Preserve homegrown tomatoes with lacto-fermentation
Here’s a simple recipe to encourage you to sow some tomato seeds. I like to ferment my homegrown tomatoes, especially when I have an abundance, which preserves them for a good few months. Lacto-fermenting í Â ae í° ĕ ýÓòâ íÓ Ì þ Å ý Åae .Ì ª íϚ í°³ae ³ae my favourite way of enjoying tomatoes now. All you need is some tomatoes and sea salt. Cut your tomatoes into bite-sized chunks and weigh them in a large mixing bowl. Work out what 2 per cent of the weight of the tomatoes is, then add that weight in sea salt to the mixing bowl. Stir the mixture really well then cover over with a clean kitchen towel. Leave the tomatoes for at least two hours to allow the liquid to be drawn out. Then transfer them to a sterile jar making sure the naturally created brine covers the tomatoes by about 1cm. Use a fermentation weight to keep the tomatoes submerged. You can even use a clean pebble for this. It’s really important that the tomatoes are beneath the brine during the fermentation process otherwise they could spoil. Allow the tomatoes to ferment for up to seven days. You will start seeing bubbles
forming after a day or two, so open the jar to let out any gasses every now and then. ªí â Ĕý ĄaeϚ í aeí í° íÓË íÓ ae Ђ ³ª they’re packed with òË Ë³ ĕ ýÓòâ and are tangy they’re ready; if not, leave them to ferment a little longer. Once the tomatoes have reached the level of tang you like, transfer them to the fridge where the fermentation process will slow down. Enjoy them at your leisure for up to three to four months, just always make sure everything is below the brine. This same lacto-fermentation technique can be used for many of your harvests. I pretty much ferment everything now. The more I started growing, the more I needed to preserve and fermented foods are so good for us, plus the fermentation ßâÓ aeae íâ ÌaeªÓâËae í° ĕ ýÓòâ Óª ªâò³íae and vegetables to new highs. I especially like to try this technique with cucumbers, too. Slice them into 3mm discs, add a few herbsϚ aeò ° ae ³ÅÅ ĕÓþ âaeϚ Ì some crushed garlic, then follow the same sea salt and fermentation method above. I was still eating my fermented cucumbers in February this year. Absolutely divine.
the vertical space. The one major lesson I’ve learned on this journey is you can grow in the tiniest of spaces. Even if you don’t have an outdoor area, you could look into local allotments and community growing projects – there are plenty around. Or why not try growing micro-greens, salad and herbs on your windowsill all year round?
Time to sow seeds
This year, I’m taking my growing to new heights, sowing more varieties and quantities of produce, with the goal of preserving more to see me through the winter months. In March, it begins with sowing all the essentials. I tend to start off most of my seeds in modular trays. I find I have more success germinating the seeds and have more control over them this way. Last year, my dad and I built a greenhouse, I set up a little potting table inside and that’s where I sow all my seeds. March can still be a little cold for germination so the extra protection in the greenhouse is ideal. Alternatively, you can use your windowsills inside.
I direct sow a few seeds in March, generally radish, carrot, parsnip, certain lettuce and spinach. In my modular trays under cover I sow kale, lettuce, rainbow chard, cabbage, kohlrabi, beetroot, onions, broccoli, spring onions, leeks, sunflowers, peas, nasturtiums, Brussels sprouts, coriander and pak choi.
I will also start seeds of some more tender plants, but I’ll start them inside my house in front of a window, also in