Ferments in Everyday Life: How I Actually Use Them

Welcome to the first blog post from the fermentary.

This is hopefully the start of a small blog series I’m planning. Going forward, I want to share more regular posts about ferments including how I eat them, simple ways to use them, and eventually seasonal ideas and recipes.

This first post is really about that: how I eat ferments, and the simple way I think about using them in everyday meals.

A Note on How to Eat Them

Unpasteurised ferments like sauerkraut and kimchi are best eaten cold, as this helps preserve the naturally occurring live cultures developed during fermentation.

That said, they can still be added to cooked meals by stirring them through after cooking, once the food is off the heat, rather than heating them directly.

If you’re new to fermented foods, a little goes a long way. Start with a small spoonful a day alongside a meal and see how you go. You can gradually build up from there as your taste for them develops.

A typical serving is often thought of as a small side portion (roughly 50–100g), but I don’t think of it too rigidly. These days I simply add as much as feels right with whatever I’m eating.

How I Eat Them

One thing people often ask me is how I actually eat ferments myself and for recipe ideas.

The honest answer is that I rarely make special recipes around them. Most of the time, I simply add a spoonful of kraut or kimchi to whatever meal I’m already having.

That’s actually how I encourage people to use them too.

I think it’s much easier to build fermented foods into your daily routine when they complement the meals you already enjoy, rather than feeling like you need to learn a whole new way of cooking. A forkful alongside eggs at breakfast, served next to a roast dinner, or eaten with a simple salad can be enough to transform a meal.

I’ve reached the point where I genuinely crave that sourness and miss it if I don’t have some kind of ferment on my plate.

Having said all of that, I've got a bit lazy with my lunches lately. They've become very same-y, usually consisting of eggs, avocado and a generous helping of kraut or kimchi on the side.

 I'd also like to get into the habit of packing my own lunches for market days and making something easy for my partner to take to work too, so would like something easily portable.

I know that many of you would like a bit more inspiration for how to actually eat ferments too, especially with the seasonal specials I release. While I'm a firm believer that they work best as an addition to meals you're already making, sometimes it's helpful to have a recipe as a starting point.

So this blog series will also be motivation for me to get creative whilst hopefully inspiring you too. 

I'm not a chef so these recipes will be simple and easy!

I’ll be sharing posts monthly to begin with, including:

• Easy meal ideas that include ferments
  
• My latest experiments
• And eventually seasonal ferments with recipes

If you’re here because you already love ferments, or you’re just trying to figure out how to use your jar a bit more, I hope there’s something useful in these posts for you.

Thanks for reading

Caitlin x