With USU Extension professor in the home and community department, Callie Adams.
Fermentation is a food preservation method that has become popular in recent years due to its gut-healthy probiotic benefits.
Callie is here to tell us more about the fermentation process.
Wynter Varner
Thank you for joining us today, Callie.
Callie Adams
Yeah, thanks for having me, Wynter.
Wynter Varner
What is fermentation and some popular fermented foods?
Callie Adams
Fermentation is a food preservation process.
Beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast convert sugar into acid, alcohols, or gasses.
Acids preserve your food. It kind of changes or improves the flavor of the food, and it can also enhance digestibility.
That's kind of what the trending thing is. It's good for our gut.
Fermented foods include sauerkraut, dill pickles, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and sourdough.
For beginners, sauerkraut is often recommended because it's really easy, and all you need is cabbage, salt, and the proper conditions.
I also recommend yogurt. It's pretty easy because most of us have those products on hand.
Wynter Varner
What are some of the general supplies needed to start fermenting food?
Callie Adams
Supplies depend on the type of fermentation, but in all general cases, it's important to have clean equipment and proper temperature control because those are essential for safety and quality.
Always remember quality food and quality conditions make a quality end product.
To start fermenting vegetables, for example, you need to have high quality fresh ingredients, non-iodine salt, clean water, and food grade equipment such as a mason jar or a crock.
You want to make sure that these don't have any chips in them and they are clean.
You can also use food grade plastics like a five gallon bucket, but you need to ensure that it's the food grade.
Lastly, you need a weight to keep the food submerged under the brine. Any food above the brine is susceptible to bad bacteria or mold.
When you're fermenting dairy, such as yogurt and kefir, you need milk.
You also need a starter culture, which contains the beneficial microorganisms, because we want to grow the beneficial ones.
Again, clean containers and a way to control the temperatures are essential.
Unlike vegetable fermentation, dairy fermentation depends on adding these cultures that convert the milk sugar into lactic acid, creating the characteristic flavor and texture that we all enjoy.
Sourdough fermentation requires only flour, water, and a start, and you can actually make your own start or purchase a start from a farmer's market or online.
With sourdough, we don't need eggs, baking soda, or baking powder because those wild yeasts act as a leveling agent, and it gives us that distinct flavor that we all enjoy in sourdough.
Wynter Varner
What does a typical fermentation process look like?
Callie Adams
There are five general steps of fermentation.
First, we're going to prepare the ingredients.
You're going to start with fresh, high-quality ingredients. So, the ones you find when you're looking at farmers markets, local grocery stores, or fruit and vegetable stands.
Then you're going to clean. Clean your kitchen, clean your equipment, and clean your work surfaces to prepare in that first step.
The second step is going to include adding your starter culture. For vegetables, we're using salt. For yogurt or sourdough, we're using our starter culture.
This is to encourage the growth of those beneficial microorganisms.
For the third step, we're going to create the right environment.
Any fermentation needs to stay generally within a 70-75 degree environment.
Most of our homes are around there at room temperature.
If you've got the AC blaring, maybe put it next to a warmer room that's got more direct sun.
The fourth step is to allow the fermentation to occur.
When we're fermenting vegetables, it's a longer process. It's going to take a couple weeks, depending on your flavor preference and what your temperature's at.
If you've got a high, hot temperature, you're borderline going to spoil your product.
If it's too cold, it's not going to ferment very fast.
With your yogurt and your sourdough, they actually ferment pretty fast. You can do it overnight.
Overall, allow your bacteria or your yeast to process, allowing the consumption of the sugars to produce the beneficial microorganisms.
The last step is just to monitor it and store it safely.
Once you've hit the desired flavor or the acidity that you want, refrigerate or home process it through water bath canner or pressure canner.
Then, store your product properly to maintain that quality and safety.
Wynter Varner
Thank you again for joining us today, Callie.
Callie Adams
Yeah, thanks again for having me. I appreciate it.
Wynter Varner
This has been Wynter Varner with the USU Extension Education Highlights. Thank you for tuning in.
For more resources, visit extension.usu.edu. The fact sheet version of this segment can be found here.
Visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation for recipes, safety tips, and more information on food preservation.
Callie recommends two books to learn more about fermentation, "Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods" and "The Art of Fermentation."
