Oh, lactofermentation. How simple you are, how amazing your benefits! Really, any vegetable can be fermented. This natural fermentation process provides a batch of green beans that snap and crunch with every bite–a perfectly refreshing and snarf-worthy way to get in all the good bacteria and live enzymes fermenting promotes.
Lactofermented Green Beans
Ingredients
- roughly 1 cup of green beans ends trimmed and longer beans cut in half
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon whey optional*
- 1 pint size glass mason jar
Instructions
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In a separate container, mix the water, sea salt and optional whey together until all are dissolved. Put aside.
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In a small bowl, add the garlic, coriander, red pepper flakes and mustard seeds. Use the back of a wooden spoon to gently crush the seeds and smash the garlic a bit. Then add the spices and garlic to the bottom of the sterilized jar. Begin to stand the green beans upright and pack them into the jar until you have just enough so that they're all standing up against one another. You want them to be no higher than 1 inch below the top of the glass jar. This is so you may leave 1 inch of airspace at the top of the jar during the fermenting process, and also because you want the beans to be fully submerged under the fermenting liquid (brine).
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Once all your beans are packed, begin to pour in the brine until it just covers the beans. Push any down that try to float up when you add the liquid.
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Pour the liquid in until 1 inch of airspace is left at the top. If you need more liquid to do this, add some extra filtered water.
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Screw the lid on, place in a cupboard, and allow to ferment for 3 to 5 days.
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After this, store the beans in the fridge. They last for at least 6 months refrigerated.
Recipe Notes
*want to use whey, but don’t know where to get it? Yeah, you can’t buy it, but you can make it! Take 2 cups of whole milk yogurt, and place in a colander or strainer lined with a clean dishtowel. Put the colander over a bowl big enough to catch the liquid that drips from the straining yogurt. Put the whole thing in the fridge, and allow to strain for at least 2 to 4 hours, or overnight. Save the liquid that drains away from the yogurt, because this is the whey! You can put it in a mason jar with a lid and it should keep in the fridge for up to 6 months. The strained yogurt is now what you would consider Greek yogurt–extra thick and creamy! Eat it as you would any normal yogurt.