What are you fermenting today?

murphysranch

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I've read a couple of the most recent pages about this topic. And not really really wanting to read all 61 pages, could you kindly tell me why you are fermenting things?

I know the chemistry behind fermentation, but why in the heck would we want to ferment all sorts of unusual foods?

Inquiring and non-educated minds (mine) want to know. :D
 

big brown horse

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To preserve them and to make them more digestible and more (way more!) nutritious.

From Wild Fermentation:
"Fermented foods and drinks are quite literally alive with flavor and nutrition. One major benefit of fermentation is that it preserves food. Fermented organisms produce alcohol, lactic acid, and acetic acid, all "bio-preservatives" that retain nutrients and prevent spoilage.

Fermentation also creats new nutrients. As they go through their life cycles, microbial cultures creat B vitamins, including folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and biotin. (Ferments have often been credited with creating vitamin B12, otherwise absent from plant-source food.)"



And to satisfy that "Mad Scientist" in all of us. :p
 

noobiechickenlady

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Lately its been, yogurt every friday night, more spicy hot mustard, some hard apple cider since I found unfiltered apple cider at the grocery, kefir (which is starting to smell quite tasty), I have some wheat berries soaking for rejuvelac, beans for more paste will be cooked tonight, and I'm cracking the lid on the sauerkraut to go with some deer sausage for supper, nummy.

I also have a recipe of the 5 minute a day bread in the fridge on day 3. Baked a smallish loaf 2 days after I mixed it and I got my very first successful loaf of bread, yes EVER! :celebrate
 

Wifezilla

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Soaking and fermenting does a few important things. It deactivates phytic acid. It also makes the food more digestible and makes nutrients in the food more bioavailable.

It is also a great way to preserve food without canning.
 

freemotion

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What they said! :p

It is stinkin' cold here in New England right now, and supper was all de-natured (cooked!) foods....steamed carrots and brocolli (with lots of butter and sea salt!) and kosher hot dogs cooked using a barbecue fork stuck into the woodstove until blackened....oh, super-yum! So a big glob of fermented mustard was just the condiment to add something alive to help digest this meal and prevent gastric reflux later. Besides, it's yummy.
 
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