Förädlingsodling

Although most cucumbers can be delicious lacto-fermented it’s best to use cucumbers with thin skins, otherwise, peeling them may be necessary. Overripe cucumbers should also be emptied of their seeds. Cut off the part where the flower was attached, as enzymes from that area can cause it to become soft. In these recipes, I’ve used different brine concentrations, but generally, with cucumbers, it’s fine to use a brine that is between 3.5% – 6% salt, resulting in approximately 1.5% – 3% salt in the final product after the cucumbers have absorbed salt through osmosis. Using less salt than that increases the chance of the cucumbers becoming soft. More salt results in a sour and crispy pickle, while less salt yields a milder and softer pickle.

Dilly beans are one of the most popular fermentations among our CSA members and enjoyed by both young and old. It’s one of the easiest fermentations to make but takes time in other ways like the harvest and maturing time – I usually let this fermentation sit in the root cellar for at least three months before jarring – and then there’s the jarring process itself. Fitting long beans into short jars is a time-consuming task. This means that the majority of the work is done in winter when growers typically have more time.

The zucchini/courgette harvest can be overwhelming, but if you have a vegetable dehydrator, there’s a solution! Trim off the firm outer part of the courgette and ferment it – here are two methods for lacto-fermenting courgettes. Slice the hearts into 1 cm thick slices (they become very thin when dried) and place them on the dehydrator. Pat them dry with a paper towel or a clean kitchen cloth to speed up the process and prevent sticking. Dehydrate them thoroughly. Enjoy them as chips or grind them into a flour using a food processor. Use this powder in kimchi paste and in cooking – it’s particularly delicious in falafel or bean burgers.

Raspberry leaves can be gathered throughout the season, but I find they are best and most fragrant in early summer. It’s fine to dry these leaves as they are, but the flavour becomes much deeper and more complex after fermentation. It’s worth the effort! It’s also likely that more nutrients become available through fermentation and that polyphenols and antioxidant concentrations increase.