Fermenting vegetables: “The trend is going back to making things yourself”

The time has come to preserve fruit and vegetables. There are various methods for this. Seminar farmer Zäzilia Neubauer from Weißenkirchen reveals how fermentation works.

WEIßENKIRCHEN. After the rich harvest, vegetables and fruit are processed into jam with gelling sugar, pickled in vinegar or fermented with salt. All of these methods serve to preserve food and prepare vitamin-rich foods for the winter. Fermentation in particular has recently become very popular, says seminar farmer Zilli Neubauer: “The trend is definitely moving back towards making things yourself, you can see that from the rush on our courses, such as the bread baking course, which is a perennial favorite. I think that’s great because you know what’s in the food and you handle it more carefully. The advantage of fermentation is that it’s simple: “You don’t need any energy for it, theoretically just a board and a knife for cutting and glasses,” says Neubauer.

Which vegetables/fruits can be fermented?

“At the beginning you should mainly experiment with hard, classic vegetables like cabbage – sauerkraut is the classic – root vegetables, radishes (be careful: the color will be lost), kimchi, red cabbage with apples or pears or beets. The Chioggia beet, for example, comes in several colors and looks great in a jar.

First get your palate used to it

“I’ve also tried zucchini with garlic, fermented mustard seeds, kombucha, and sweet and sour rhubarb.” It’s all a matter of taste, and some things simply taste “foreign” because they’re not familiar to our palate. The seminar farmer therefore advises: “Approach the topic slowly. It’s like many cooking experiments: some things stay and others you never want to miss!”

Be careful with tomatoes

When fermenting, you have to be careful that vegetables like chard, spinach and kale quickly become mushy. Tomatoes become pulpy due to their high water content. “A fermented tomato sauce is worth a try, though,” says Neubauer. You could experiment with fruit later, when you have more experience. For example, pickling berries in honey, or Moroccan salt lemons: “The latter are relatively easy to make,” says the seminar farmer. “Otherwise, I stick to the classic method of preserving fruit as a compote. This can be done in a steamer in no time at all, and I make lots of jams and Powidl.”

But what is the benefit of fermentation?
Fermented vegetables are living food with added value. “It is one of the oldest methods of preservation using microorganisms that are preserved with the help of lactic acid fermentation. Our microbiome gets going, the intestinal bacteria are practically rejoicing. Various strains of probiotics are also created during the fermentation process. When fermented vegetables are consumed, these help to “build up the intestinal flora and ensure a healthy balance of bacteria in the digestive system,” says the seminar farmer, who knows the advantages of this preservation method.

Fermented products: Recommended for vegans

Health-promoting bacteria that can multiply during fermentation produce vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin B12. Only the microorganisms that are created during fermentation are able to produce vitamin B12 in plant-based foods. This vitamin is otherwise only found in animal products, which is why vegans should choose fermented products.
Minerals are inorganic substances that the body cannot produce itself. They must be supplied through food. Fermentation turns the minerals contained in vegetables into lactic acid salts that are better absorbed by the body.

What do lactic acid bacteria do?
During fermentation, enzymes and microorganisms break down the carbohydrates contained in the vegetables using oxygen (the bubbling smells like cooking gases). First they form bubbles and expel the oxygen, then they produce lactic acid and later acetic acid, which give the vegetables their typical sour taste. During lactic acid fermentation, the pH value drops. From a concentration of 0.5 percent lactic acid, microorganisms are prevented from growing in the acidic environment (pH value lowering). The table salt also binds water, so that yeast and mold are also prevented from growing. The change in the pH value and the consumption of oxygen preserve the vegetables. Ripe vegetables are particularly well suited to this process due to their higher sugar content.
Depending on the type of vegetable, cooking takes between ten days and six weeks. A pH value of 3.8 to 4.2 is then reached. In purchased products such as sauerkraut, this process is stopped by pasteurization, which also leads to the destruction of valuable vitamins and minerals.

Work cleanly!

What do you have to pay particular attention to when fermenting? “Process ripe, seasonal local vegetables, work cleanly, that means washing everything with hot water and working properly, but the vegetables do not have to be peeled,” says Neubauer. “It is important that the ratio of salt to the amount of vegetables is always correct.” She therefore advises: always weigh them. To ensure that fermentation goes well and nothing goes moldy, it is important that the vegetables are always covered with brine (salt water). “After fermentation in the fridge or cellar, fermented vegetables will last for at least a year, often longer. The taste becomes increasingly sour, the vegetables become ‘mushier’,” says the seminar farmer.

The pink sauerkraut

My favorite fermented dish is definitely pink sauerkraut with apples and fennel, followed by kimchi! “It’s a snack all winter long, as well as a salad substitute,” says Neubauer, who is stocking up like a squirrel right now: “I don’t buy fruit and vegetables in the winter anymore, I generally try to cook and eat only seasonal vegetables.” That’s how I grew up eating: cabbage and turnips!
It is environmentally friendly, climate-friendly and I want to know where and how it grew.

To the point:
Zilli Neubauer is giving a fermentation course at the Wels Chamber of Agriculture on Friday, October 11th from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Registration is possible here.

Book recommendations for fermentation:
Zilli Neubauer also has a few recommended books:
“Magical Fermentation” by Marcel Kruse and Gerd Pulsier, Löwenzahnverlag: This is by two young “wild” chefs who describe all kinds of ferments (yogurt, sourdough, vinegar, etc. are also included) and who also provide the corresponding recipes.

“Ferment” by Kirsten K Shockey & Christopher Shockey, Löwenzahnverlag: there are some great ideas in there too – including cabbage combined with orache etc.
And of course our great seminar courses for farmers, which anyone can book and are not just intended for farmers.

Recipe tip based on the original recipe by Romana Schneider-Lenz:

Red cabbage with apples and onions

Ingredients:
1 kg red cabbage (it will be pink if you use half white cabbage.
2 sour apples
2.
10 g salt (approx. 1.5 tsp)
1 tsp caraway
1 tsp black cumin
1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds
1⁄2 tsp aniseed
1⁄2 tsp coriander seeds

Preparation: Clean the cabbage and put 1-2 large cabbage leaves aside to cover. Cut out the stalk and slice the cabbage or cut it naked. Core the apples and slice or grate them with the peel into thin slices. Peel the onions and slice them into thin rings. Now put the prepared cabbage, apples and onions in a large bowl with salt and spices and press them well with your hands or a masher.
When enough brine has formed, fill a glass or fermentation pot in layers. Press well together with your fists or a pestle. Cover with cabbage leaves and weigh them down. The brine should be about two centimeters above the cabbage leaves. Cover loosely with a lid or cloth, depending on the container.
Place the container on a baking tray or in a bowl (this will catch any overflow). Ferment for the first three to seven days at room temperature (18 – 23 °C) and for the next ten to 14 days at around 15 °C. Finally, store at five to ten °C (cellar). The cabbage is ready to eat after two to four weeks. Store the finished red cabbage in the refrigerator or in a cool cellar.

The same goes for beetroot

Beetroot can also be fermented using this recipe. Simply replace red cabbage with beetroot and add 3-5 tablespoons of grated horseradish. Season with caraway, cloves, bay leaves and possibly peppercorns. Great flavor combinations can also be achieved by adding lemon or orange zest, ginger, cinnamon sticks or flowers, cardamom, ginger or dried berries (raisins, blueberries, aronia, etc.). Possibly 1-3 currant or raspberry leaves.