Fermenting dietary change
The year of the ferment continues, and even when overseas in India recently more and interesting fermented foods were part of daily life. It is remarkable how all cultures seem to have their version of health giving fermented foods.
Fermentation of seasonal produce as a means to provide a source of vegetables in winter has been a feature of cultures dating back thousands of years. We are now well acquainted with sauerkraut or kimchi. The health benefits of these vegetable ferments relate to the preservation of nutrients when foods are fermented raw and uncooked. Similarly, important enzymes and gut-friendly bacteria are retained, aiding digestion and assimilation of nutrients in the body.
In India the presence of ferments was a feature of many meals at all times of day from idli at breakfast to semolina crisps and vadas (black gram donuts) later in the day.
Back home I wasted no time in extending my fermentation repertoire to making fermented vegetables. The first success comprised an Asian flavoured, fermented slaw – with cabbage, some from the garden, plus shredded home grown Nantes carrots and garlic plus ginger. Hot on the heels of this success came a bok choy, wakame, carrot, kohl rabi, garlic and chilli ferment.
My fermented produce inspired Madame le chef at neighbouring Casa Spring Gully to quickly devise a recipe to incorporate the new vegetable delicacies into some home grown potato salad with a light mayonnaise, sliced small gherkins and capers that was delicious.
Next off the rank was the long delayed sourdough breads starter. The first attempt, which was going beautifully until the third day, suddenly turned up its heels with the hot kitchen,…the second batch proved more successful and the first loaf of wholemeal spelt bread was delicious – substantial and tangy with sourdough flavour. Then came an omega3 experiment with flaxseed and chia seed – a bit less of a success but tasty too. A novel recipe came to mind, inspired by a favourite Italian cake, castagnaccio, and I combined spelt starter with chestnut flour to make a type of focaccia, brushed with olive oil and studded with pine nuts, rosemary sprigs, fennel seeds and salt flakes…as they say…different. But beautiful with assiago cheese.
Fermented vegetables
I used a glass container with a stoppered top that allowed easy release of gases. If using a screw-topped jar keep it loosely fitted. All containers and utensils must be cleaned thoroughly.
Half a small cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, finely sliced (vary according to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Remove about a cup and a half of the mixture and blend with enough water to make a juice-like consistency. Return this to the vegetables and mix through. Place the mixture in your glass jar. Place a tight fitting small inverted saucer or similar dish on top of the mix and press down until juices just cover it and air from underneath is expelled. Place in an area away from direct sunlight and wait for the fermenting to occur over the next few days. (I periodically pressed down on the saucer to expel accumulated gas). Keep smelling the brew and when satisfied that it has a lovely clean fermented odour place the lot in the fridge. This will depend on the temperature but may be as soon as 3 – 4 days. You may wish to decant into a couple of smaller jars for convenience.
Growing Change in 2012
As the first year of Growing Change draws to a close the Backyard Pharmacy at Maison Bleue is bursting with summer growth.
Mr Quin’s garlic has just been harvested and will make a tasty addition in many and varied styles of cooking. The girls have been faithful in their supply of gorgeous googs and the first Toolangi Delights were savoured for Xmas. It has been a year of garden experimentation and much learning. Growing veg successfully from seed has been a momentous achievement. Much exercise has been had chasing chooks off productive gardens and building structures to enclose the growing goodies. The first attempt at bottling olives shows there is an art to olive preservation and pickles and ferments and preserving seasonal bounty are now firmly on the calendar. There has been the acquisition of a canning outfit and now a food dehydrator, which will provide the solution to keeping summer harvests for winter use.
2013 will see some new activities, including ‘Preserving the Neighbourhood’ – more about that in the New Year. Involvement with Incredible Edible Eaglehawk has seen the fledgling idea receive fertilisation in the form of a small grant to kick off activities next year and the Bendigo Community Food Network is alive with small projects, initiatives and interests, all of which add up to a new and resilient food culture in Bendigo and surrounds.
Meanwhile further afield it has been a busy time for the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance and the national round of community consultations that have informed the soon to be released draft People’s Food Plan. Participatory democracy is looking strong for those who see the importance of the food system and its relevance to climate change in the future and are keen to get their hands dirty. Around Australia people are turning not only to home grown produce, but sharing backyards, joining community groups to grow food in available spaces, learn how to preserve abundance, keep chooks or bees, save and swap seeds, compost kitchen waste to create healthy soils, and are growing surplus intentionally for preserving for those who lack access to healthy food and in the process learning to savour a slower, fairer, cleaner food culture.
All of this is presupposed on a climate that will be kind to those producing food, which is not always the case. The environment and diversity of plant and animal species are of paramount importance as the impacts of a changing climate are being reckoned with. The Climate and Health Alliance is leading the way in Australia in providing a vehicle for closer examination of the health impacts of climate change. Conservation of our life support systems needs our help. In 2013 this will be a focus, along with one on the blending of food production issues with long-term biodiversity conservation as a true reflection of the quadruple bottom line, that is inclusive of health and wellbeing.