Summer is in full swing...correction...summer is half finished!! The weather has been hot hot hot with not a cloud in sight on our coast. Our daily routine has been to hide out inside in the mornings to get housework done, return e-mails, work on my new design website, etc...then venture out once it gets too hot and unbearable indoors. Probably not the best routine, but I'm not a big heat person (yes I know - boo, hissssss), but I'm afraid that's how this cookie crumbles!
We have had some success with all this heat in our little veggie patch. Lettuce has gone insane, beans and peas have been very productive, zucchini is finally starting, our carrots are nice and juicy (and so pretty) and we are the proud owners of ONE glorious tomato.
To fill in some of the gaps, we travelled up to Squamish on the weekend to attend their Saturday Farmers Market, and came home with lots of beautiful produce. This is a wonderful market if you haven't been - local produce from Pemberton and lots of beautiful crafts, live music and activities for the kids.
Now...what to do with all this veggie goodness...?? Why, lacto-ferment it of course (they really need to change that name...it conjures up some very disturbing images). So, what is 'lacto (eww) fermenting' anyways you ask yourself (and no it's not little carrots being milked). Well, please allow me (and by that I mean Wikipedia) to enlighten you:
The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anti carcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine. Source: nourishingdays.com
Okay, so that was not Wikipedia as you would need your degree in biology to understand what on earth it was talking about! And no, I did not figure this out myself - my friend is a fermenting guru and spent the majority of Sunday, showing me the ropes. So much fun and oh so rewarding (and pretty, AND feeds into my mason jar addiction)...a win in my books!
I did not have all the necessary supplies, nor the budget, so I had to get creative. I purchased some wide mouth and regular reCAP mason jar lids, which fit an airlock perfectly (to allow gases to escape without the threat of oxygen entering your jar) and glass stones in cheesecloth to weight everything down under the brine. We'll find out soon if it worked.
We made pickled cucumbers and beans, basil zucchini, zucchini relish, beets and spicy apple chutney.
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