How to ferment zucchini – step by step guide

12-MONTH FERMENTATION CHALLENGE
Month #2 – FERMENTED ZUCCHINI
Month #1 – WATER KEFIR

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If you’re a gardener, you’ve likely experienced the stress of having an overabundance of zucchini and not knowing what the heck to do with it all. You may have found yourself up late at night making zucchini bread, cakes, noodles, chips, and art (Oh, wait. Maybe that last one is just me. Don’t judge. Zucchini art is a real thing, ok?).

And still…I have had several, sad-looking monster zucchinis lingering on my countertop for months. That’s how I found myself wondering if I could, in fact, ferment those pitiful zucchinis as part of this challenge.

It turns out you can! I never would have guessed that fermented zucchini could be just as delicious as fermented pickles. In fact, in my humble opinion, they are equally as good and just as crunchy and satisfying. Add some garlic and fresh herbs and you have yourself a tasty, gut-healthy treat.

WHAT THE HECK IS LACTO-FERMENTATION AND WHY SHOULD I EAT IT?

Lacto fermentation is the ancient art of pickling long before there was canning. Fermenting turns your food into natural probiotics. So instead of popping a probiotic pill, you can eat fermented foods, which, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola of Mercola.com, actually contain 100 times more probiotics than a pricey supplement.

Fermented zucchini in particular contains more than 15 beneficial, gut-health promoting species of Lactobacillus bacteria. 

One quick search on the Internet will result in tonnes of information on the health benefits of probiotics from boosting your immune system to detoxifying your body. I don’t know if it’s all true, but I think I feel better after eating one of these fermented zucchinis. I think you will too!

A Miracle Food?

• Helps prevent cancer? Check.
• Helps protect against diabetes? Check.
• Reduces your risk of developing cataracts? Check.

WebMD has nothing but amazing things to say about zucchini. It is packed with folate, potassium, and Vitamin A as well as many antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin (I had to google this. Apparently, zeaxanthin protects the eyes from the harmful effects of oxidation and light-induced damage. Aren’t you so glad you follow my blog so you know about things like zeaxanthin? I thought so.).

Did you know zucchini is actually a fruit masquerading as a vegetable?

Fermentation makes every food more nutritious

I’m not sure about candy bars. but any other whole food that you ferment will be more nutritious than its former self.

Why? Fermentation by bacteria, yeast, and molds breaks down indigestible coatings and cell walls. It also reduces the level of “antinutrients” in foods such as phytic acid and tannins. All of this means your body can better absorb the nutrients found in your favourite foods. For a more scientific and thorough explanation, check out this article from the Journal of Scientific Research.

Fermented Zucchini Kraut or Pickles?

I tried two methods of fermenting zucchini. First, I made the most terrible zucchini kraut. It was horrible. I gave it to the chickens and even they weren’t sure what to make of the mushy stuff. Maybe I didn’t prepare it correctly. One site suggested using only the smaller, daintier zucchinis for kraut as the larger specimens are much juicier. This was likely the problem.

The second method I experimented with was zucchini “pickles”, which I prepared similarly to my fermented pickles. It turns out you can prepare zucchini similarly to lacto-fermented cucumber pickles.

I much prefer to make zucchini pickles (or cubes in my case) as I am only left with large zucchinis at the end of the harvest season.

SUPPLIES

• 2 1-quart pickling jars
• Fermentation weights – something to hold your ferment (zucchini) below the brine (liquid). Check out this post for some creative weight ideas. You can also buy fermentation weights.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups, or enough to fill your jars, chopped zucchini (I left the skin on, but I cut out the seeded middle)
• 4 cups, room temperature, un-chlorinated water (Note: If your water is chlorinated and you don’t have a filter, let the water stand overnight and the chlorine will evaporate.)
• 2 tbsp unrefined sea salt
• 6 to 8 sprigs of fresh parsley, dill, or basil (have fun experimenting!)
• 2 cloves garlic, halved

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1

Wash and dry your pickling jars.

STEP 2

Make the brine by dissolving the salt in the water. Note: You want to ensure your water is free from chlorine. Chlorinated water for fermentation will slow or prevent the growth of the beneficial lacto-bacteria and yeasts.

STEP 3

Wash your zucchini and put aside any bruised or questionable looking specimens.

STEP 4

Pack the herbs, garlic, and zucchini tightly into your jars and cover with brine, leaving about 1 inch of headspace so your bottles don’t explode when the brine begins to bubble up.

Now, this is really important – the brine should cover the vegetables at all times or else they will start developing mould and your ferment may be ruined. So long as they remain under the anaerobic safety of the brine, they’ll be fine.

To keep the vegetables submerged, you could use a cabbage leaf or a piece of cheesecloth, for example, followed by some type of weight. Check out this post for some creative weight ideas. You can also buy fermentation weights.

STEP 7

Screw on the lids (but not too tightly in order to let some of the fermentation gasses escape) and set in a location at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Soon you’ll see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas in the brine, which means you’ve been successful and the brine has started to acidify. This is the stage in which you will begin to “burp” your jar every couple of days if you are using a standard sealing lid. Simply unscrew the lid slightly and allow the gas to escape.

STEP 8

Over time, the mixture will become cloudy and start to develop a pleasantly sour smell. Lactobacillus species are most abundant during this time. Now, you can start to taste test the zucchini.

But here is the tricky part. There doesn’t seem to be a cut and dry date for when fermented zucchinis are done. It seems to depend on the temperature of your home and how sour you like them. It may take a week or two. Remember: Fermented zucchini should smell pleasantly sour. Never eat fermented vegetables that smell bad. You may also want to avoid ferments that smell like alcohol (unless you want to get a bit tipsy). 

Once the zucchini is done to your liking, screw the lids on tight and place them in the fridge or other cold storage facility. You may also want to label your ferments with the date.

Why do I need to use so much salt?

Salt is the MOST crucial ingredient in this recipe. It is a preservative and can keep vegetables edible for months…maybe even years!!! Can I get a “hooray” for salt! In fermentation, the salt draws juices from the vegetable’s cells and creates that lovely, cloudy brine rich with health-boosting lactic-acid bacteria. The salinity of the brine encourages good-for-us bacteria to flourish and inhibits the growth of bacteria and yeast that could make us sick. Salt also helps keep your vegetables crispy by hardening the pectin in the cells of the vegetables.

I’ve heard salt is bad for me.

Once again, health experts are changing their minds. Recent evidence suggests that for many, salt reduction has an overall negative impact on several aspects of health. Recent study, after study, after study, after study have found many negative effects of a low salt diet. Yikes! It turns out that salt not only makes our food taste better, but it prevents problems, like insulin resistance, plaque formation, increased stress hormones, worsened blood lipids, and elevated aldosterone.

Should I leave the zucchini peel on?

I didn’t peel my zucchini. I just chopped it into 1-inch cubes (approximately) and added the brine with some parsley and garlic. Simple! One week later, they were ready to eat. I was expecting another mushy disaster but was pleasantly surprised to find they were salty and scrumptious.

Should I use small or large zucchini?

I used giant zucchini to make pickles and I was surprised to find that my fermented zucchini was not soggy. However, if you are making kraut or want really crunchy fermented zucchini, choose the smaller, thinner zucchini.

What temperature should I keep my fermented foods at?

Most recommendations are to ferment between 55°F and 75°F, which is especially conducive to L. plantarum and L. brevis lactobacillus bacteria, according to the book, Fermented Vegetables.

Now, are you ready to try fermented zucchini? If not, you can always make zucchini art. I hear it’s a really cool thing to do.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

12-MONTH FERMENTATION CHALLENGE
Month #1 – WATER KEFIR
Month #2 – FERMENTED ZUCCHINI

Other ferments I’ve tried:
HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUSLY CRUNCHY LACTO-FERMENTED PICKLES
HOMEMADE YOGURT – SO EASY MY 3-YEAR-OLD CAN MAKE IT.

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