Going Raw: Adventures in Uncooking

Delicious and Incredibly Good For You Cultured Vegetables

We made Memorial Day cultured vegetables today! (We were supposed to go hiking, but we got rained out.) Cultured vegetables are pretty much just shredded veggies that are fermented, and it’s my opinion that these veggies — along with sprouts and Kangen water — qualify as the best foods you could ever eat.

Why are cultured veggies so incredible? Due to the fermentation process, cultured veggies have a high concentration of probiotics, which are friendly bacteria like lactobacillus, and tons of live enzymes. The human body functions and metabolizes using enzymatic activity, so when we consume live enzymes and “good” bacteria, it strengthens our digestive and immune systems, helping our bodies to fight off and prevent disease. There are thousands of times more probiotics and live enzymes in just a couple spoonfuls of fermented raw vegetables than in a typical meal, which is why cultured veggies are often called “superfoods.” (For additional info on the health benefits of fermented raw foods, see here, here, and here.)

INGREDIENTS
courtesy of Donna Gates, author of Body Ecology
1 head green cabbage
2 large carrots
1 inch piece ginger
2 cloves garlic
starter culture

Adding a starter culture to the vegetables helps start the fermentation process. You have a few options for starters: you can use a few tablespoons of liquid from a previous jar of cultured vegetables or kimchee, you can buy starter culture, or you can use cheesecloth to squeeze out the whey from a cup of plain yogurt and use the whey. I think the easiest thing for most people to do is to buy some fermented kimchee from a Korean grocery store — although you can find kimchee at most Wal-Marts too — and take a few tablespoons of liquid from that jar to use as your own starter.

Once you choose a starter method, the actual process involved in fermenting the vegetables is so easy. First, peel and chop the ginger and garlic, and shred the cabbage and carrots using a food processor or grater. Mix all these ingredients together in a big bowl.

Then, tightly pack the veggies into glass jars or other airtight containers. For this amount of vegetables, I usually use three 16-oz glass jars. Add a few tablespoons of your starter, then add enough water to completely cover the veggies.

Leave the jars in a dark place at room temperature. If you open the lid after just two or three days, you will see the liquid bubbling — it’s very rewarding to see proof that the fermentation process is working! After a week you can put the jar in the fridge. Refrigerating the vegetables will slow down the fermentation process but not completely stop it, so it actually continues to age with time, like wine. (In fact, I prefer the taste of cultured veggies that are a few weeks old.) When kept refrigerated, the vegetables will be good to eat for several months.

Greg and I keep our fridge well-stocked with cultured vegetables and try to eat some with our meals every day. Greg even likes to eat it plain in a bowl, but I usually like to mix it in with other things (on a Tree of Life Sandwich, on a salad, etc).

Other fresh veggies that you can try culturing include: chard, kale, okra, green beans, squash, onion, and broccoli.