How to ferment vegetables at home

Fermenting vegetables at home is a great way to reduce your food waste, improve gut health and save money.

Step 1: Choose your fermentation equipment

Fermenting vegetables does not require a lot of specialised equipment. Vegetables can be fermented in a dedicated fermenting crock, a clean glass bowl or glass mason jar.

Step 2: Prepare your vegetables for fermenting
Almost any vegetable can be fermented aside from vegetable high in chlorophyll, like kale or spinach. You can ferment one vegetable alone or create a mix of vegetables, along with complimenting herbs and spices. Grate, slice, chop, or leave small vegetable whole. The different ways you prepare the vegetables will produce different results.

Step 3: Use salt, whey or a starter culture

Salt and water is all you need for lacto-fermentation, with sea salt being the best option. Many recipes call for fresh whey as a ferment starter, but it isn’t necessary. Using salt will give the same result. You can also use a vegetable starter culture for a faster fermentation, but it isn’t essential.

Step 4: Use water to prepare the brine

You will need enough brine to be able to submerge the vegetables completely. The best fermentation results are achieved with a 2% brine. For every 100 grams of vegetables, you need 2 grams of salt. Filtered water is essential, in particular, water that is free of chlorine, chloramines and fluoride. Chlorine and fluoride will not support a healthy ferment as they kill the microbes.

Step 5: Weigh the vegetables down under the brine

Once the vegetables have been prepared, place them into the chosen fermentation vessel and weigh them down under the brine. Keeping them in an anaerobic environment during the fermentation period is important. Use a small glass, ceramic cup or plate to keep the vegetables submerged.

Step 6: Leave the vegetables to ferment at room temperature before moving them to the fridge

The fermentation time will depend on numerous factors, including temperature, the quantity of salt and the nature of the vegetable. After leaving the vegetables to ferment at room temperature for three days, taste it. If they are not as acidic as you would like, leave them and taste after another three days, and so on. Once you are happy with the taste, move them to the fridge.

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Sustainable living inspired a sustainable business

Adversity can often be a catalyst for positive change. For Talia and Luke Borda, founders of That Red House, a second cancer diagnosis prompted a sustainable and organic change that led to a new business distributing a natural laundry product which changed their lives and many others around the world.

In 2002, Luke was diagnosed with cancer and after undergoing seemingly successful treatment, in 2006, his second diagnosis confirmed their ultimate fears. In a bid to improve their health, Talia began researching chemicals and ways they could reduce their chemical exposure by switching to organic food and using toxin free products. “I was horrified to discover the extent of what we were unknowingly exposing ourselves to every day,” she recalls. After a few years of living their new lifestyle and the birth of their second baby, Talia and Luke decided they wanted to take their sustainable pursuits one step further. They sold their house in the leafy eastern suburbs and began the process of building an eco house and sustainable organic produce garden in the Adelaide Hills. “It was a massive task with two little ones and one on the way, but it was an amazing decision and one we are thankful for every day,” Talia says.

With this new organic lifestyle however, Talia was struggling to find an organic and grey water safe option for the laundry that allowed them to safely use on the vegetable garden. “I really needed a 100 percent chemical free, biodegradable and preferably organic detergent that actually worked on three dirty little boys,” Talia recalled. After much research, Talia discovered soapberries, the fruit of the Sapindus Mukorossi tree, native to Nepal.

Soapberries contain a substance called saponin, in the pericarp (flesh) of the fruit, which acts as a natural soap. They have been used for thousands of years throughout the Himalayas for a multitude of purposes. To harvest the berries, the trees are scaled manually and the berries are picked by hand by local communities, native to the area. They are harvested, dried in the sun, deseeded and packed. “No chemicals are used at any stage of the process, they are 100 percent certified organic and completely raw,” Talia says.

After using soapberries for a few years, Talia and Luke decided to take the plunge and start their business, That Red House, in 2013. “I discovered them, loved them and decided that the world needed to learn about my little secret too,” Talia says. They imported around 600 kilograms of soapberries which quickly sold out. “It was clear that people were ready to embrace the idea of a completely natural way to clean their clothes, and were becoming wise to the chemicals used in mainstream detergents and cleaning products.”

Now Talia and Luke distribute That Red House Organic Soapberries all over Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Mexico, Bermuda and across Europe. They have expanded the range to include Laundry Tonics made from 100 percent pure essential oils which can be added to the soapberries for fragrance. “Our aim at That Red House has always been to strive for a sustainable, organic, eco-conscious, zero-waste, chemical free way of life,” Talia says. “This supports our desire to maintain the health of our loved ones and the planet which can never be replaced.”

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Sustainable homewares made on a corner block

Heart-warming beauty lies in businesses built from humble beginnings and handmade products crafted with care. Natalie Lane who has turned her passion project into a thriving business from a corner block in Brisbane has never looked back.

After returning from backpacking around India, Natalie printed her travel photos into an album to relive the moments from her trip. Years later, she rediscovered the album on a bookshelf and was surprised at how few times she had viewed it. Flicking through the pages, Natalie found it hard to pick only a couple of photos to frame, and wished to display the whole album and change the page at any time. Within that split second, the idea for a book frame was born.

Formally an industrial designer, Natalie combined her skills with her environmental passion to design an artisan range of sustainable frames. “I was eager to work in a business where values of respecting the environment would be part of the company culture and would be a guiding light for decision making - so I started one,” she says. After developing a successful prototype, Natalie launched her environmentally sustainable business, Corner Block Studio in 2015 with her debut product The Book Frame - a wooden adjustable hanging frame to display an open book. Soon after, The Record Jacket Frame and Card Frame evolved.

Living sustainably has always been an integral part of Natalie’s life and instilling environmental values into every aspect of her business is no exception. Natalie sources two groups of timbers for making the frames, recycled hardwood and new pine. She works with experienced timber mills to acquire high quality reclaimed timber from de-commissioned buildings including bridges and homes, and process them to premium quality standards. “Using recycled timbers is not an easy option, we choose to use it anyway because we think it’s important to protect our bush lands and forests,” Natalie explains. Every hardwood frame is designed to showcase the timbers natural characteristics and details of its former life such as small nail holes or a squiggle left by a creature. “It’s a joy to discover these unique features as we make each frame,” she says.

Using her business to share her environmental values, Natalie is careful about the materials she chooses and aims to create modest, long lasting designs with minimal impact on the planet.  Natalie chooses to make her products from timber for its natural, re-purposing and decomposing qualities. “Timber is not energy-intensive to process, compared with alternatives such as plastic and metal, and net carbon dioxide intake of a hoop pine plantation is of great benefit,” Natalie explains.

The future is exciting for Corner Block Studio as Natalie works on designing and creating prototypes for new products. While she is gathering feedback, choosing materials and preparing to hand-make the first release in early 2018, we’re eagerly waiting with anticipation.

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These eathically made sustainable undies are mighty good

Imagine if your undies were ethically made, environmentally friendly and came with a carbon offset. This was the idea for Hannah Parris and Elena Antoniou, founders of Mighty Good Undies, an ethical and sustainable underwear brand that supports communities and offsets carbon emissions from the production of each garment. 

With a decade of experience in public relations working with many brands from luxury to fast fashion, Elena started to feel there was something devastatingly wrong with the whole system and wanted to do something about it. She was drawn to develop an ethical brand that not only produced good quality garments but empowered consumers to make better choices for the planet.

Hannah, an accomplished social science researcher specialising in environmental impact, was already working in the ethical textile space and had made strong connections with internationally recognised organic and Fairtrade suppliers and production mills. She had met with organic cotton farmers and makers, and through this was able to see a positive side of the fashion industry where the production of environmentally friendly garments could sustainably support its producers and suppliers. Together, the powerhouse duo set out to create an environmentally friendly brand that encompassed high ethical standards, and in April 2016 Hannah and Elena launched Mighty Good Undies. 

With transparency at their core focus, Hannah and Elena choose to only work with trustworthy and certified farmers and manufactures to produce their garments. Their manufacture, Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills, has a partnership with cotton producers, Chetna Organics, and together the companies have Fairtrade and Organic cotton (GOTS) certifications for all Mighty Good garments. Their Fairtrade factory commits to Fairtrade benefits for all workers in addition to offering subsidised housing, educational fees for all children up to university level, free transportation to and from work, subsidised meals, medical care, interest free loans, annual bonuses and guaranteed yearly pay rises. “When you support a Fairtrade brand, it means quite simply someone was paid a living wage in a safe environment,” Elena explains. 

Hannah and Elena strive to be as conscious as they can in every decision they make. One of their core philosophies is to not use plastic packaging, instead they use certified organic cotton draw sting bags. In addition to this, they have matched up each pair of Mighty Good Undies with an internationally certified carbon emissions offset. For every garment sold, Mighty Good company purchase 1 kilogram of carbon emissions. “This is just another small way of us trying to look at our business holistically and mitigate any damage we may cause through our business,” Hannah says.

Eager to expand their range and tackle other eco-issues, Elena and Hannah are in the process of developing a washing bag that mitigates microfibres in the washing machine, a problem that has increased with the excessive use of synthetic fabrics. What mighty good work!

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Tim Silverwood - a passionate advocate for protecting our oceans

Growing up in an environmentally friendly household, Tim Silverwood developed a keen interest in sustainability throughout high school and later furthered his environmental pursuits at university and through a career in conservation. Tim spent many years throughout his twenties travelling, but it was a trip around Asia that awakened him to the true impact of plastic pollution and waste. “I was shocked and devastated to witness rivers choking on trash, beaches covered in pollution and waste being dumped directly into mountain streams. I realised that waste and pollution were serious issues and only getting worse, I wanted to do something to turn things around,” says Tim.

An avid surfer, Tim felt compelled to help the ocean he loves so dearly. In 2009, Tim’s desire to change the state of plastic pollution coincidentally lead him to two like-minded people, Amanda Marechal, and Roberta Dixon-Valk. Amanda, a keen surfer, initially came up with the idea of collecting rubbish after each surf and, after consulting with her friend Roberta, a marine ecologist, together they formed the concept of Take 3. After Tim was introduced to the pair in 2009, they decided to officially register and launch the organisation in 2010.

Witnessing pollution and littering made Tim more aware of the disconnect that exists between humankind and the biosphere that sustains us. “Humans have quickly forgotten, or conveniently ignored, the fact that we are living, breathing animals that share a remarkable biome with millions of other living creatures. We are not separate from the natural world; we are part of it. The pollution from single-use plastic and other complex human-made materials marks a key moment when a species, us, is sacrificing life for future generations and countless innocent creatures. I simply can't justify the price we are currently paying in the pursuit of a convenient lifestyle,” says Tim.

Amanda, Roberta, and Tim have always known there was something special about the #take3forthesea action. “It is so simple, catchy and gives anyone, anywhere the opportunity to give back to our spectacular planet,” says Tim. They have seen huge growth in public awareness of the Take 3 message without the need for expensive advertising campaigns or media promotions. While they have directly visited over 150,000 school students and delivered hundreds of community activities, their major impact has been through social media with the Take 3 hashtag (#take3forthesea).

In 2011, Tim joined a three-week expedition to study the accumulation of plastic in the North Pacific Sub-Tropical Gyre, commonly referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. “It was an incredible experience that opened my eyes to the vastness of the ocean and the scale of the plastic pollution pandemic,” Tim recalls. Seeing the problem firsthand motivated Tim and he began building his network of colleagues globally who were similarly committed to addressing the problem. This gave Tim the platform to stand up and demand changes with confidence. “I knew more than ever that change was critical and entirely possible,” he says.

Tim points out that there is no ‘floating island of plastic’ in the North Pacific nor in any of the five major oceanic gyres. “Yes, there are higher levels of plastic gathering in these naturally occurring ocean vortices, but the plastic is still highly dispersed, mostly small, microplastics, and not always on the surface, it descends deep into the water column,” he said. Tim believes the media has largely contributed to the misunderstanding of the ‘garbage patch’ which has resulted in lots of attention to bold plans to clean it up, but Tim says this is not the ‘silver bullet’ answer to the problem. “If we are serious about solving plastic pollution we have to stop the problem at the source. That means addressing our consumption, our waste production, our waste management and the leakage of our waste into the environment and waterways,” he says.

“I have always loved the expression that, we are the people we have been waiting for,” says Tim. “As someone who has been working on this issue for over ten years, I can proudly say that we have come an incredibly long way.” Waste and plastic pollution are now key issues discussed in all sectors of society in countries like Australia, the UK, and many other areas. Tim believes the only reason people are discussing plastic pollution solutions is because people have taken action themselves by liking photos on Instagram, signing petitions, sharing viral videos, watching documentaries, purchasing reusable products and picking up rubbish. “As Dr. Seuss writes in The Lorax, ‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not,’ " says Tim. “So, whatever you are doing, keep it up, and do a little bit more.”

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