Fermentation Fun with Friends

On Thursday, October 18th, I had the privilege of teaching a lovely group of people about lacto-fermentation. The space we used was The Red River General Store at 5700 Henderson Highway - for my friends in the local Jewish community, that's the old Stern store. I was stunned to discover how many people were sentimentally attached to that place!

First of all, many thanks to my friend Rosalie, who brought her iPad and took pictures for me. Here is a picture of me behind the counter, posing with a jar of lacto-fermented pearl onions I brought along to demonstrate the kind of things we can make.

This is one of the gorgeous winter cabbages our gracious hostess Monique provided for us to use. They were so beautiful, some people were munching on them as they went along.

We started with a brief overview of lactic acid fermentation (in which cells convert glucose into lactic acid and energy - it's the same process that happens in your muscles when you run fast, causing "the burn" - although if you are a scientist you may prefer to call it anaerobic glycolysis). It's a traditional method of food preservation all around the world, because the increased acidity of the food causes molds, botulism, etc. to be inhibited, making it very safe. The Lactobacillus bacteria responsible for this miracle are present everywhere, in the air, on the vegetables, on our hands, and most importantly, in our gut. Eating lacto-fermented food, whether vegetables or dairy, is a great way to heal our antibiotic-ravaged digestive systems.

We washed our hands and cut up that lovely cabbage. We added some good, real salt that had not had all its minerals stripped away, and also some caraway seeds and/or juniper berries for flavour. Then we squished that cabbage within an inch of its life - a source of great enjoyment for everyone, I think. Who says only kids can have fun squishing their food?

The salt drew liquid out of the cabbage incredibly quickly, and we soon found ourselves with liberal quantities of brine in our bowls. We then filled little mason jars (yes, I know, they don't seal as well as one would like, but they are great for beginners). We were careful to cover the cabbage with a nice big leaf to keep it submerged in the brine, and weighted it down with little plastic bags filled with excess brine (again, yes, I know, plastic in our food is B.A.D. But I hope everyone found a better, more suitable weight when they got home).

We finished the evening with a quick, funny video about fermentation and some great discussion. Monique spoiled us with yummy snacks, coffee and amazing herbal tea.

I had an absolute blast and it looked like most people were having a good time. I'm hoping we can do this again - maybe we'll do a kombucha/water kefir/milk kefir session? I do need somebody to provide me with water kefir grains before I can do that ...

Thanks again to Monique, Rosalie and everyone who came out on a rainy, yucky October night to celebrate lacto-fermentation with me!

Gorgeous Kale Chips

Well, I'm not going to win any prizes for food photography, but I just had to share with you how my kale chips came out. They are glossy and luscious, salty and garlicky and fatty and crisp, just the way I like them. They aren't quite as good as the first batch I made, but I think that's because I used two bunches of kale and mixed them both up together. Next time I'll season them in batches.

So here's the recipe. I don't do measurements, so play with it.

1 or 2 bunches of kale - I used one of black kale and one of curly kale, but you can use anything you like.
Liberal quantities of olive oil - depending on how fatty you like your chips.
Ditto salt and garlic powder.

1. Preheat your dehydrator to 145F. I have the stupid cheap round kind, and it works just fine. Some day I'll buy myself an Excelsior, but right now it isn't in the budget.
2. Wash the kale and tear it off its stems. Some people say to use scissors but I don't bother.
3. Put it in a salad spinner and try to get it as dry as you can.
4. Tear it into little bits - the size you want your chips to be.
5. Put it in a big bowl and mix it up with your hands with the oil and spices. I like to make it very fatty, salty and garlicky. You'll make it the way you like it. Of course you could use different spices if you prefer. I'm not big on BBQ or paprika or whatever, but I bet it would work just fine.
6. Put the kale in the dehydrator, arranged nicely on the trays.
7. Let it sit at 145F for an hour or so, then bring it down to 115F.
 8. Let it dehydrate for as long as you like. I like them really crispy so I left them overnight. Just taste them periodically.

Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom to all!