Preserve Food For a Zero-Waste Kitchen | Sustainable Lifestyle | Luxiders

It’s not summer yet, but once the sun shines brighter, you know what to do to make it last forever. For any fruits, vegetables, and even herbs, the best thing to do with them is to make pickles! A crunchy, juicy, and tangy way you could make at home. Think of fresh pickled cucumber, brussel sprouts, pumpkin or even wild cherries! Here’s what you need to know about them:

• Choose your veg or fruits and cut them in small pieces. This is not compulsory, but the smaller the pieces, the better they absorb the brine
• Make the brine – A good brine has the proper ratio of vinegar, salt, sugar, and water. Without this, your veg and fruits will not pass the pickle status. You could also add some herbs like coriander, tarragon, peppercorns, and fennel seeds! After three days, your pickles are ready!

How long it may last: Two months, stored in a fridge.

FERMENTING

It’s not just tangy, but it’s everything new. Thanks to microbiology, fermenting opens up new possibilities of flavors. From kimchi, sauerkraut, to pickles. If you notice the ingredients, the most common vegetable to ferment is cabbage. It is because cabbage has naturally high water content, that once you massage it with salt, it creates its own brine. Simply massage a head of cabbage with salt and it will release enough liquid to submerge itself.

Once it’s ready, you may notice bubbles and odor! The bubbles will come to the surface as the cultures is alive. Fermentation speed depends on the produce used, your kitchen’s temperature, and pre-existing bacteria. To see how it goes, see how it goes after three up to 5 days. If you want a deeper flavor, you could let it sit and allow it to produce more layers of flavor. While if you like where it is, Put it in the fridge to slow down further fermentation.

How long it may last: as long as you want it to be.