Pickling and Fermentation

Fermentation and Pickling

What do you think of when you consider food preservation? Canning? Maybe freezing or vacuum sealing? Perhaps salting or dehydrating too. All of these techniques are great methods for storing away food for later, but many of them can feel intimidating to begin. Some of them also require new equipment too, which can be quite expensive (like pressure canners or dehydrators). Additionally, they can take a lot of time to complete from start to finish, even if your hands aren't on the food all the time.

Spoiler: there's other ways to preserve food that are cheaper, less time intensive, and require minimal equipment, most of which you probably already have at home. Enter food fermentation and pickling!

Pickling vs. Fermentation - How Are They Different?

Pickling and fermentation are two more food preparation methods that maybe you've heard of, but don't know much about. Pickled and fermented foods don't just include sauerkraut and cucumber pickles - some of the other foods that can be pickled include vegetables, fruits, and even eggs and some meats and sausages. Pickling and fermentation are both known for extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables for months longer than if kept fresh - and canning them isn't required for that to be true (though it certainly helps and extends shelf life even longer than when they're stored in the fridge).

Fermentation and pickling are often confused with each other, but telling them apart is actually quite simple. Fermentation is the natural process of pickling - by simply adding salt to your vegetable of choice, the water and natural juices in your vegetables pickle themselves. This works only when a food contains sufficient moisture enough to release the moisture to mix with the salt over time. This type of fermentation is also known as natural or wild fermentation. For example, sauerkraut is made by adding salt to shredded cabbage, massaging it to get liquid moving out of the cabbage, and then setting aside for several weeks to allow natural fermentation at room temperature - the resulting food is called sauerkraut! Pickling, on the other hand, is done by adding a couple extra ingredients to your vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, meats, or eggs to mimic fermentation. Pickling solutions are typically highly acidic, and made with a generous amount of vinegar, some salt, and spices.

Both fermentation and pickling typically affect the food's texture and flavor. Fermented foods are often sour, compared to how they tasted before fermentation, but contain lots of probiotics in addition to the original nutrition benefits of the foods used. Pickled vegetables tend to have a saltier taste and retain the health benefits of the original fresh produce. Both forms of food preservation prevent micro organisms from multiplying like they would if the foods were kept fresh, which means that the possible health hazards of pickled vegetables are generally minimal.

The Basics of the Pickling Process

Pickled products are probably a bit more common than fermented foods are so we'll start there. Pickled vegetables have no limits - seriously, pickling can be used to preserve foods like green onions, red onions, eggplant, carrots, cauliflower, tomato, and green beans, for starters. Other foods like fruits, mushrooms, meats, fish, dairy, and eggs can be pickled too! Fruit?! Eggs?! Even dairy?! Yes, even dairy! Soft cheeses like mozzarella and feta are perfect for pickling to help them last longer too. Fruit pickles well, especially peaches, pears, and apples.

Pickled foods can be intentionally made sour or sweet, depending on your vinegar of choice. Apple cider vinegar and a little extra sugar in your pickling brine will make sweet pickles, while white vinegar and salt will make salty, sour pickles. Any leftover brine you have after you've finished with your homemade pickles can be added to salad dressings or marinades since they typically have lots of flavor and nutrients from the foods they pickled. The spices added to pickle brines contribute too - common pickling spices include red pepper flakes, cloves, dill seeds, mustard seed, allspice, and coriander, all of which can make pickle brines aromatic and pungent.

Pickling can be done long-term through canning your jars of pre-pickled vegetables. Canning your vegetables will inevitably preserve them exponentially longer than leaving the jars unsealed - though we will say, there may be no point once you master a recipe you love! Those pickles might be gone faster than you can say "sauerkraut" - why can them then? Instead, refrigerator pickles may be the way to go for you. Pickling and fermenting in cooler environments will always take longer than in room temperature environments and has a shorter shelf life (in the fridge, specifically).

Pickling is a common method of preserving food around the world - lots of cultures utilize pickled vegetables in their signature dishes. From Mexico, central America and south Asia, to central and eastern Europe and beyond, pickled foods are commonplace, though done slightly differently everywhere you go. For example, kimchi is a popular Korean food made from Napa cabbage, carrots, Korean radish, and onions, that's fermented with lots of spices and flavorings, including fish sauce.

Picking the Perfect Pickling Products

While pickling and fermenting foods requires little more than some jars and your ingredients, as always, there are helpful tools that can speed up the prep process for pickling and preservation. The best canning jars we know of are from Superb, an American-based canning supply company that makes all of their product locally. Their Regular Mouth Pint Jars, as well as Wide Mouth Jars make excellent pickling vessels that can be reused over and over for years of pickling use. Stock up on their regular lids or wide mouth lids and bands to supplement as well.

Other tools can aid the fermentation and pickling process as well. Your pickling ingredients can be prone to pop up out of your brine in their container, which can cause them to spoil or develop other problems. Instead of risking this painful problem, use these Pickling Pebbles by Masontops, which weigh down your vegetables. By placing one on top of your pickling foods, you'll have peace of mind knowing that your veggies can't escape their fate - they'll be truly in a pickle, you could say! A Pickle Packer can also help - by forcefully and repeatedly pressing down the fruits and veggies you're pickling before sealing the jars, your food will succumb to the brine even faster and allow the pickling process to commence.

Don't want to babysit or burp your jars of fermented foods? No problem - these Pickle Pipes allow you to skip that step. One-way airlocks in these jar toppers allow air to escape without letting your food become contaminated with outside bacteria. Trying to carefully direct your brine and spices into your pickling jar? Use one of these Canning Funnels or Stainless Steel Mini Funnels to help! Can't reach that little pickle at the bottom of the jar that looks particularly juicy and enticing? Snag this Pickle Picker so you can always have first pick(le).

With These Products to Help, You'll Never Be in a Pickle

Now that you know all about the processes, all you need is just a handful of ingredients and a few supplies and you'll be on your way to fermenting and pickling up a storm - so what are you waiting for? Check out our full collection of pickling and fermentation products here.