FERMENTED VEGGIES

Although fermenting veggies has been around for thousands of years, it is now quite a popular item in health food stores. Traditionally used as a way to preserve food, now we know that fermented products are also great at keeping our gut bugs thriving. It can be quite expensive to buy fermented veggies however they are actually so simple to make and very cheap. You can substitute all kinds of veggies, fruits and herbs into the mix but below is a good starting point to make a simple fermented veggie mix.

Makes 1 large jar

Ingredients

sterilised jars
weight or a cabbage leaf
1 x cabbage (any kind), finely shredded
2 x carrot, grated
1 bunch spring onion, finely chopped 
1 x apple, grated
sea salt

Directions

Mix all of the vegetables together and weigh them.
Add 1.5 tablespoons of salt per kg of veggies and mix through. 
Pound and squeeze the mixture for 10 minutes to release liquid.
Add mixture to sterilised glass jar/s and push the mixture down firmly so the liquid rises to cover the veggies. Leave 2 cm at the top. 
Add a weight/cabbage leaf/ anything that will weigh the veggies down to keep them submerged. 
Leave on your bench top to ferment for 2-3 weeks (dependent on weather - 2 if in a hot climate and 3 if cold) and then store in the fridge.   

*If you notice any mould growing then discard of the mixture but surprisingly this is very unlikely when fermenting veggies. 

Enjoy 1 tablespoon of fermented veggies with meals.