Fermenting Vegetables with Sandor Katz

[LoveAndPrayAndCook]

I'll try this technique...and I love your kitchen's decoration! :)

[SocalDNM]

How much salt do we use?

[faro0485]

@SocalDNM 2%, or 2 teaspoon per 1lt of water, sea salt.

[uceon]

Sandy, can you do a video showing steps on how to cover seal when using the glass jar method? I see some using a thing called a fallow and then a weighted jar on top but haven't tried it. I have used a glass weighted jar in a mason jar to push down a folded whole cabbage leaf to try and keep the cabbage under the water, But I feel like there is a better way. Hope you can help out. PS: I bought your book a year ago and love it! Thanks.

[HotButterOnToast]

does using salt to ferment give the same result as using whey? and are pickles made with vinegar as good for you as those made with salt or whey?

[ibelieve81]

Great video What's the purpose of the salt?...just taste?

[atommachine]

Thanks, I'm off to my allotment to get Red Cabbage, Carrots, and Kohlrabbie.

Power to the people!

Great looking Kitchen Table you have.........................

[nobull59]

CAN YOU CAN AND STORE KRAUT OR KIMCHI???

[ArizonaAdventures]

Great video. I can't wait to try a make some fermented vegetables!

[bootfruity]

After watching several fermented veggie videos, YOURS is BY FAR the most thorough and specific. I cannot BELIEVE that so few people address what COULD go wrong, waiting time, pressure build-up, TASTING the veggie mix, and so forth.

[Grassroots082]

Does the jar not explode having it sealed tight?

[foxypete]

Very interesting, thanks!

[reforest4fertility]

Not only does fermenting at home "populates with living bacteria that go on to live in our digestive system" aiding digestion, but with local allies, which very much as if extends our immune systems beyond our skin. Let's just say it acclimates us to our local environs and brings us home & home into us in valuable ways otherwise not likely possible. Uh, ok, at least tips the microbial balance in our favour, most importantly where we sleep, making home a stronger base to venture out from

[ssssaaafff]

The way I understand if one does not ferment long enough the veggies will give one gas because they are still active fermenting in the stomach. I never made any yet.

[jaysturn]

Tried this today... looking forward to how it tastes!

[Angelohara]

Very cool, thanks! We *love* saurkraut and lately it's hit or miss whether it's tangy/spicey enough. I'm wondering how it would go in FL though, if it's too hot to leave it out? Anyway certainly something I want to try--I'm a HUGE fan of probiotics as they have definitely helped my gut issues.

BTW loved all the beautiful sounds of nature from your place!

[jstevoh]

1. I'm not a 3 year old. Don't talk to me like I am.

2. Button your shirt.

3. Besides that - informative.

[jnm2170]

Do we leave it out or put in fridge while fermenting? Thanks

[sfaithj]

sandor, thanks. question: if mold can grow on the sides of the fermenting jar, what's to stop mold from growing inside the fermenting food? i'm concerned about this as i have chronic candidas and the last thing i want to introduce to my body is mold!

[cdimmm]

how do you stop the fermentation once you find your sweet spot. Cool kitchen

[thallious9876]

did he say the bacteria turn the vegies acidic ??

[dromycatcher]

I have an empty glass pot from virgin coconut oil that is not yet cleaned out, I wonder if it would be ok to put the veggies in there with the little bit of OCV that's in there or should I clean it out? in other words would the coconut oil interfere with the fermentation process?

[dromycatcher]

is your bowl not made of metal?

[rosewood513]

Sandor, thank so much for this video, I just packed my first batch 3/4 gallon, of your sauerkraut into jars this morning. I used a bit to much salt but I will adjust that. I used half red half green and some carrots. I used an old crock pot insert and it started to ferment in one day. The ball jar didn’t work for me. Great video I am getting your book. Thanks

[HueyBorkum]

This is the video that got me fermenting kraut, and I think I will keep doing it from now on, thanks Sandor!

[pepsidime]

Thanks Sandor.  You're cool.

[lovepeacerevolt]

do you need to keep it cold? or can you just leave it out? will it smell also?

[mona0303]

can anything else grow in there besides mold and good bacteria?...

[canefan17]

How often should I release the pressure that builds up?

[canefan17]

I just do cabbage and I can't get mine as juicy as yours. Why is that?

Is cabbage sort of dry?

[spicyinmyeyesdave]

Salt will only inhibit certain types of bacteria others will flourish (the good ones). I don't know about garlic, I usually add that after the fermentation process has finished.

[olgica13]

Just FYI: Garlic slows down the fermentation process, so you might want to pass on it if you want your veggies fermented in 1-2 days.

[turuanu]

Thank you, but how can it be that salt and garlic won't inhibit microbial growth, which they are famous for?

[sevenupkidiskool]

Thank you for sharing this Sandorelli... making the video, writiing the book... I can't wait to try some of my own.

[typeclash]

does fermented food make your body more acid or alkaline?

[typeclash]

@typeclash does anyone know?

[DoctorsWife56]

Saw you on Cooking Up A Story's note on Facebook. Nice & subscribed. Thanks.

[dromycatcher]

can there not be asbest in those ceramic pots?

[wendypape]

wow what happened to your crazy hair? it was awesome ;-) you look completely different then our video last year!!

[Kenko706]

Um... You mentioned the salt-- but forgot to mention, and show how and when it is used. Just a heads up on that.

[xntrik52556]

@Kenko706 For consistency's sake, I follow a recipe, which is a half tablespoon (1.5 teaspoons) of salt per one pound of shredded cabbage or cabbage plus veggies. I use the quart canning jar method, burping the jars once a day to release the gas pressure. A quart canning jar will hold about a pound and a half of shredded veggies.

[thallious9876]

@xntrik52556 u sound like u know ur stuff. question! he says bacteria make an acidic enviroment. so would alkaline water be bad for the process. also i thought acid was a negative enviroment for our cells (cancer)?? HELP. im confused

[xntrik52556]

@thallious9876 If by alkaline water, you mean water from one of those water ionizers, my guess is that it will have little if any effect on the fermenting sauerkraut because the alkalinity in that water is so weakly buffered that it takes very little acid to neutralize it. As for the acid/alkaline alt-med shtick, lemons are acidic, but they are an alkalizing food according to that system. It's not about the pH of the food itself, but what the food does to the body's pH upon digestion.

[thallious9876]

@xntrik52556 ur worth millions!! but do ya see what im sayin? cancer an other diseases thrive in acid. im buying alkaline water eating green vegies an alkaline foods.. an now im learning the importance of bacteria!! but i need to turn my body acidic???? to benefit !!??

[xntrik52556]

@thallious9876 All I'm saying is that just because a food is acidic does not mean it is necessarily acid forming upon digestion. An example of that is lemons, which are alkaline forming, even though they are sour/acidic. I googled, and a food chart I found says sauerkraut is also alkaline forming. I've read enough about acid/alkaline diet stuff to give you the answers I have, but it's not a system I believe in or know about in great depth, so there's really no more I can say about it.

[thallious9876]

@xntrik52556 you said plenty. MUCH THANKS! you were a great help to me : )

[thallious9876]

@xntrik52556 or are u saying that the fermented foods turn alkaline when in the body?

[davideshawjr]

Nice Guy, fresh food. Much appreciated...

[boomblad1]

AAAAAH bright colors

[typeclash]

What about sunlight, is it ok to have it in a glas jar in the living room?

[HelicopterHoneymoon]

@typeclash

no, it should be out of direct sunlight.

[ldubreuil]

Thanks for such a great video! It would be really helpful to fermention newbies like myself if you would show what it should look like after some days/weeks fermenting, and also how to remove mold and discolored kraut out of the crock to get at the "good" stuff. I have tried making this on my own, but got scared when I saw mold floating in the liquid and threw it all away!

[succulentesculent]

hello i want to thank you for exclamatory flavor involved among flow it gives to the body, because they could even be interchangeably linked since a tasty effect of mineral delivery or nourishing cascade conducted does have relishable utilization. & onion's so unsealing reactively as those films start ballooning interactin w/ some water weight food but they do more than squeeze it out of each other! such icing of liquid content complete change's for gelled eye ~ rhythm to dance lemon all even dy

[succulentesculent]

hello fellow rouser, i've gone down different routes & start seeing steps condense just basically to open ingredients packed together. dicing's high maintenance for my daily healing, but quarted exposed to watery foods gets penetration quickly. also cores as ^ access valuably water logged. fav additions cucumber zucchini contacting squash cover w/ tomato. peels to incredible breakdown by indication. cauliflower's marvelous florets spongeballs. works shapes to custard texture ehances mouth joy ck

[pogospace]

How wonderful to see you Sandor. I treasure your book Wild Fermentation and would like to thank you for sharing it with the world. Very helpful Video & nice kitchen too!

[ConnerPlainLiving]

Yum Yum!

[SolarYogaUSA]

this guy is fun! tnx Sandor..

Btw, my cabbage I made 7 months ago is still in the fridge and tastes great. Does the good bacteria loos potency in time??

[ecks1997]

@SolarYogaUSA I think they would probably go dormant once the sugars in the vegetables run out. Those are the sugars the bacteria use for energy, and also to make the sour tasting lactic acid.

[SolarYogaUSA]

@ecks1997

What you say makes a lot of sense. In that case, however, how do good bacteria stay alive in, for example, freeze dried Yogurt starter, or lactobacillus supplements, if the bacteria have no sugars to eat?

[ecks1997]

@SolarYogaUSA Not sure, but I think it depends on the species of bacteria. I know many bacteria whose names end with "bacillus" can make very hard to kill spores when food runs out or when there are bad conditions like too much heat or cold. So my guess is that the starter probably has dormant spores which germinate into bacteria once they sense there is food around.

[ahnaknits]

Nice! Very informative, and makes it seem a lot more simple and less intimidating.

[markpianoman]

I recently made sauerkraut for the first time. I've lived 1/2 of my life in Germany and was missing it so much, I decided to try fermenting some cabbage myself. The fermentation process only took 14 days here in warm Hawaii and the sauerkraut tastes just like I've had so often in Deutschland.

[jaspertodd]

Wow man eat a steak.Just playing.I loved your video.Your a very good teacher.Thanks.

[markpianoman]

Excellent video! I love your kitchen too. I currently have 7 large heads of lettuce that are fermenting and just about to the stage of sauerkraut that we want. Can't get any decent sauerkraut here in Honolulu - so decided to make our own in Hawaii after living for 26 years in Germany.

[palotin07]

Sandor, I love you

[GAGuild]

great intro video. its so easy. i love kraut with eggs or meat. my mouth is watering right now....

[TheHueMan01]

I feel empowered!!! =D

But seriously, very informal video. Thanks for putting it up.

[lintonpair]

When I made mine today there was very little liquid although the vegie size reduced quite alot. So I added a lil more salt and water.

I also found that store bought cabbage did not realease nearly as much juice as fresh picked organic.

[canefan17]

@lintonpair

I have the same issue. The cabbage I got wasn't very juicing. I mashed it forever.

[liacraw]

can it be made without salt?

[FoodHoney]

Just starting to making sauerkraut. Really like kimchee too. Thanks for the video with such clear help and advice.

[Silenus6]

SEA SALT -- not iodized salt.. right?

[RawClorophile]

awsome ! i heard about your book from Dr Jerry Brunetti. Great person ! Thank you for your very fine, explanation.

[Robyn6740]

Thank you so much I bought a German Crock and also a fermenting jar... can hardly wait to try it.!

[halwon]

Just got back from Bonnaroo where I attended a class on fermentation each day I was there taught by...I believe his name was Ben, who I understand learned from you. Can't wait to read your books or taste my first batch of kombucha that I started last night from a culture given to me at B-Roo....thanks for the great vid and info.

[ConnerPlainLiving]

I just did a batch like that with cabbage, turnips, carrots, and ginger (regretably forgot the garlic). I wonder about the salt and high blood pressure.

[tattooyu]

Very nice, Sandor! I'm going to be making kefir soon, so I'll do both. Is there a way to make a low-salt version? That would be a great video for us with hypertension trying to follow the DASH diet. Cheers!

[heiwalove]

thanks for this great video. quick question: you said to avoid metal -- is a glass jar with a metal screw-on top okay to use, or should i find something else to cover/seal it with?

thanks. :)

[313HealthyMe]

By far the BEST source for basic introduction to fermenting. Thanks for sharing.

[johnlvs2run]

i've been fermenting 7 napa cabbages a week, 1 tbs t.j sea salt for each cabbage, in a 5 gal food grade plastic bucket , plus mustard greens, cucumbers, zucchini, daikon radish, onion, fresh ginger root, garlic and cayenne pepper. it is delicious and ready to eat the next day. thank you sandor for this very helpful video. i hope you will make more videos. best regards

[nyclear]

@fetymann google 'bio juice zana" and you should find some.

[muthashipconxon]

i bought your book after watching this video and checking out your website last week. the wealth of information in it is invaluable!

[adropofjoy]

Sandor is a wonderful man with such a wonderful ability to share the amazing powers of fermentation. And goodness he has a wonderful kitchen! Thank you Sandor!

[afaiienphoenix]

got this book for my birthday this year, at the recommendation of the Homegrown Evolution folks. it is an incredible book and i hope you all check it out!

[johnlvs2run]

I've been making kimchi differently.

Your video will help me to make it much better.

Thanks.

[johnlvs2run]

Thanks very much for the helpful videos.

[duskatmaureens]

Do you recommend storing the vegetables in the refrigerator as they ferment?

[nyclear]

There is a guy in NY who creates extra special strains of good bacteria. We have been pouring some of his 'biojuice' into our jars of fermenting veggies and the results have been unbelievably potent!!!! You literally feel high from eating just a little bit from the energy. No joke.

[fetymann]

@nyclear Got his name? Can he mail any?

[TinaDenali]

Thank you so much for this video, it makes me much more confident in making my own kraut!!

[bullreporter]

just getting into fermentaion, found your video very informative thanks

[ThegnThrand]

Awesome video from Thrand I wanna buy your book ordering tomm. Keep up the old ways!!!!!

[growingraw]

cool video.

I am sure to try this out!! thanks.

[GreenLupeG]

I love his book Wild Fermentations and I thought this video was helpful too. There's nothing quite like seeing a live demonstration. Hope to see more in the future!

[tuka13]

That looks like Pumpkin Holler's kitchen? Nice diy video. Thanks! I'm doing this tonight.

Thanks for writing a wonderfully informative book, video, and for your presence in the world! You help make it beautiful! My love to all of the Radical Fairy Folks in Central Tenn.

[BTSamSquanch21]

Video making tip # 6 Wear pants, not your tropical undies :)

[nowiknowuryder]

SWEET! er, I mean sour!!!!

[XsqueakerX]

has anyone read his section on humane meat in the revolution will not be microwaved?..it's effing ridiculous...

[bill40449]

Thanks!!!

[ShaolinHero1]

Do you put water in it, or is that just the effect of squeezing the veggies?

[Tidnull]

the veggies release water when squeezed, but if there is not enough to submerge them upon jarring or storing, add water as needed.

[ShaolinHero1]

Thanks you!

[MrJcomfort]

Im just beginning the adventure of fermentation! I have purchased your book and am excited to begin! There is another book "Making Sauerkraut" by Kaufmann.. on page 15 there is a picture of colorful veggies (brocoli, cauliflower , etc.)but no recipe how to do these veggies. Can you tell me how to do those larger veggies that are not grated and packed down, and if there is a recipe for that particular mix. Thank you so much!! You are a wonderful inspiration!

[thenurturingshow]

I was wondering if I use a glass jar, do I cover it? I am not to use plastic or metal, so do I use nothing? a plate? Thank you so much for your help. I have always wanted to make fermented vegetables, but have always been apprehensive. I really needed to see it! as easy as they are. thank you!

[entitything]

You can use a plate, another smaller jar that fits inside the mouth of the first jar, or anything of the right size that is made of food safe ceramic, glass, or even (food safe!) wood. The point of the plate or whatever is to press down the vegetables below the surface of the brine, so make sure it fits inside to rest on the kraut and that it's heavy or weighted down with something (like a jar of water). On top of all that, cover with a cloth to keep flies out.

[HankMeyer]

Also... a few days? I want to store my kraut for several months. Will it go bad after that long?

[primitiveflesh]

When its suits your taste pop it in the refrigerator.  Refrigeration retards fermentation.

[HankMeyer]

I ordered this book at my local Barnes & Noble a couple of days ago, because I heard about it on the show Virato Live. Tonight I found this video, and I am definately subscribing.

[carehappens]

3,521 views! rock on!

[carehappens]

awesome! thank you!

[langdonr70]

It was nice to see the author in person whose book I have so enjoyed and benefited from. However, I must note, that while it may be fun to squeeze kraut, the salt is what draws the liquid out, through osmosis, and squeezing is unnecessary. I respectfully invite Sandor himself to try that and see, that it will indeed soften and "juice out" with no squeezing at all! :)

[MHLou]

they have no clue!

[goldenlarry]

Those lyrics below are a satire of the chapter "Humane Meat" by Sandor. The band has said in interviews that he has some great things to say and they encourage people to check out his books. Satire is a good way to make a point, though!

[StochasticAnarchism]

oh yeah, squeeze that juice. looks like some nice crock you've got, mind if i pack down some vegetables? Salty goodness. . .

[HomesteadProvocateur]

Very cool! I love fermented veggies!

[beinghealthy]

Can we use any vegetable?

[2painfull]

can you do it with kale?

[sieren4]

Wow, thanks for posting this! Its so much easier for me to understand when i can SEE how its done! :)

[hdelicious]

Great video and that saurkraut looks delicious!

[LOVEAWAKENS]

Thank You Sandor!! Beautiful!!

[tjcrebs]

Excellent video and presentation, Sandor. I think I'll use some of your "grating" & squeezing" techniques next time, as I've always been a "chopping and stomping" kind of 'kraut maker. All the Best, Crebs

[jbazuzi]

Nice vid, Sandor. Keep it up. Consider recording the video in silence and using music+text or overdubbing narration. Whatever you do, I eagerly await the next one!

[eatweeds]

Rock n roll Sandor! Great video man. It'd be great to watch these on a regular basis. Have you got a DVD in the making?

[swingsetup]

WOW I'VE Been WAITINg a lonG TIME FOR A New video...anD PERFECT TIMINg i just bOUGHT SOMe cabBage to fermenT yesterday.....KEEP IT UP!! YOU RULE!

[eatenbytheworms]

Great info Sandor! Keep spreading the word. Fermented veggies are SO important for the health of our digestive system.