Using Seasonal Flavors in Ferments for Health

Nov 9

I’m so happy to share with you all a class I taught last fall, Using Seasonal Flavors in Ferments for Health, as a part of the wonderful event, Ferment for Food Justice.

In this 1-hour class we discuss:

-Adding medicinal herbs to your ferments to boost their medicinal value
-The medicine of taste
-Seasonal rituals and routines
-Food and herbal energetics and the ways different foods and herbs effect the terrain of the body
-The gut and skin microbiome
-The medicinal benefits of some potent fall roots: Burdock, Evening Primrose, and Dandelion
-The medicine of fall and harmonizing with the seasons
-And I demo making a Fall Roots Kimchi!

You can watch the class at the link below.
You’ll also find the handout that accompanies the class below, full of ideas for herbs that double as food as medicine that you can add to your ferments and the seasons they’re the most abundant! And you’ll also find a link to my recipe for Fall Roots Kimchi on this blog.

This class was recorded on Instagram live so that’s why you’ll see some comments happening during the class recording!

Watch the Class Here!

Using Seasonal Flavors in Ferments for Health

Ferments are already medicinally active foods unto themselves and the additional medicinal herbs elevates them even further. I personally enjoy enhancing fermented vegetables with herbs and spices- kimchi, sauerkraut, and root vegetables in particular- choosing the blend based on what’s really in its prime and available in my garden, local farms, and woodlands and meadows. I put all sorts of medicinal roots and culinary herbs in them and I value the fact that each batch is a little different and reflects the medicine of the season. I’m also a huge fan of wild sodas, which I make with my favorite seasonal wild fruits and often add some herbs into these as well. Here are some of my favorite categories of herbs to add to ferments and the seasons they are most abundant locally in my home, the northeast, but this list is not at all exhaustive and also reflects what’s here and abundant in my bioregion!

Work with plants common in your area focusing in weedy, non-native, “invasive” plants and leave the native species alone as much as you can unless they are extremely abundant. If you’re not sure what’s abundant enough to harvest take some local herb classes to find out and also familiar yourself with the “at-risk” and “to-watch” list of plants listed by United Plant Savers and also always check it’s conservation statues on the state and federal level. Growing these herbs or purchasing them from local farms is great too! When we work with herbs and foods seasonally (whether foraged or grown) we are attuning ourselves with the earth the way our ancestors have for millennia. It’s health-giving on both a physical and-in my humble opinion- spiritual level to connect with the land in tune with the seasonal rhythms. If you want to strike out on your own with these herbs in your veggie ferments the same basic tenants of lactofermentation hold- use approx. 1.5-2 tsp of salt/lb of vegetables and herbs and 1.5 tbsp salt: 4 cup water to make a brine. Enjoy and happy fermenting!

Culinary Herbs

Broadly speaking, culinary herbs are strongly antioxidant and full of aromatic essential oils which enhance immunity, bring down inflammation in the body, and have antimicrobial properties. They are probably my number one favorite categories of herbs to work with in my ferments because they epitomize food as medicine and add fantastic flavor too. I’ve also included in this category other aromatic medicinal herbs that taste amazing in ferments and add medicinal properties as well! A little goes a long way with many of these herbs so use small amounts in your ferments when your first getting started.

Garlic bulb- late summer/fall/winter
Garlic leaves- spring
Garlic scapes- early summer
Ginger- late summer/fall/winter
Turmeric- late summer/fall/winter
Mediterranean herbs (Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Sage, Rosemary)- summer/late summer/fall
Parsley- summer/late summer/fall
Cilantro herb- spring/summer/fall
Coriander (Cilantro seed)- fall
Dill herb- spring/summer/fall
Dill seed- fall
Chives- spring/summer/fall
Garlic Chives-spring/summer/fall
Scallions- spring/fall
Leeks- later summer/fall
Onions- late summer/fall/winter
Chili peppers- summer/late summer/winter
Lemon Balm- spring/summer/late summer/fall
Lavender Fl- summer
Lemon Verbena- summer/late summer/fall
Bee Balm- summer/late summer
Mints-summer/late summer/fall
Tulsi- summer/late summer/fall
Anise Hyssop- summer/late summer

Wild Greens

Wild greens most often make their way into my krauts and sometimes my kimchi. I love making a spring greens kraut with beloved spring tonics like Nettles and Garlic Mustard (see the resource list below for the recipe!). Some of these greens can be collected throughout the growing season but are really at their best in the spring and fall when they are the most flavorful and vibrant. And although many wild greens are somewhat bitter in their flavor, this just adds to their medicinal benefit. Plus this flavor is often tempered by the fermentation process as well.

Lambs Quarters (Chenopodium album) - summer
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) - summer
Nettles (Urtica spp)- spring/fall
Queen Anne’s Lace lvs (Daucus carota)- spring/summer/fall
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)- spring/fall
Wild Garlic/Crow Garlic/Onion Grass (Allium vineale)- spring
Dandelion greens (Taraxacum officinale)- spring/summer/fall
Evening Primrose lvs (Oneothera biennis)- spring/summer/fall
Yellow Dock leaves (Rumex crispus, R. obtusifolius)- spring/fall
Japanese Knotweed shoots (Fallopia japonica)- spring
Violet lvs (Viola odorata, V. sororia)- spring/fall
Chicory lvs (Cichorium intybus) - spring/fall
Chickweed (Stellaria media)- spring/summer/fall
Plantain lvs (Plantago major, P. rugelii, P. lanceolata)- spring/summer/fall

Medicinal Roots

I add roots into my ferment, especially kimchi, or just ferment them on their own with medicinal culinary herbs. The best roots to add are roots that can be considered “food as medicine” meaning they can be eaten on their own as a food like the examples below. Roots are best harvested in the spring and fall however some of these, like the Burdock (called Gobo in Asian food stores) and Sunchokes, are available in grocery stores year-round. The roots listed below each have their own unique medicinal properties. Dandelion, Burdock, and Chicory all support the liver, kidneys and skin and help keep the eliminatory pathways of the body moving. They also are prebiotic and contain inulin, which Sunchokes contain in large amounts as well. Evening Primrose is rich in mucilage- a thick, gooey substance that promotes the health of our mucous membranes. Nettle root is used in herbalism to promote prostate health and can be eaten as well.

Burdock Rt- spring/fall
Dandelion Rt- spring/fall
Chicory Rt- spring/fall
Garlic Mustard Rt- spring/fall
Queen Anne’s Lace Rt (Daucus carota)- spring/fall
Evening Primrose Root (Oneothera biennis)- spring/fall
Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichoke- spring/fall
Nettle Rt- spring/fall

Seaweed

Seaweed is a fantastic addition to many ferments- its naturally salty flavor melds well with the sour and salty profile of most vegetable ferments. If you’re going to add seaweed the key is knowing that a little goes a long way both in terms of flavor but also because sea vegetables really are low-dose foods because they’re so incredibly mineral rich (they tend to possess 10-2ox the amounts of land plants) and an excess of certain minerals can actually be harmful. The red seaweeds (Dulse, Nori) are anti-viral. All edible seaweeds (red, brown, and green) contain immune-modulating polysaccharides and stringly help the body’s detoxifcation pathways, particularly in the gut. Harvest time depends on the seaweed but luckily we have some amazing seaweed harvesters in Maine (see resources below). These tend to be available year-round but I especially love them in the fall and winter months in my ferments. They are rich in the umami flavor and add a beautiful deoth of flavor to ferments when added in small amounts!

Northeast Red Seaweed species
Dulse (Parlmaria palmata)
Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus)
Wild Atlantic Nori aka Laver (Porphyra umbilicalus)

Northeast Green Seaweed
Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca)

Northeast Brown Seaweed species
Atlantic Kombu (Laminaria digitata)
Atlantic Kelp (Laminaria longicruris)
Atlantic Wakame (Alaria esculenta)
Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissimi)
Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus)

Mushroom

Yes, you can lactoferment mushrooms! Most mushrooms contain the umami flavor and add a depth of flavor to ferments, just like the seaweeds as well as their incredible immune-enhancing benefits. The consistency can be kind of intense for some folks so start by adding a bit to some veggies when you’re first starting. I recommend Pascal Bauder’s work for some great info on fermenting mushrooms.

Maitake/Hen of the Woods- late summer/fall
Oyster Mushrooms- summer/late summer/fall
Chicken of the Woods- later summer/fall
Lion’s Mane-late summer/fall
Morels- spring
Chanterelles- summer/late summer
Black Trumpet- summer/late summer/fall
Shiitake- can be grown or purchased widely

Fruits & Berries

I primarily make seasonal fruits and berries into wild sodas, fermented with only water and raw honey (see recipe in resources below) but there are so many other wonderful things you can ferment with fruits and berries such as wine, mead, vinegar, kombucha, and so on. These fruits also combine deliciously well with many culinary herbs and aromatic. Make sure you’re using organic or foraged fruits from chemical spraying to ensure they ferment correctly!

Rose hips (R. multiflora, Rosa spp)- late summer/fall
Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)- late summer/fall
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis, S. nigra)- late summer
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus, Rubus sp)- summer/late summer
Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)- summer
Black Raspberry (Rubus ocidentalis)- summer
Strawberry (Fragraria spp)- early summer
Wild Grapes (Vitis spp)- late summer/fall
Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum, V. angustifolium)- summer
Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)- fall
Currants (Red, Black, White, Ribes spp)- summer
And don’t forget all the lovely stone fruit! Apples, Pears, Crab Apples, Peaches, Plums, etc