Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Fermenting 5
Chapter 1: In the Beginning: Fermenting Roots 7
Getting Familiar with Fermentation 8
Fermentation throughout History 8
Mesoamerica: Calling all chocolate lovers! 9
Africa: Turning toxins into edible tubers 9
Asia: Thirst-quenching and candied culture 9
Eastern Europe and Russia: Bubbly fruit kvass 10
Japan: The sensational soybean 10
North Africa and Morocco: When life gives you lemons 11
How Can Something Rotten Be Good for Me? 11
Fermenting Essentials 12
Pickling (and How it Differs from Fermenting) 13
A Quick and Easy Intro to Fermenting: Making Sauerkraut 14
Chapter 2: The 4-1-1 on Fermenting 17
Why Ferment? 17
Getting Acquainted with the Good and Bad Guys 18
Mold 18
Yeast 19
Bacteria 19
Enzymes 19
The Mechanics of Fermenting 20
Salt curing and drying versus fermenting 20
Vinegar and acids versus fermenting 21
Canning versus fermenting 22
Refrigerating fermented food 22
Freezing fermented food 23
Fermenting foods and drinks 23
Avoiding spoilage 24
Chapter 3: The Benefits of Fermenting 25
The Lowdown on Lacto-Fermentation and How it Helps Your Body 25
Boosting your health with vitamins and minerals 26
Loading up on enzymes 26
Aiding pre-digestion 27
Activating your foods 28
Promoting probiotics 29
Strengthening your immunity 29
How Fermentation Can Make You a Better Cook 30
Keeping it simple and easy 30
Following the seasons 30
Figuring Out How Much and How Often 31
Chapter 4: Getting it All Together 33
Assembling Your Equipment and Tools 33
Basic containers 34
Essential tools and utensils 35
Special equipment for meat fermenting 38
Special brewing equipment and tools 39
Keeping Everything Clean 41
Cleaning, sanitizing, and sterilizing: Three different and important procedures 42
Developing a cleaning work flow 43
Getting Familiar with Common Ingredients 43
Water 44
Salt 45
Sweeteners 45
Sourcing the Best Foods for Fermentation 46
Whole, organic, and local 46
Considerations for meat and dairy 46
Part 2: Vegetables, Fruits, Condiments, and Salsas 49
Chapter 5: Vegetables 51
Picking Produce for Fermenting 52
Identifying ideal veggie choices 52
Finding your garden delights 52
Sourcing the healthiest produce 53
Selecting Starters for Vegetable Ferments 54
Mastering the Basics 55
Preparing your vegetables 55
Salting 55
Packing the jars 56
Waiting and tasting (and waiting some more!) 56
Chapter 6: Fun with Fruits 69
Fermenting Fruit for Long-Term Storage 69
Selecting Ideal Fruits 70
Nondairy Starters for Fruit Fermentation 72
To Add Sugar or Not to Add Sugar? That is the Question 73
White sugar versus alternative sugars 73
How do I know what amount of sugar to replace? 73
Chapter 7: Spreads, Dips, Condiments, and Salsas 83
Reaping the Health Benefits of Homemade Condiments 84
Experimenting with Flavor 84
Exploring Vinegars 85
The process 85
It’s all about your mother 86
Part 3: Grains, Seeds, Nuts, and Beans 95
Chapter 8: Grains 97
Getting to Know Your Grains 97
Ancient grains 98
Pseudo-grains (seeds) 99
Soaking and Sprouting Grains 101
Infamous Sourdough and Its Starter 102
Feeding your sourdough starter with tender loving care 102
Choosing the type of sourdough starter to use 103
Chapter 9: Beans 117
Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit 117
Buying and storing beans 118
Preparing beans 118
Cooking beans 118
Sprouting beans 119
Fermenting beans 120
Soy and Fermented Soy Foods 120
Comparing tofu and tempeh 121
Making the most of miso 122
Chapter 10: Nuts, Seeds, Coconuts, and Tubers 135
Nuts and Seeds: Great Nutrition in Small Packages 135
Selecting seeds 136
Getting nutty 136
Sprouting Nuts and Seeds 137
Learning how to sprout 138
Drying or storing your sprouts 139
Using sprouted nuts and seeds 139
Making Nondairy Ferments 139
Making yogurt without the moo 140
Culturing nondairy cheese 140
Cracking into Coconuts 140
Fermenting Potatoes and Other Roots 141
Preparing cassava 142
Talking about taro 142
Part 4: Meat, Dairy, and Eggs 151
Chapter 11: Got Milk? 153
The Basics of Fermenting Milk 154
Making lactose tolerable by fermenting 154
Choosing pasteurized or raw milk 155
Separating milk 156
Sourcing Your Starter Cultures 157
Serving and Storing Fermented Dairy Products 158
Chapter 12: Making Cheese 169
Understanding Cheese Making Ingredients and Techniques 170
Choosing milk 170
All about rennet 170
Turning milk to cheese 170
Fermenting 171
Colorings 171
Salting 172
Ripening 172
Storage 172
Making Soft and Semisoft Cheeses 173
Making Hard Cheeses 173
Serving Cheese 174
Chapter 13: Meat, Fish, and Eggs 185
Choosing Meat and Ingredients for Fermentation 186
Selecting spices, herbs, and flavorings 186
Selecting starters 187
Nitrates or not? 188
Choosing Casings 188
Natural casings 189
Artificial casings 189
Meat Fermentation Techniques 189
Grinding and mixing meat 190
Stuffing sausages 192
Brining 192
Curing 192
Smoking 193
Making Food Safety a Priority 193
Choosing a Spot to Ferment Meat 194
Determining space needs 194
Controlling the environment 194
Storing Fermented Meats 195
Part 5: Beer, Wine, and Other Beverages 205
Chapter 14: Healing Beverages 207
Choosing Starters 208
Finding starter cultures 208
Using starter cultures 209
Understanding the differences between alcoholic and nonalcoholic brews 209
Making Natural Carbonated Drinks 210
Ginger soda 211
Lacto-lemonade 211
Beet, apple, and ginger kvass 211
Root beer 211
Kefir 211
Amasake 212
Kombucha 212
Chapter 15: Making Wine from Water and Fruit 229
Getting Yourself Ready to Make Wine 230
Getting supplies 231
Choosing grapes 231
Understanding Wine Fermentation 233
Primary fermentation: From juice to wine 233
Knowing when it’s done and what to do then 234
Post fermentation: Completing the process 235
Storing and Aging Your Wine 235
Finishing and Bottling 237
Tasting and Talking about Wine 238
Chapter 16: Brewing Basics 243
Gathering Your Ingredients 243
Malt: Going with grain 244
Hops heaven 244
Yeast: The key to fermentation 245
Don’t forget the water 246
Cleaning Up Your Act: Sanitation 246
Practicing safe sanitation 248
Bottle cleanliness is a virtue 249
Ready, Set, Brew: Beginners 249
Assembling your tools 249
Brewing your first batch 250
Taking hydrometer readings 253
A Primer on Priming 254
Getting ready to prime 255
Making primer decisions 255
Bottling Your Brew 256
Picking out bottles 256
Preparing to bottle 256
Pouring a cold one: Getting your beer into bottles 259
Intermediate Homebrewing 262
Using better ingredients 262
Conditioning for better beer with secondary fermentation 262
Chapter 17: Brewing Beer 265
Looking at Beer Types 265
Ales 265
Lagers 266
Mixed beers 266
Exploring Specific Types of Ales, Lagers, and More 267
Irish red ale 267
American pale ale 268
Brown porter 268
Stout 269
English India pale ale 269
American premium lager 269
Marzen/Oktoberfest 270
Traditional bock 270
Herb, spice, and vegetable beer 271
Christmas/winter/spiced beer 272
Trying a Few Beer Recipes 272
Part 6: The Part of Tens 283
Chapter 18: More Than Ten Troubleshooting Tips for Fermented Creations 285
My Fermented Food is Too Salty What Do I Do? 286
Why is the Fermentation Taking So Long? 286
Why are My Fermented Creations Different throughout the Year? 286
Why is My Ferment Too Soft or Mushy? 287
Why Isn’t My Ferment Working? 287
Why is My Fermented Creation Too Dry? 288
What Do I Do about Yeast or Mold on the Surface of the Ferment? 288
What Should I Do about a Ferment Jar That’s Bulging? 288
Why Did the Color Change? 289
Why is My Ferment Leaking or Overflowing? 289
Why Does it Stink? 290
Chapter 19: Top Ten Benefits of Eating Fermented Foods 291
A Much-Needed Nutritional Boost 291
Digestion, Enzymes, and Probiotics 291
Immunity Boost 292
Unique Flavor 292
Money Savings 292
Time Savings 292
Ecological Impact 293
Slow Food Movement 293
Control over Your Food 293
The Satisfaction of Doing Something Good for Yourself 293
Chapter 20: More Than Ten Food and Equipment Resources 295
Cultures for Health 295
Yolife 296
Water Kefir Grains 296
Wildwood Foods 296
Miso Master 296
Leeners 297
Homesteader’s Supply 297
The Sausage Maker 297
New England Cheesemaking Supply 298
The Sausage Source 298
Adventures in Homebrewing 298
Chapter 21: More Than Ten Tips for a Long and Healthy Life 299
Food is Medicine, So Eat to Enhance Your Health 299
Use Alternative Sugar 300
Reduce Plastic Use and Go BPA-Free 300
Choose Organic 300
Get to Know Your Farmer 300
Be Conscious about Your Condiments 301
Eat Whole Grains 301
Choose GMO-Free Foods 302
Get Protein from Plants 302
Find Vegan Milk, Butter, and Dairy Options 302
Learn to Love Water 302
Index 303
