3 Reasons Fermentation is Fun

(Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way).

3 Reasons Fermentation is Fun. When we were given the opportunity to review the Fermentation Starter Kit by Fermentools, I was excited.  As a Registered Dietitian, I know that probiotics are a healthy addition to your diet. I also knew this would be a great opportunity to give our 15-year-old son another hands-on kitchen experience. What I didn’t know was that this little tool creates a finished product in less than a week.

3 Reasons Fermentation is Fun

1. You get to spend time in the kitchen with your kids.

Our 15-year-old son has autism and is an introvert. As a result, it can be extremely challenging to get him to interact with us—unless it’s his preferred topic, which currently is trains.

When he knows it’s an assignment for school, however, he’s more than willing.

As you can imagine, Fermentools Starter Kit quickly became part of his high school curriculum. 😉

Thus, we all got experience and learned the process of preparing fermented food. Plus, we spent quality education time together.

And all of us learned, including my husband, who’s been cooking for 40 years. Speaking of which, my husband led with the experiments.

And the first thing he said when I asked him what he learned was, “How easy it was.” For example, the process uses very simple ingredients. All that is needed is distilled or spring (non-cholorinated) water, salt, seasoning (which you can choose based on your preference), and the chosen food itself.

Which leads to the 2nd of 3 reasons fermentation is fun.

2. You can ferment virtually anything.

Yes, that's right! We started with what we already had in the refrigerator–carrots.

A few days before we conducted our fermentation experiment, we went to the store and my hubby bought 5 pounds of carrots. The reason for this is that he was searching for yeast so that he could make homemade bread. He went to virtually every grocery store in the area until he found a large supply store that had yeast. While purchasing the yeast, he picked up some carrots. 😉

Since we had so many carrots in stock, we searched online for ideas and decided to ferment some of our carrots. Since my husband and son like garlic so much, they also added garlic. The carrots turned out great. However, I would recommend slicing them because the carrots we used were still crunchy, which I didn't care for. My hubby likes the carrots this way. However, I’m going to give it more time and taste them again. Which reminds me, it states that the longer you ferment the vegetables, the better they will taste. That’s good to know.

I wish I could tell you what my son thought of the taste of the carrots, but he was unwilling to try them. Maybe some day! What I can tell you is that he helped prepare them by cutting up some of the carrots and putting the ingredients in the jar.

My son was fascinated by the process, though! In fact, he kept watching as the bubbles started forming–the very next day, and the day after, and so on.

The bubbles continued to form until the carrots were ready to be put into the refrigerator. It was completely surprising to all of us that the bubbles formed so quickly. It was a surprise to both me and my husband that the final taste included a vinegar flavor. Especially since the jar contained no vinegar!

During our research, we also discovered that root beer and sarsaparilla, familiar drinks to most, are fermented drinks! We printed a recipe for these two drinks, but haven't tried them yet as they require exotic ingredients such as sassafras. (You can easily find a recipe online for these drinks).

Reason number 3 of 3 reasons why fermentation is fun is:

3.  You can teach your family about other cultures.

Plus, you get to try new foods you've never even heard of before!

After we completed the carrots, the next three foods we considered were:

1. German Sauerkraut with Bratwurst, Kielbasa, Pork
2. Korean Kimchi with (virtually anything you want).
3. El Salvadorian Curtido with Puposas

I’m not fond of sauerkraut and I wasn’t sure what we would eat the Kimchi with. Thus, I thought it would be more fun to create Curtido. (I didn’t know what it was called. However, while I was in graduate school, I took a class which introduced me to this unique ethnic food).

When we visited the little “Hole in the Wall” El Salvadorian restaurant in San Bernardino, California, I fell in love with Puposas and the accompanying “slaw” it is traditionally served with. But I never knew the name until now!

So, I chose Curtido because it would be a good excuse to encourage my husband to make Pupusas from scratch. And they turned out delicious! Again, I am amazed that the Curtido tastes like it contains vinegar when it doesn't! The only ingredients included in the Curtido are cabbage, carrots, sweet red peppers, oregano, Malaysian salt, and non-chlorinated water. Yum!

My son and husband enjoyed the puposas, but not so much the Curtido. And again my son wouldn't taste the Curtido. That is fine with me because that means I get it all to myself!

To each his own, they say! 😊

Don’t forget to check out the Fermentools Starter Kit now. This cool kit not only allows you to quickly ferment your favorite vegetables, but is super simple to use.

And if you grab one before June 30, 2020, you will receive a 15% discount if you use coupon code CREW2020

 

And don’t forget to read the other reviews by our awesome Homeschool Review Crew members.