The Guide to Lacto-Fermentation: How To Ferment Nearly Anything 

Hey I know it’s saturday guys, just gonna have to pretend it’s Friday. There was an rendering error on my premiere pro so I had to just make do with what I had and upload the following day 😭. Hope you still love the video!

Just a little tip (pun intended): I read that when fermenting asparagus, it helps to put it in the jar with the tips down, so you don't destroy them when you're fishing them out to eat them. :)

Would be great to also see recipes where you use these fermented vegetables (:

1) What's to prevent botulism? 2) What if it's left outside the fridge? 3) How long is "a very long" time that it is safe in the fridge? 4) Great job on the video!

“It’s fermentation Friday” *uploads on a saturday*

Great video!!! I have a low level of experience with fermenting foods so I am still searching for some good tutorials. I can't thank you enough for showing pictures of what mold and yeast look like. Everyone mentions them, but nobody else actually shows them as examples. This has relieved a ton of anxiety from me.

I find adding balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, or regular vinegar and sugar along with salt makes great deep flavors for fermenting. I also use fermented shrimp paste too sometimes into the mix which makes crazy good fermented condiment especially with chili peppers.

I've watched multiple videos on lacto-fermentation. This video offered the most clarity on the salt measurement. Thank you!

I've had great success with 1 tbsp salt per cup of water, plus pickling spices (coriander seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaves). Kirby cucumbers with dill, garlic and hot peppers are the best (the juice is a hangover cure), I've done all kinds of garden grown peppers, cauliflower & cherry tomatoes is awesome too.

Tbh I don't think it'd matter what the subject of your videos were, I'd still watch because of you. Your energy, your humour, your editing, your format, and the crispiness of your videos since the camera upgrade (still think there's a gap in the market for a 4k HDR food channel, and with your B-roll ability you're half way there but whatever you can cut me in later), I'd happily watch and enjoy anything you put out. Keep up the good work, love literally everything about this channel, and THAT IS IT. That's all I wanted to say. Thanks.

If you use a zip-lock bag with water to weight down your veggie's, don't forget to add salt to that water as well! If it breaks, it won't affect your weight-salt ratio :B

I LOVE fermented veggies and ferment my own from what I grow in the garden (daikon, greens...etc ) This is a great tutorial. Lactobacilli are soooo good for gut health. Thank you Joshua

I liked that subtle american cheese call out.

I did carrots for this... for 8 months... tasted a little wonky but I'm alive

Once I get a desired fermentation I add a tea spoon of olive or clarified butter just to avoid any yeast growing. Plus it help reduce the fermentation and prolongs your preservation. Hope this helps

Best short tutorial on RU-vid regarding fermentation. Subbed. 😍

this is the better Josh, I don't watch any of the new material, goes way too fast now pushing too much at once, the popularity ruined himself

It's been more than two years that I haven't watched Joshua's videos. I geniunely missed this channel.

"unless you are eating American 'cheese' in which case you are just eating plastic" - love it

Thanks man! Exactly what I was looking for. FYI for viewers: Click on the little SETTINGS sprocket on right bottom of screen > Playback Speed > Choose 2X . That way you can watch the video in like 3 minutes.

Great to see a young guy being into the whole fermentation game! I am excited for what is to come, maybe a fermented hot sauce?

I read that you can use whey as a byproduct of your home-made cheesemaking or yogurt as a starter for this type of fermentation. Basically you just add some in, in place of the water and because there are already tons of lactobacilli present inside of the whey it jump-starts the fermentation process, allowing you to use LESS salt. This means you don't have to have a fancy kitchen scale, there's no risk of other bacteria even if you use little salt because you're giving it a strong, early inoculation. Worth trying and looking into.

Could you do a guide to apple cider vinegar from scratch?:)

A great place to find glass canning weights is your local antique store! It’s also a great place to pick up jars and cookware.

I liked the video before even watching it because I knew it would be good 😂 And I was right! We need to bring fermentation back 🙌 My favourite thing to ferment - beside sourdough - is grated ginger and garlic carrots 👌

Please bring back Fermentation Friday!

Josh, you got me into fermenting peppers to make my own sauces. I've got a mixed blend and a habanero sauce under my belt and am about to make a giant batch of Datil pepper sauce. Thank you for having an incredible channel that is far more informative than any other. I'm actually watching this video again to make sure my brine percentage is lined up.

Also the plastic mesh that onions, oranges, grapefruit,etc.can be used to weight the foods down. Or plastic bags with water, to hold the veggies down.

Oh my god I am so glad you're doing fermentation Friday!! I'm so obsessed with fermentation I'm gonna love this 😂😍

Love that this came to me on a friday, at the end of a week when Ive been thinking bout learning to pickle things

Adding a tablespoon of fresh whey to your fermented veg really boosts the process!!

Learning how to ferment things, by Not Heath Ledger. Thanks for a great channel!

Love your videos, this is one of my new favorite channels! I feel like you know your stuff, and you make very interesting videos! Keep going!

American cheese is not plastic- it is cheese which has been ground and had sodium citrate added to it for preservation, often alongside other milk products to affect flavor and consistency. Sodium citrate is considered fully safe for human consumption, and is even used to prevent donated blood from clotting or acidifying. It is relatively shelf stable, because it is able to be pasturized, and It melts better than most other cheeses used in grilled cheese due to the sodium citrate. It would be the ideal grilled cheese component, held back only by the typically medium to low quality of the cheeses used to produce it.

Thanks for sharing, I’m trying to heal my gut this is really helpful

Joshua Weissman...Thanks to the virus our trip to Israel was canceled. I should be there right now. Preparation 6th day. Shalom. BTW...I loved the weight/salt ratio. Good work and tidy kitchen.

The way I learned it is to sterilize the jars and lid, and to use a hot brine. That pretty much kills the nasties and lets the lactobacillus grow.

I LOVVVE being in your cupboard!!!🤣🤣🤣 And you make our bellies happy AND laugh!! THANK YOU FOR THE DETAILED YET QUICK VIDEOS!!! Fermentin' on a Tuesday... WhatsUp🥬😎🥬 Yuh!!!🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

Chooo chooooooo we're all aboard, and the next stop is Fermentation Station.

In case you haven't heard this yet: figuring out the salt:water ratio with the digital scale is _so_ good

Fantastic! I have a few questions which maybe you could address in future episodes: 1) I've heard you need to use heat to fully combine the water/salt. Is that appropriate and if so, when? 2) What about vegetable that have so much liquid content they could make their own brine? Yes, I'm thinking sauerkraut. Sauerkraut and probiotics video please! 3) Could you show us how to sterilize mason jars in the oven? I have shattered glass in the kitchen. I'm not confident. 4) Can I ferment in my fridge? I'm assuming it will take much longer, but I'd feel so much safer! 5) When and why would you add vinegar? And what is the main difference between fermenting and pickling? Thank you so much! I am so excited for this series!

It's 3am. I fall asleep in the middle and wake up at the end of the video and thumbs up it because I know it was good. NEEEXT!

It's Friday here, now, 16 Sept 2022. Much love from Borneo, Joshua ❤️❤️❤️

I love all the pretty color combos-especially the peppers! This would be fun to do with some of our farmer’s market purchases-once that starts up again-or those that have a great big garden!

thanks to your fermentation "fridays", i have just started fermenting. simple stuff for now, for hot sauce reasons. mango, habanero chilies, onion, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper. i shall not be tempted and let it ferment for a month at least.

Great video and method! I was having issues with variability in my kimchi using the recipe from “the art of fermentation.” I guessed the issue was that I wasn’t factoring in the water in the veggies, so I started using this method and have not had any extra funky batches since! What are your thoughts/experiences using brine to start other ferments? I would love to see some videos on Aspergillus oryzae fermentations!

now subscribed because you're not pretentious in your presentations. the sopping wet red bell pepper on a sheet of printer paper had me chuckling and hitting that red button. great video, man!

"Nearly anything" I tried fermenting cherries, so I'd like to put a little more emphasis on the "NEARLY"

I’d love to see a video of some ideas of what to do with these. Maybe some favorite vegetables and what you eat them with. I’m so excited about this new series!

Thank you so much! We were just gifted a pile of veggies from a farmer/neighbor & are now having a big ol' time lacto-fermenting cucumbers, squash, tomatoes . . . Come visit Chelan. Wine country, so lots of fermenting going on. ;-)

Mate this is fookin awesome! I just remembered I was meaning to buy highly expensive fermented coleslaw , then I FINALLY had the nouce to YT it ; and here you are! Subbed mate. I strongly suggest you all do this as well as general stocking up on dry and canned food cos there's another lockdown around the corner into Autumn and food prices are gonna sky rocket! Y'kno fella , all this censorship on YT , Vimeo etc but this kinda content SURELY can't be fuct with. Much love from Yorkshire England 😉👍😊🤗

I have done less than 10 ferments but I've had pretty good results at just using 1 tsp per cup of water. I don't know what percent that is though.

I learned this a while back from the Pro Home Cooks channel, and I am hooked! My favorite thing to ferment is bok choy stalks.

Wow. Just found your channel and is on the binge! A couple of suggestions on things you're very much doing right IMO - what not to change, if you will: 1) Grams alternatives make it so appealing as a continental to actually go and make whatever yourself. Easy, familiar, safe. Mmmmm. 2) Posting the recipe in the description. Can't believe it has to be said, but yay! It's nice to just scroll down to copy the instructions, instead of having to transcribe them like a damn government administrative spy person glancing over their spectacles in a dimly lit kitchen. 3) A predominantly positive additude towards yourself and your projects. A refreshing change from the self-deprecating, apologetic experts out there. I am left with a feeling of capability to try new stuff; empowered and pleasantly determined. Poetic ranting aside, I like your style. 4) Keep up the fermentation videos. There might already be a ton of other tutorials out there, but your style makes me wanna revisit them anyway. Some ideas: Sauerkraut, miso, soy sauce, Scandinavian sourdough ryebread, yoghurt/creme fraiche/butter, beer/sake/wine to name a few. 5) Keep the jazz. Both literally and figuratively. I am looking forward to follow your channel. /Fred

I got some Senna beans, I am gonna use some of the fresh ones to make pickle starter with. I'll just take that juice, and pour it into some other jar, full of tomatoes and salt. I pickled tomatoes like this last year, and they are very intact still, and the liquid is a dark amber color, from the microbiome, despite being pasteurized. Last year, I put a cloth over the jar, but this year, I think it will be OK to just leave the lid cracked. I also added some yeast, and let a pickle jar sit out until it got a fungal colony like that japanese rice stuff. It occurs naturally, it's usually just a white fuzz at first, and then I mix the jar up and it disperses. I just wanted to make sure that was included in the Colony... but again, like the Japanese honeysuckle, and Japanese beetles in my garden, the Fungus grows all over. I'm amazed how yellow it got in a year, the liquid in the pickle jar. It's gas sealed, and Pasteurized, at the back of a dark cabinet... and still looks like there is microbiome activity. Senna should add some Rhizobia bacteria into the mix, maybe some methylamine too. Keeps the sinuses open The biggest thing is to AEROBIC ferment it, you want gas exchange both ways, and some spores. Pasteurization will ensure it is only "good" microbes you end up eating, but if done right, it's probably not even necessary. You should only really have to make Lacto Starter once, you just use a few milliliters of old juice per new jar. In cheesemaking, they use like 10ml per huge vat.

Great video, Joshua. You make clear in the voice and text that the reference for percentage is the weight of vegetables plus water. However, in the video you seem to zero the scale to the glass with vegetables in. Is it only my impression? Keep up the good work.

Options: 1. Sanitize the jar with hot water. 2. Not to use finger tips when weighting down the veggies 3. After filtering the water bring them to a boil and cool them down before pouring them into the jar 4. Well wash the vegetables with HOT water And You are welcome. 😊 Can you please make videos on the fastest way to cook meat???

I found your videos by chance looking up black garlic recipes, watched a few more and dude....I love it. Your videos have inspired me to be more experimental with cooking seeing as I'm not a chef but have always wanted to try something new. I love your presentation; it's to the point, not overly flashy and you're a great teacher. SUBBED.

I've been catching up. Just noticed. Congrats on 1 mill subs

How important is room temp to this process? Like you I live in Texas (H-E-B). I heard that ferments are best around 60 to 65 degrees. Terrific job as always

Yes I am interested in seeing more fermented vegetables especially picked as I’m growing cucumbers

Another thing you can use as a fermentation weight in a widemouth jar is a 4 ounce canning jar they fit absolutely perfect!

Just watched your chicken sandwich video and I like the way you format your videos and the care you take editing them I'm subscribing!

Trying this with fermenting grains. Specifically rice on my first try on fermenting grains. On a raw live foods diet. Made purple cabbage sauerkraut which is delicious. Thank you so much!

clever to keep the lid loose instead of having to burp the jar everyday. Thanks, Joshua!

I've been making Honduran cabbage slaw ( curtido ) for about a year, and it's been turning out delicious but I had a few questions about the process. This video answered my questions . Thanks

Another way to tell the difference between Kahm yeast and mold is the smell. Kahm yeast smells yeasty, like sourdough bread dough. I've gotten Kahm yeast a couple of times, just skimmed it off, and the food was more than fine. It was deliciously sour. Mold will just make your ferment smell rotten. If you get that, just chuck the batch and start again.

Let me tell you something pal,I looked at the "watch later" thing on my little machine and saw one and only one video and this is the one.Thank you!

Lactofermentation is so easy and delicious, it's a crime not to indulge. I highly recommend using airlocks because they do a job and they do it well. I use one-piece plastic lids coupled with extra thick clear silicon seals that never wear out, or smell from your previous batch, add an airlock and you're done. Keep up the good work, and always experiment. Peace.

I'm becoming a real fan, Josh.

I'm going to ferment everything. Thanks, Josh!!!!!

Ok, so if you're looking for some feedback... I think "fermentation friday" is an awesome idea! Please make some wideo about sour beer! With some more information about bateria types, and how it affects the final results :D How to prevent it from infection of bad bacteria. I've once tryed to make a raspberry lambic, ending up with one week of diarrhea :(

Hey I'm so glad that I found this and you because we just brined with vinegar to pickle vegetables and we also fermented some vegetables which we did on Monday and it is now Wednesday so I wanted to find something that would help me know one that it's safe and to when they are fermented and when you put in the refrigerator so I'll be watching

Joshua: Measure your ingredients as you prepare to ferment Me: Winging it and checking for mold almost daily. So far, many many months later since I started, I’ve been forgetting to check for mold

the b-roll should've had some bubbles from the fermentation process. it's so satisfying that i sometimes just stare at my bubbling jars.

Love your energy! Thanks for the info.

VERY EXCITED!!! love some actual useful info + b-roll

Happy fermentation Friday 😁😁😁

I have been pickling peppers for a long time. I have never before fermented them, and I am now waiting on a jar to ferment. I’m hoping the taste is as amazing as I plan.

Thanks! I was searching to see should I boil the water and saw the two ways Chinese people are fermenting: boiled and “raw”. I believed the filtered water is the way to go.

Love fermentantion fridays

man, this is awesome, except for that comment about american cheese, its not plastic, its an amalgamate of cheddar and i think Colby jack, look it up, pretty interesting

I got the same oven burn mark at exactly the same place 3:43 when I’m learning from that baking baguettes video. Btw that was absolutely delicious all my friends loved it. And the dough 😌

Roaming around RU-vid learning fermentation. I just found you and appreciate the knowledge you impart. I like having basic formulas that allow me to then be creative. I'd like to look at the book you mentioned but couldn't hear the name. I went back over it several times, slowed the speed even! Could anyone who can hear the name of the book please respond?

Would love to see a Fermented coleslaw Ps love the way u explained fermentation best one I’ve seen

Quality video. Explain the benefits behind each vegetable/fruit info is key ✌🏼

I love how your video style is a lot like good eats. Love your channel!! Also you look exactly like one of my friends!

No need to pour the liquid out to stir the salt in. Just dump the salt into the glass, maybe give it a shake if you want, since salt doesn't need stirring to dissolve in water.

I would love to see one video just about the recipes with fermented veggies/fruits!

I am a Big Fan of your Fermentation Friday Videos both here and on FB. Could you do a Sriracha!!??!

I would love to see some of your favorite ways to eat your lacto fermented veggies!

If you take the weight of the veggie into account, you’re not getting a 2% brine but a lot more. To get a 2% brine youd be better off taking 9980 of water and add 20gr of salt and pour it in as many container as you want. Or basically any amount of water x 0.020408 (~ 0.02) = salt amount So the question is what is the correct percentage for a successful fermentation? Otherwise very cool video

Great Simple video Appreciate the easy and visual instructions

The formula should be 1500g × 0.02 not 0.2

Hey! Wish I would have seen this a while back. I made a bunch of homemade hot sauce by lactofermenting Fresno peppers for the base.

I think you have fairly neat handwriting. It has a flair to it like you learned how to write in cursive as a kid.

Fermentation Friday!! YYYYAAAYYYY!!!!

Enjoy your style of cooking...💙

Nice new series! You should try to get Jonthepotter to make a fermenting crock with you in some episode.... And please make misso! Miso is amazing. And it takes a while so that's going to be an episode to start way in advance if you make it...

Thank you so much for this video. You are very good.