>Cecilia, how will you ferment them, in what, for how long??
>
>Kath

I am going to borrow a large stone pot with a water "lock" on it (a
large stone that keeps the level of water higher then the contents)
that is specially made for fermenting, but you can do it glass jars.

In the european tradition of fermenting the basic rule is 1 tablespoon
of coarse salt per kilo of vegetables. The vegetables are then cut or
grated and stamped hard to squeeze some of the juice out and then kept
covered by this
salty liquid for 2 days very warm, 2 weeks at a cooler temperature and
then stored in the fridge for 6-8 weeks. An alternative is to dice
vegetables and cover them with salty water (1 tablespoon per liter
water).  Various spices are used. Here we often use dill, garlic and
horseradish. (Any food stored for a couple of days can start
fermenting, but the salt helps this process along by pulling the
juices out of the vegetables giving the lactic bacteria what they need
to eat).

Once the vegetables are finished they will keep int fridge for 6
months. So it is a great way of getting fresh vegetables during
winter.

I'm guessing in a culture like the polynesian they just dug holes in
the sand close enough to the sea to be constantly filled with extra
salty sea water.

When the vegetables are properly fermented they get tangy, crispy and
smell good. If the fermentation went wrong they go soft and smell.
People who have done it say it is easy BUT that it always goes
wrong the first time ;-)

Anyway I have lots of recipes for all sorts of vegetables, but all
with "Scandinavian" spices. In Asia they do this with different
types of spices (for ex. in Korea they call it Kimchii and use lots of
hot red peppers) and do different types of Asian brassicas and
radishes. I think if you look round you should find some recipes.
Otherwise I'll gladly send you some.

The leftover fluids can be used in soup, sallad dressings etc. It is
hard to describe how ALIVE fermented foods taste. There are some
companies that sell fermented vegetables in health food stores, but
always check that they are not pastuerized (in which case they are
dead). An easy reminder is IT HAS TO BE KEPT IN THE FRIDGE.

Anyway, I don't know if fermentation is "paleo" (it is definately a
cooler climate food), but it sure beats frozen vegetables and is far
more environmentally friendly than buying imported vegetables out of
season :-).

Cecilia in Sweden