Lacto Fermented Green Peas

Russians love green peas. It’s one of those foods that’s genetically programmed into our DNA, along with rye, buckwheat, sauerkraut and herring. From ‘Domostroy‘, written in the 16th century, we learn that there are more recipes using green peas than we, modern folks, know what to do with – pies with peas, peas noodles, peas kissel, peas porridge, not to mention all kinds of soup. With some of the old recipes resigned to oblivion, thanks to the Soviet hobby of forgetting history, a lot more have emerged – and even 200 million cans of peas produced in Russia each year aren’t able to meet the demand, more has to be imported from Romania and Hungary.

I could eat peas in all forms and sizes; when deciding what to plant in my tiny Chicago garden, I don’t even think about the possibility of not having a good bunch of peas, while all the other vegetables have to work around my green curly beauties.

The idea of making lacto fermented green peas came from reading recommendations of a Russian scientist Boris Bolotov who believes that virtually all vegetables can be and should be lacto fermented. He thinks that eating foods that are sour and bitter benefits our bodies through increasing production of bile, allowing liver to effectively to its job. Lacto fermented green peas look a lot like the canned or cooked stuff, with similar texture and color, which means that natural fermentation produces similar results as cooking – removes the starchy bite and makes peas more tender. And the main benefit is that they provide us with an extra high dose of vitamins B and C, by-products of microbial metabolism, and a variety of live probiotic cultures, which make our bodies more resilient to disease and stress.

Although perhaps the taste, which is bright, tangy and spiced with anything my heart desires, is even a bigger selling point that keeps me coming back to this simple little ferment.

HOW TO MAKE LACTO FERMENTED GREEN PEAS

Ingredients
2 pounds of shelled green peas (fresh; or frozen/thawed – 2 16oz bags)
3-4 inch piece of fresh horseradish root, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves
5-6 bay leaves
1 quart of filtered water, hot
1/2-1 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (raw and unfiltered)
2-3 tablespoon sauerkraut juice (optional)
1 cabbage leaf

Equipment
1/2 gallon mason jar
Small fermenting weight
1 quart mason jar for mixing the brine

Instructions
Put peas into a half gallon mason jar alternating with horseradish root, garlic and bay leaves.
In one quart mason jar, combine hot water and salt and shake well to dissolve the salt.
Cool salt water to room temperature, add raw apple cider vinegar and sauerkraut juice, if using. This is brine.
Pour brine over the green peas leaving 3-4 inches of space between the lid and top of the brine, cover with a cabbage leaf, and place a fermenting weight on top.
Keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, until peas change color from bright green to ‘cooked’ green and the brine turns cloudy. At that point, transfer the peas into refrigerator. I keep them in the fridge for about a week before I start eating them.

• Notes
  Peas tend to float while fermenting, make sure your cabbage leaf is big enough to cover all the peas, or use a couple of leaves.
• If you notice slimy liquid in your ferment – it’s okay, just means fermentation is not complete. Slime is complex polysaccharides formed by Leuconostoc, one of the lactic bacteria that proliferate early on in the fermentation process.
• The flavor of pickling spices like black peppercorns, mustard seeds and red peppers goes really well with fermented peas; the only reason I don’t use them is because my kids don’t like to bite into them.
• Like most fermented vegetables, peas get stinky during the process. If you keep the jar tightly closed for a few days, then when you open it – you will get a big whiff of ‘smelly toots’. If that bothers you, store the peas in the fridge longer, eventually the funny smell goes away completely, and you just have tangy and pleasantly sour aroma.
• Add lacto fermented green peas to salads (here is one of my favorites – full of probiotics!), or serve them as a side dish.
  

LACTO FERMENTED GREEN PEAS

Print Recipe

Lacto Fermented Green Peas

Briny and flavorful lacto fermented peas can be eaten as is, or added to any salad for a boost of probiotics and vitamins.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time3 days d

Total Time3 days d

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: RUSSIAN

Author: Valeria - Beets 'n Bones blog

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of shelled green peas fresh; or frozen/thawed - 2 16oz bags
• 3-4 inch piece of fresh horseradish root sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 5-6 bay leaves
• 1 quart of filtered water hot
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar raw and unfiltered
• 2-3 tablespoon sauerkraut juice optional
• 1 cabbage leaf

Instructions

• Put peas into a half gallon mason jar alternating with horseradish root, garlic and bay leaves.
• In one quart mason jar, combine hot water and salt and shake well to dissolve the salt.
• Cool salt water to room temperature, add raw apple cider vinegar and sauerkraut juice, if using. This is brine.
• Pour brine over the green peas leaving 3-4 inches of space between the lid and top of the brine, cover with a cabbage leaf, and place a fermenting weight on top.
• Keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, until peas change color from bright green to 'cooked' green and the brine turns cloudy. At that point, transfer the peas into refrigerator. I keep them in the fridge for about a week before I start eating them.

Notes

• Peas tend to float while fermenting, make sure your cabbage leaf is big enough to cover all the peas, or use a couple of leaves.
• If you notice slimy liquid in your ferment - it's okay, just means fermentation is not complete. Slime is complex polysaccharides formed by Leuconostoc, one of the lactic bacteria that proliferate early on in the fermentation process.
• The flavor of pickling spices like black peppercorns, mustard seeds and red peppers goes really well with fermented peas; the only reason I don't use them is because my kids don't like to bite into them.
• Like most fermented vegetables, peas get stinky during the process. If you keep the jar tightly closed for a few days, then when you open it - you will get a big whiff of 'smelly toots'. If that bothers you, store the peas in the fridge longer, eventually the funny smell goes away completely, and you just have tangy and pleasantly sour aroma.