Have you ever watched a beautiful cabbage, zucchini, or box of fresh vegetables slowly turn into compost while sitting in your fridge?
What if there was a way to preserve that food for months, improve its flavour, support your gut health, and do it all without a freezer, pressure canner, or expensive equipment?
In this episode of Ditch the Store, we're diving into one of humanity's oldest food preservation methods: fermentation.
From simple homemade sauerkraut to kimchi, sourdough, kombucha, and even fermented horse milk used by Mongolian nomads, we'll explore why fermentation has been helping people preserve food for thousands of years and how you can get started with nothing more than cabbage, salt, and a jar.
Whether you're a complete beginner or you've been curious about making your own fermented foods, this episode will give you the confidence to have a crack at it.
Beginner Sauerkraut Recipe
Ingredients
1kg cabbage
1 tablespoon non-iodised salt
Method
- Finely shred the cabbage.
- Add salt.
- Massage thoroughly until brine begins to form.
- Pack tightly into a clean jar.
- Ensure cabbage remains completely submerged beneath the brine.
- Ferment for 7–21 days depending on temperature and taste preference.
- Refrigerate once the flavour reaches your liking.
✅ Keep the cabbage below the brine.
Air is the enemy of good sauerkraut.
Mentioned in This Episode
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Next Week
🐔 Bird Flu Has Arrived in Australia — What Every Chicken Keeper Needs to Know
We'll separate fact from fiction, discuss what the current situation means for backyard chicken keepers, and look at practical biosecurity steps you can take to protect your flock without falling into panic mode.
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