I’d like to share how simple and fun lacto-fermentation of vegetables can be. I’ve only done a bit of it, but enough to see that lacto-fermented vegetables taste fabulous and are very easy to make. What I love the most about it is that I don’t have to heat anything (though some recipes call for a bit of cooking) and that measuring is not that precise. This is the kind of anti-cooking I like!
First, though, let me tell you why lacto-fermentation is so cool. Forgive me if you already know this. Just skip ahead to the recipe. If you already know this recipe, just skip right on out of the room…
Traditional preservation of food was done without freezers or canning machines, through the process of lacto-fermentation. In this process, the sea salt and/or whey inhibits the growth of putrefying bacteria until enough lactic acid is produced to preserve the vegetables for many months. But, the lactobaccili which produce the lactic acid to preserve the vegetables do much more! They enhance the digestibility of the vegetables, increase vitamin levels, produce enzymes, offer antibiotic and anticarcionogenic substances, and support the growth of healthy flora in our intestines. My goodness, all of this from pickling! Compare that with today’s pickles, which offer nothing but pasteurized vegetables floating in an acidic brine of white vinegar.
All of this information is paraphrased from Nourishing Traditions on page 89. This book contains so much more information that I encourage you to read it for yourself for a better understanding!
To make these lacto-fermented foods properly, you must start with the highest quality vegetables, sea salt, and homemade whey (optional in purely vegetable recipes). You also need quart-size canning jars with metal bands and lids, preferably wide mouth. (Even so, I have been having good success with regular-mouth jars.)
This particular recipe is a modification of the Pickled Turnips in Nourishing Traditions on page 99. I don’t follow the quantities listed, but rather, use what quantities of vegetables I have. Also, I have omitted the onions. I love the flexibility!
Lacto-Fermented Turnips and Beets
You will need:
- naturally-grown turnips – peeled, quartered and sliced
- naturally-grown beets – peeled, quartered and sliced
For each jar full of peeled, quartered and sliced turnips and beets (fill the jar up to within 1-inch of the top), you will need:
- 1 cup of pure water with 1 tablespoon of sea salt –OR– 1 cup of pure water with 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt and 4 tablespoons of homemade whey (dripped out of kefir or yogurt, or from raw cheese-making)
- additional pure water
Note: If this ends up too salty, soaking the veggies in water for a time draws off the salt, making them tasty. One could also use less salt, but experimentation would be necessary — you need enough salt to suppress the putrefying bacteria.
Start by peeling, quartering and slicing the turnips and beets.
Mix them up to incorporate. Then fill as many quart jars as required to use up all the prepared vegetables. Press down on the veggies to make sure they’re packed in well and don’t fill up higher than within 1-inch of the top.
How many jars did you fill? Use that information to determine how many cups of water with sea salt — OR water with sea salt and whey — you need.
Mix the sea salt and water (and/or whey) together so the salt is mostly dissolved. If using water and sea salt, add 1 cup to each jar. If using water and sea salt with whey, add 1-1/4 cups to each jar. Then top off each jar with more pure water to cover the vegetables.
Put the lids and bands on the jars and tighten securely. Leave on the counter in a warm room (usually the kitchen) for about three days. The process of the lactobacilli‘s proliferation should take about three days when the room temperature is 72 degrees. You will know the process is working because the mixture in the jar will be very bubbly. Then transfer the jars to cold storage until you are ready to eat them.
I usually serve our pickled vegetables topped on a green salad, or as a side with a cold cut type of meal (meat salad, bread, and cheese). These veggies taste bubbly, spicy, and fresh, while offering a great crisp and crunch. I love them! I should admit that not all my family loved them right off the bat (some are still getting used to them). For the kids, I have been putting just a few slices on their salad each day, increasing the amount slowly as they adjust. The other day, Naomi admitted to me that she doesn’t think they’re so bad anymore. Truly, I am baffled how they could not like them right away. I think they’re fabulous. But to each, his own. I am the one who adores the kefir and plain yogurt, and not surprisingly, lacto-fermented vegetables! Try them and let me know what you think.
Now what I need to know is… what do I do with the liquid leftover from this natural pickling? I hate to throw it away because I’m certain it is filled with tons of good bacteria. I think it could be used in salad dressings and dips. Anyone have tips for me?
Pop on over to Real Food Wednesdays to see more real food posts! Or, join in with your own real food post!
About Wardeh
ABCs of Grain Mills. Free PDF tip booklet. 
Take the guesswork out of what to fix, what to buy and what to prepare. This week:
Class materials compiled into easy downloads: 
In reading all these comments about the lacto-fermented juice with whey, it brings to mind something I’ve always wondered; do these veggies ever go bad with whey in them? I just threw out some lacto-fermented ketchup that has been in the fridge since April…just because. It smelled the same but I did not taste it. We just had not used it in so long.
Also, I had some lacto-ferm. mayonnaise in the fridge and after 6 weeks in the fridge, it had mold on top. Once, when I had just a little whey left in my jar, it also grew mold after being in the fridge approx. 2 months. I keep my fridge pretty cold. What are your thoughts? I just made more ketchup and mayo with whey, so how long, on average, should I expect it to last?
Tricia, we just ate some lacto-fermented ketchup tonight that I’ve had since May – I’d made a double batch & this was the last jar of it, and it’s fine. I don’t know if this makes a difference, but I had it stored in my “spare” fridge, one that I don’t get into very often (couple times a week), and use to store my extra lacto-fermented stuff. I’ve had other lacto-fermented stuff not as old seem to go *bad*, but it wasn’t really (see above, one of my previous posts, & Wardeh addresses this). I’ve also had various fruits for much longer than you’re really supposed to keep them (I believe Sally Fallon says 2 months in “Nourishing Traditions”), and they just got “stronger” – in fact, I added a bit of some lacto-fermented mixed fruit/coconut/spice mix to my oatmeal this a.m., then added a tsp of Rapadura to off-set the strong fermented flavor. I think I recall Wardeh and/or Sally saying that it would be very obvious if something has gone bad, that the taste would be unpalatable. I also think that some things seem to get better with age. I noticed that recently with my LF Ginger Ale. Hope that is some help, Tricia.
Thanks Amy.
So sometimes you can just skim the mold off of the top? I guess like I do with cheese that I’ve forgotten about
Yum!!! I’ve been wanting to make that ginger ale. We LOVE ginger.
I’m trying these pickled beets this morning. Someone had posted to re-use the leftover lacto-beet juice for boiled eggs. What a childhood memory. We ate those all the time and they were pretty beautiful. Only, I think I didn’t appreciate them then.
Dear Wardeh!
First of all, i would like to say thank you for your blog. Here we can read very interesting informations. I would have a question for you, if possible.
Will the fermentation works, if i use mineral water instead of pure water? Is the RO or destilled water great too? Sorry for my bad english… ^^
Best regards,
Yumm
Yumm — I just wouldn’t use chlorinated water or city water. The best choice would be clean well water or mineral water or RO water (perhaps with minerals restored through mineral drops).
I recently fermented beets and turnips using home-made whey and a little salt. Our house was a little colder than ideal (generally cooler than 67 degrees at night). I was waiting for the metal lid on the canning jar to suck all the way down, thinking that’s when the concoction would be ready. It wasn’t happening, so after a week or so, I opened the jar. There was lots of fizzing. So are the beets ok after sitting out on the counter that long? I refrigerated them right after opening.
Brenda recently posted… A Few Things to Try
Brenda — I know it has been a long time. I’m sorry for missing your question!
The fizzing is a good sign — that’s what the organisms give off after feasting on the foods. A week is a good amount of time for solid veggies, like beets, turnips, green beans, cabbage. The softer or more mashed up the food is, the less time.
I had a question. The jar will not explode due to pressure of the fermenting process if the lid if on tight? Am new at this and am reading on some sites to leave lid loose and others to lid on tightly. Thanks
Orrilia — It could explode if left too long. I usually burp my jars every day or so to prevent this. Whether or not to lid is up to you. I prefer to lid tightly to so that my ferment isn’t exposed to the organisms in the air any more than it needs to be. You might want to look at the fermentation jars from Cultures for Health. I have a couple. They allow air out, but not in. So no explosions and no burping but protection from the organisms in the air.
If you make lacto fermented sauerkraut (or other veggie) can you store them in vacuum storage bags (like using a food saver) once the sauerkraut is finished in the crock? Once vacuumed bagged, would it be shelf stable, or would you need to store in the refrigerator or freezer? Just wondering as I thought this would be great way to store it w/o having to heat it like canning. Also, you can purchase the things for the food saver that vacuum seals jars, would this work to make it shelf stable? Just wondering as I saw on Cultures for Health that the are selling raw lacto-fermented veggies that are vacuum sealed in bags and wondered if this would work for the home kitchen. I have a lot more room to store it in cabinets than in my refrigerator.
Susan Godfrey recently posted… Oops! I’m a BAD Blogger!
Susan — I wouldn’t recommend a vaccuum storage bag at room temperature. The organisms in the ferment don’t need oxygen to keep working and they’ll continue to do so — probably ruining the texture of the fermentation (turning it to mush) and exploding the bag because of the built up pressure. The point of moving to the fridge or freezer is to slow the fermentation to such a point that the food is pretty stable.
You can use the bags in the fridge or freezer. Or in cold storage cellar. But not room temperature.
Sorry about my delay in answering this!
Great question! I’m looking forward to learning the answer too.
I know you’re supposed to use filtered water but I’ve used regular tap water and it’s worked fine. I’m sure it’s better the other way but ya do what you can do right? Well I recently moved into a new house that has soft water. Do you know if it will still work using that or will that completely alter the outcome? Please let me know if you or anyone has info regarding this.
Also if I add juice from a previous batch of LF spicy carrots do you know specifically how much less salt to use? Don’t know if there’s a science here or if someone has tried it and can share what they did. I made just a couple of jars using the juice vs. whey and will see if I guessed right for the salt this time. Thank you!
Belinda — The soft water is probably okay, though I’m not sure. On using the whey from another batch, I’m not sure I would reduce the salt much at all, maybe a 1/2 teaspoon or so? I’d more do it to taste. Sorry, I don’t have an exact answer — I’m not sure there is one.
Right now I only have turnips. I presume that would be OK to go ahead without the beets?? Barbara
Yes! I do that often.
I usually pickle, but I’m going to try this method this time!
I’m wondering though….with so much fermentation going on in the same place – I have been making yogurt, keeping a sourdough starter, and reproducing sour cream (also considering to try kefir soon)…. can the little critters end up migrating around in my kitchen and beguin contaminating the other fermenting processes?
Hi again!
I tried the beets last night. When I opened the jar it was like red champagne! I think that table cloth has seen it´s last dinner.
The texture is great – not like raw but still crunchy. The taste is ok too, but my husband would prefer them more acidic. Can I add some vinegar next time or will that stop the fermentation? Or perhaps if I leave it to mature longer ? I left this jar for 1 week.
Sandra — More time will improve them. You can leave them out longer, or they’ll continue to age in cool storage too.
Sorry about your tablecloth!
Thanks so much for your blog. I come back often when looking for new projects in my kitchen. You asked what could be done with the juice that is leftover and I have come up with a few things. I use it to make salad dressings, its a salty sour taste that replaces regular vinegar. I use it to start new ferments. The cultures are already active so it speeds up the process. And the other night I made a soup that wasnt very salty (according to my 9 year old!) So instead of the salt shaker I grabbed the ferment liquid jar and added a few tsp. to the soup! It also helped to cool it down as well!
I have a brand new product which is very useful in lacto fermented vegetables made in a jar.
They are weights made of glass that fit into the top of the canning jar that help hold the veggies under the brine solution.
I have them listed on Ebay, just search for ‘lacto ferment glass jar weights’.
Great post – gonna go ferment some beets now!
I’ve been fermenting a lot of things lately and I’ve started to use the leftover brine in my homemade stocks (along with leftover whey from cheesemaking). They’ve made some of the best stocks I’ve created so far!
Enjoy!
Nicole
What is the stock you have made and what is it used in/for?
This is interesting! I’m working on trying to acquire a taste for beets and so have been looking for different ways to prepare them. I love most pickled things, so I think I’ll have to give this a try. Lacto-fermentation is interesting! I think I’ll have to read more about it. I bet you could lacto-ferment bread, could you not? Or is that the same as sourdough? Hmm… I’ll have to do a bit more research. Anyway, thanks for the recipe! I’ll stick it on my list of things to try.
Bethany recently posted… Foodsaver Reviews – The Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer V2840
Not just beets but about anything can be fermentated. carrots, cukes, zukes, beans, crooked neck squash, tomatoes, brocolli, tormatillos, rubarb, and garlic are what I have done, all with good results
Richard, You had me at garlic. I have GOT to try this soon!
Bethany recently posted… Foodsaver Reviews – The Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer V2840
I have a few ideas about what to do with the left over pickling liquid. I use a few tablespoons to wash down my supplements instead of water or juice. I figure the probiotics are helping digest and utilize them better, just like an enzyme capsule would. I have severe digestive disorders, and I think since I’ve been doing this the last few weeks my digestion has improved. I’m also going to try incorporating the juice into hummus, baba ganouj, and just about any dip that won’t be heated, thus destroying the beneficial enzymes and bacteria. I’ve dehydrated a ton of veggies from my garden, and I’m going to try rehydrating them using the fermented juice. I could grind the dehydrated tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers to a powder, then add the juice, and use the mixture in a dip or salad dressing. I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it will work. You can also use the fermented juice in place of vinegar in any recipe.
Hi there,
Why not use the strains of bacteria already happy fermenting vegetable pickles?
Almost all of the top hit sites on the web dealing with lacto-fermentation advise adding whey, I suppose as a kind of guarantee. But none that I’ve read say the obvious, which is that if you already have any kind of pickle naturally fermenting (saurkraut, kimchee, dills, lemons, whatever) you can filch a tablespoon or so of liquid from that and add to the new batch as a natural starter. I have never used whey and have made every pickle you can imagine over the years with no failures, and usually with just salt and water. But I do like to boast my beets with this starter.
Cheers!
Jack
Jack — Yes! If you have leftover juice from another ferment, it is a great kick-start. I agree! Many people don’t have this though, and whey works too.
Can anyone tell me how long whey will keep refrigerated without losing its bacterial kick? And is the amount of whey used for fermentation important? I had a massive bowl of greens and it seemed the specified amount of whey wasn’t going to be enough so I threw in more….any problems with using too much or too little? Thanks for all your work here!
True, for first timers. But once you start your first batch, you always have a few teaspoons of starter around. If you think you need it. To me it’s like taking an aspirin before you have an ache. Just as with naturally started sourdough starter (see the Tartine bread book for a great example of how that, which is a form of lacto pickle too), which has always worked without whey because the same yeasts and bacteria are already present in the air, on hands, in flour, etc., I feel that whey, which is a dairy product, is less natural, and is certainly less traditional, than the ordinary “bloom” on most vegetables that can and does start the pickling process just fine on its own (unless you’ve dipped your vegies in sterilizing solution!). I have never used whey and I have always had a natural start without complication when starting from scratch, since the first batch of pickles I made 40 years ago. Grandma’s and grandpas my age and older pretty much agree, I bet. Though they may exist, I’ve never seen a pre 1960 pickle recipe that called for whey, either. What did pioneers, farmers, and urban picklers do for centuries? They relied on, and still do in many places in the world, natural, reliable, bloom started fermentation.
I posted the above in response to Wardeh’s response to me. Didn’t know it would read as a response to Mary.
To Mary I’d say this: Whey, which has proteins in it (complicated molecules that can break down into all sorts of stuff), has a shelf life, I’ve heard, of “up to six months” but I don’t trust the “up to” because it can become when molds and other organisms start to take over (ever see a nicely planted terrarium after a few months?). Yet naturally started pickle juice can go on and on, especially when “cloned” container to container like wine lees or mother of vinegar is, because it is preserved by the very organisms that make it. I have reused the juice from pickled lemons over and over and have heard of some excellent pickled lemons that were over ten years old. The ancient Chinese new about really really (like 100-year-old) old pickle. I say, don’t worry about this new-fangled whey guarantee, and do what picklers have done since pickling began, use the pickle juice that keeps and keeps giving, especially in a fridge or root cellar or other cool environment.