Yeast Water Follow-up: Fermenting Vegetables

Last week, I shared an article on creating and maintaining yeast water. Thank you to everyone who reached out to share your experiences and insights! While yeast water is often celebrated for quick sourdough starters, its versatility extends far beyond that initial purpose, making it a valuable addition to your kitchen.

Fermenting Vegetables

One of the greatest uses for yeast water is its ability to aid in quick and reliable fermentation. In this article, we explore a nearly lost art: fermenting vegetables. Cultures around the world have used this basic process for centuries, producing probiotic-rich classics like sauerkraut, kimchi, and brine pickles. If you're new to yeast water and its significant health benefits, here is my Yeast Water Howto.

Ferment Finished and Ready to Eat

As I started putting this article together, I realized that yeast water deserves more than just a few example recipes. Its versatility means each process it can be used in warrants its own space to shine. If you've got your yeast water ready... let's start fermenting!

The beauty of fermentation is its flexibility. Once you master the basic process—I'd recommend starting with a batch of sauerkraut—you can move on to create your own signature blends of vegetables and spices. Yeast water’s role is to jumpstart fermentation and provide reliable, repeatable results.

Ingredients and Preparation

To get started, gather four cups of your favorite vegetables. I'll suggest some traditional combos below. I don’t know of a garden vegetable that won’t ferment, though results will vary. For instance, I tried a batch of kale… once! It works, but it might not be what you expect. Any combination of cabbage, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, cauliflower, squash, green beans, broccoli, or other vegetables that inspire you will ferment. In addition to your veggies, you’ll need two tablespoons of kosher salt, two tablespoons of yeast water, and seasonings of your choice (examples below).

Once you’ve chosen your ingredients, soak them in a bowl of water for a few hours or overnight in the fridge to ensure they’re well-hydrated. Next, wash them clean and drain. Prepare the vegetables by slicing or shredding as needed. Thin slices work better than thick ones, and dicing small or shredding is standard practice. Larger chunks or whole pieces like pickles will take longer to ferment.

Fermentation Process

1. Brine Preparation: Sprinkle salt over the prepared vegetables and begin bruising them using your hands, a pestle, or my favorite, an old potato masher. The goal is to extract as much juice as possible. Combined with the salt, this creates the brine. If the mixture feels too dry, add a little water until it forms a slurry.

2. Mix in Yeast Water and Seasonings: Add the yeast water and your chosen spices to the bowl, mixing thoroughly to evenly coat the vegetables.

3. Packing the Jars: Pack the mixture tightly into clean jars or crocks, pressing down to ensure the liquid completely covers the vegetables with no air pockets. If necessary, top off with a bit of water to keep everything submerged. Use a cabbage leaf or a small weight to hold the vegetables under the brine—this is essential for successful fermentation.

Note: The magic here happens between the salt, yeast water, and the carbohydrates in the veggies. Carefully balance the salt and yeast (1 tablespoon of each per pint). This balance enhances and controls the fermentation process, ensuring consistent results. For those familiar with it, this equates to a 2% salt solution by weight. Too much salt retards the fermentation and too little allows the jar to spoil. Fermentation can only happen without oxygen, which is why it’s so important to keep the vegetables fully covered in a salt brine. The difference between fermenting and rotting is the absence of oxygen. This is the key to the whole process—just make sure everything stays submerged.

Fermenting and Monitoring

With your jars packed, it’s time to ferment. Store the jars in a cool, dark place, leaving them uncovered or using fermentation lids so they can breathe. Fermentation should begin within one to two days (you’ll notice bubbles forming), and with the help of yeast water, it’s typically ready in seven to ten days. Without yeast water, the process can take about twice as long. Timing depends on the temperature and your personal taste preferences.

This stage can safely run for several months as long as the vegetables remain covered with brine. Check daily to ensure they stay submerged. If any rise above the liquid, press them back down or add water to cover. Some folks enjoy their fermented vegetables after just a week, while others let them sit for months. My dad, for example, fermented cucumber brine pickles for 90 days to achieve his ideal flavor.

Several Spicy Korean Kimchis

Finishing Touches

When the flavor and color meet your expectations, seal the jars with lids and transfer them to the refrigerator. Properly fermented vegetables can last for several months, though at my house, they rarely stick around that long!

If you encounter mold or an off smell, discard the batch and start over. Keeping the vegetables fully submerged is the key to avoiding these issues, and with proper care, it’s rare for a batch to fail.

Popular Combinations

Sauerkraut: Cabbage only, or add caraway seeds, crushed garlic, or juniper berries for regional variations.

Kimchi: The base includes green cabbage, shredded carrots, diced green onions, and sliced radishes. Spices include sugar, crushed garlic, hot pepper flakes, sliced ginger, and either fish sauce or soy sauce.

Old-Fashioned Brine Pickle: Use cucumbers, summer squash slices, peppers, or green beans. Avoid bruising the vegetables to maintain their shape. Cover with clean water, add a package of pickling spice, and include a green leaf or two for color and crispness, along with the usual salt and yeast water.

Nothing Artificial and Probiotic PowerhousesConclusion

By following these steps, you’ll have delicious, probiotic-rich fermented vegetables ready to enjoy. Whether you stick with traditional sauerkraut, spice things up with kimchi, or create your own unique blends, the possibilities are endless. If you’re new to fermentation, consider starting with smaller batches and keeping a journal to track your recipes and results until you get comfortable. I hope this inspires you to explore the world of fermentation and make it a regular part of your kitchen creations.

A couple of other amazing things you can do with yeast water include baking non-sourdough goods (yes, people still eat them!) and making refreshing homemade sodas or drinks like Russian kvass. Let me know where your interest lies, and I’ll share more ideas soon.

–SourdoughSam

"Fermentation and civilization are inseparable." — John Ciardi