02 May 2014

Canning versus culturing

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between canning food and culturing, or fermenting it?

There are many differences that you might want to consider…and you’ll learn more about what’s right for your family over time.

As a homesteader, I have a diversified food preservation strategy and I both can and ferment.

So let’s start with canning.

There are many benefits to canning- including that you get to preserve the harvest and stretch some of that local, sustainable yumminess throughout the winter. No one, and I mean no one, complains when you open some applesauce, canned garden tomatoes or zucchini relish in February.

But the process of canning itself requires special knowledge, skills, and equipment. It’s a bit cumbersome and tedious. Particularly if you are standing over that hot water bath sterilizing and sealing jars in an August heatwave.

The process itself requires immersing your filled jars in a ‘hot water bath’ for a set amount of time. This process seals the jar and it kills any the high temperatures kill any micro-organisms that are present and might cause spoilage. That is a double-edge sword though, as many of those micro-organisms boost our health and digestion. So rendering your food ‘dead’ isn’t necessarily optimal.

Culturing, or fermenting, on the other hand, requires no special tools (unless you think of a jar as a special tool). Your equipment needs to be clean, not sterile. And it takes minutes to make. The outcome is a food that is at once tasty, medicinal, and healing.

It’s the traditional food skill that people adore learning and I adore teaching in my classes and traditional foods teacher training.

It’s only drawback (in my mind) could be that it requires cold storage. Of course that wasn’t an issue when households all had a cold cellar to overwinter their garden harvest and preserves. Today, the fridge has taken its place and one can find their space a bit limited. But a cold floor in the basement can also do the trick in a pinch.

So what *is* lacto-fermentation anyhow?

Lacto-fermentation has been used by people around the world to preserve food long before freezers, pressure cookers and canners ever made their way into our lives…

Sugars and starches are converted into lactic acid. This is the work of lactobacilli present on the outside of most foods- particularly those on, or near the ground. Lactobacilli inhibits putrefying bacteria, thereby acting as a natural preservative.

In fact, under the right conditions, fermentation will occur naturally in many foods. Humans learned to harness this natural preservation method thousands of years ago.

Why ferment?

Fermentation has been used by people around the world to preserve food, enhance its flavour, and boost its nutritional value.

The process actually encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria that aid our digestion and keeps our digestive tracts populated with essential beneficial micro-flora…

There is a growing body of evidence that many diseases and imbalances are directly linked to an imbalance in the gut. And that has led researchers to call ferments a ‘lost food group’.

We now know that you would be hard-pressed to find a group of people without a corresponding fermented food that is rooted in their tradition. Think: sauerkraut (Ukrainian), Kimchi (Korean), Miso (Asian), lassi and idli (Indian), viili yogurt (Nordic), and skyr (Icelandic).

Unfortunately, many of these foods have disappeared from family meals altogether and what’s found on grocery store shelves is mostly a mass-produced, pasteurized (dead) version…

Luckily, it’s not hard to make your own ferments. And, what’s even better, is you can tailor what you make to your taste – whether that’s shredded daikon radish, sweet bread and butter pickles or a tangy carrot and ginger kraut.

So if you haven’t already tried fermenting your own food, it’s time to take the leap. It’s simple, tasty and delicious. It’s full of important probiotics and it exponentially increases the nutrition of your food.

What’s not to love?

Filed under:Blog, Nourished Pantry || Tagged under: Adrienne Percy, canning versus culturing, canning versus fermentation, culturing, fermentation, fermented daikon, fermented pickles, kraut, traditional foods, traditional foods teacher training
Author: Adrienne Percy