Lacto fermented ginger carrots is one of my favorite ferments. It’s got the sweetness of the carrots, the piquant nature of the ginger, and the tanginess that comes with fermented foods. Plus all that extra vitamin C and probiotics from the fermentation process.
The jar of ginger carrots in the photo was made during a fermentation workshop I taught a couple of weeks ago. I decided on ginger carrots because they are easy to make and get one’s head around – a few simple ingredients, easy to mix, and easy to get a brine out of it. It was fun to prepare them as a group, too, with everyone contributing to the grating and mincing. And I learned how to peel ginger with a spoon! It’s freakishly effective.
I enjoy ginger carrots on lots of things, from eggs, to roast salmon, and it’s a nice snack all by itself. It also goes great in a bean salad, the recipe for which I’ll share soon
The process is very simple – mix everything together and let it sit and ferment. The ferment shown in the picture above – which was made during the fermentation workshop I taught a few weeks ago – took about 6 days to get to my liking. It continues to get better and better as it ages, too.
4 c. grated carrots
1 T ginger root
1T sea salt
4T whey
Grate carrots on the large holes in a box grater (or use a food processor). Peel the ginger and mince it. Mix the carrots and ginger in a non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic) until well-combined.
Add the sea salt and whey, and pound it all together to release the juices, which will turn into a brine. Stuff the mixture in a jar – a pint jar should fit it all. As you’re stuffing the carrot-ginger mixture in the jar, be sure to firmly press down to further help release the brine. When you’ve stuffed it all in the jar, be sure there is a brine covering the vegetables.
Cover with a lid and let it sit for a few days in a warm dark space. Check it to see what it tastes like – if you like it the way it is, put it in the refrigerator. If you want a stronger fermented flavor, leave it out and check it each day for progress.
Regarding the salt you use for your fermentation: you can also use kosher salt or other salt as long as it has no iodine and no anti-caking ingredients. One caution about Celtic or grey salt – moist salt is sometimes known for carrying bacteria and mold that can ruin your ferments.
Makes one pint.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the salt tip especially. I did not realize this and I think I’ve been using celtic sea salt in all my stuff I have tried so far. I’m glad I now have a use for all the Kosher salt in my cabinet that I thought was not useful.
Sounds like you’ve been lucky, which is great! I’ve been using a refined sea salt (sans iodine) lately, which has worked well.
I am loving your website! I am fairly new to fermenting foods, and was wondering if I could replace the whey with apple cider vinegar, in this recipe? If not, do you have any other suggestions for substitues? Thanks for your time!!
Thanks, Jaime! I’m glad you like the site! As for the vinegar over whey, I would not recommend it. Lacto-fermentation involved lactic acid to encourage fermentation and anti-spoilage. Vinegar is acetic acid, and preserves food very differently. Often people use extra salt in place of the whey.
This is a good reference page for this very issue:
http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=vegetables
Hi! New to the preserves world, so I was wondering if I could use a jar with a regular screw-top lid or if I had to boil the whole thing in a pot of water using like a Ball lid seal set-up. I imagine the latter method will preserve things longer but that a regular lid will do the job for a short while? Thanks for your advice!
Hi Jessica – for lacto-fermentation, a jar with a regular screw top lid is just fine – a two piece Ball jar lid is what I have used in the past. I also have some special lids with airlocks, but they are not absolutely necessary. One thing you dont want to do with lacto-fermented foods is put them through a water bath, like you would for a conventional jam, pickle, or tomato sauce. That will essentially cook out all the beneficial bacteria and essentially a dead food.
If you are making regular preserves, though, putting them through a water bath is fine. I do that with my jams, crushed tomatoes, and dilly bean pickles.
You can also make freezer jam, which is preserved in the freezer and is not shelf-stable. Or just store it in the fridge, if you think you are going to eat the preserves up right away.
Gotcha. Thanks for your help!