Introduction To … Circular Fermentation

After a year of researching about adapting koji fermentation to zero waste products we started to find certain paterns in the way fermentation helps at saving often looked over parts and transform them to wonderful tastemakers. Here are a couple of starter tips that can  be implemented in any type of kitchen,

What’s left of the lactoferment? Juices & Over fermentation

When fermenting, it sometimes happen you are left with some juice. Never throw this away, if you ate the whole pot, that means the ferments where good, so the juice is full of great bacteria. Use it as a tastemakers in dips, or add it in a next ferment to kickstart.
Sometimes you also have over fermented vegetables that are to sour to enjoy on it’s own. Don’t throw them eather, but use them in a pancake batter for exemple to have salted and well flavored snacks. Or…

Zero Waste Salts

You can also dry them. Lacto bacteria will stop working above 55 degrees and are easily dried that way. Mix it with salt and you have wonderfull flavoring salt. The best ratio we found at the moment is 1/4th dried up ferment and 3/4th salts. It keeps for up to 6 months without any problem and probably much longer. It also works with flavourful peals like aspergus or beetroot.

Cheong 

Another easy to start ferment are the cheong family. Traditionally from korea, and can be prepared with sugar or honey, this conservation techniques are perfect to hold onto garlic, lemon grass or other hard and full of fiber products. The most important part is to cover your fruit or vegetables completely with sugar or (crystalized) honey so no air can be in contact with the products. This will allow the right way to conserve and a couple of months later you will have some flavor bombs (6 months for the garlic, 3 months for the lemon grass)

When pealing vegetables, make leftover stock

And finally, when preparing all these wonderfull ferments, never let some great flavor makers go to waste. The peals from your products, put them in a boiling pot of water while preparing the ferments and enjoy a great leftover stock at the moment. Reduce the water content by at least half by the end of your production and keep the leftover juice, after filtering in small containers in the fridge that can be used to start any flavorfull dish