1 litre (1 Quart size approx) Jar with Flip Top lid/lock (e.g. Fido Jar)
1 to 2 medium carrots
4 celery stalks
1 litre clean filtered water (boiled and cooled if unsure)
2-3 tbsp natural sea salt
1 sachet Body Ecology Veggie Culture Starter optional and ½ tsp organic sugar
2 cabbage outer leaves or cut 2 wedges of cabbage (all the cabbages seem to have the outer leaves removed over here so I have been using wedges of cabbage, they end up fermented too so I also eat them with the vegetables)
Instructions
Take the culture starter sachet out of the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature
Clean the jar and all utensils (knife, board) with hot water and vinegar and sit on a dish rack or clean tea towel to air dry
Wash the carrots and celery and sit on a clean tea towel to dry
In a small glass, add some of the water and dissolve halve a tsp of organic sugar (if using the Culture starter, skip if not)
Empty the sachet into the glass to allow the bacteria to wake up and start feeding on the sugar
Peel and slice the carrots about 4-5mm thick
Slice the celery a little thicker than the carrots
Fill the jar up with the carrots and celery leaving 1 inch from the top, press the vegetables down using your hands
Make a brine by dissolving 1 tsp salt with the water, then add the culture starter mixture (salt is used to inhibit the growth of bad bacteria to give the good bacteria a good start to do their thing. Using a culture starter allows you to use less salt, if you prefer softer veggies you can reduce the salt further, increase the salt for more crunch)
Pour the brine over the vegetables until just covered
Roll up each cabbage leaf (or place the cabbage wedges) and place on top of the vegetables to keep them under the brine
Keep the jar on the counter out of the sun or in a cupboard for 5-7 days, they should keep for well over 6 months
Once opened, store them in the fridge
Don't forget to always use clean utensils - no fingers! this will keep your jar lasting a lot longer once it is opened.
Recipe by Intuitive Food Design at https://intuitivefooddesign.com/food_recipe/lacto-fermented-carrot-and-celery/