Lactobacillus Fermentation – What is it and why do it? Lactobacillus fermentation is not the kind of fermentation that produces wine. The wine making process requires the presence of yeast and sugar (for the yeast to eat), and when you ferment fruit this way, you end up with a beverage that contains alcohol. Lactobacillus fermentation digests some nutrients that would spoil food if it isn’t cooked and canned, so it is a great way to preserve food without using fuel. Generally you add salt, which draws juice out of the vegetable, and bacteria do the work. All you need is your vegetable to ferment and salt. Depending on what you are fermenting, you may need to make brine (salty water); in that case, use filtered water, NOT tap water. Tap water sometimes contains chlorine, which will kill the bacteria that work their magic on your vegetables. If you can’t get any filtered water, put some tap water in a bowl on a counter, and leave it there for a few hours to let the chlorine evaporate. If you want to be 100% certain that your fermented vegetable is safe to eat, and free of
botulism, you should invest in a pH meter or some test strips. As long as your ferment has a pH below 4.5, you’re safe. That’s too acidic for C. botulinum to grow in.

And why would one want to pursue this skill? As I mentioned above, it uses no energy besides your own elbow grease, especially if you grow your own vegetables or buy them locally. If you’re worried about disasters causing outages, it makes sense to learn how to preserve your food without using electricity. I could spend a lot of time on this topic, but for the moment I’ll just stick with this. We could have problems with our electrical grid, whether because of earthquake, storm, or who knows what, and we should cultivate skills that will help us navigate that. And if no disaster ever happens, we’ve still saved a little money on our electricity bills, while preserving the most possible nutrients. Finally, fermenting vegetables preserves a lot of nutrients while adding good bacteria to your diet.

And now, in order to get started, let’s look at what you need.

Besides a wide mouth jar and lid, you only need one more item to get you started: fermentation weights. These are actually very helpful in keeping your vegetables below the surface of your brine.

Amazon.com: Okllen 9 Pack Glass Fermentation Glass Weights for Large Wide Mouth Mason Jars, Pickling Glass Weight with Easy Grip Handle, Dishwasher Safe

I find these weights not only do a good job of keeping things from floating in your fermentation jar, they are also beautiful!

Happy Fermenting!