealed).  If a lid does not pop, eat contents of that jar first
10. Store the jars in a cool place

photo 6: give your jars ample space

Microwave times

Jar size 250 - 350 ml: 5 minutes for 1 jar + 2 minutes for every additional jar

Jar size 400- 650 ml: 8 minutes for 1 jar + 2 minutes for every additional jar

Jar size 700 - 900 ml: 12 minutes for 1 jar + 2 minutes for every additional jar

Good books on the subject are Isobel Webb's 5 Minute Microwave Bottling and More Microwave Bottling (publisher The Five Mile Press ).  Some local libraries in Hobart have the books.

Happy bottling!