By April Braithwait
I’ve always had a open palate when it comes to food. Before it’s rise in popularity I was on board with fermentation before I even knew what the process was or the multi health benefits associated with consuming it.
At the start of this year I decided I wanted to start my sourdough journey (an attempt to save my wallet from constantly buying store bought!). Through trial and error I successfully started making my own bread. As a result of this change and seeing how easily I could fit sourdough baking into my schedule. I felt enough courage to start fermenting other tasty treats as well.
I understand how daunting it can be for beginners to get started so here’s my quick and easy beginner cheat sheet of how to get started on my personal favourite fermentation projects.
1. Pickles
Pickled vegetables come in all different flavours but the majority of the work involves chopping, mixing and letting them rest that’s what makes this a perfect starting point for beginners to see and adjust their process in real time.
Benefits:
- Fermented pickles contain probiotics
- Deep flavour compared to vinegar pickles
- Little equipment required
- Low cost ingredients
If you want to try a recipes using an easy and versatile recipe take a look at The Prairie Homestead’s Fermented Pickle Recipe.
2. Yogurt
Yogurt made at home truly is one of the easiest and cheapest projects which doesn’t require equipment beyond what you would already find in your kitchen and fridge.
Recipe benefits:
- No additives ( guar gum, pectin, gelatin ) which are used to thicken store bought yoghurt
- Dose of probiotics
- Cheaper than store bought
This is a great place for beginners to start and yoghurt is such a versatile product which can be used in many different dishes including other cultured foods.
If you’d like to give it a try check out Fermenting for Foodies Homemade Yoghurt recipe.
3. Hot Sauce
Easy, delicious, cheap plus packed with loads of complex flavour!
Benefits:
- Pleasant acidity
- Customise level of spice
- Aromatics & additives are optional
If you’re thinking of making this recipe, try out Revolution Fermentation’s Hot Sauce Recipe.
4. Soda
If you’ve never heard of probiotic soda let me introduce you to it. This recipe goes by many different names but ultimately made by using a ginger bug and fruit juice or tea left with the starter to ferment.
Benefits:
- Natural sweetness with little to no sugar left after fermentation process
- Gut healthy probiotics
- Customisable with different fruit juice or tea
You will need to first create a ginger bug for this recipe I use Good Food Baddies Ginger Bug recipe and following that you will be ready to make her Probiotic Soda.
5. Sourdough Starter
it’s true that sourdough bread can be a huge project to undertake, especially with so much mixed advice online.
But breaking down the journey into small steps can take away stress for how daunting the process can be.
A sourdough starter is a small project which can give you an understanding of fermenting and once you’re ready to bake you will be able to make cheap, delicious food at home.
Benefits:
- Low risk high reward
- Small project for beginners
- Homemade sourdough has several health benefits over store bought
Get started by trying out our Sourdough Starter Recipe.
I hope you have success in your fermentation journey. Keep creating & looking after yourself!