“Ugh, what is that….?!!”, when people see the jars in my kitchen, their face says it all, even if they are trying to be polite.

Sigh. If they only knew how they would feel if they regularly ate these foods? Trying to persuade people only makes it worse, they have to want to try. I can offer to share what I know, but I don’t try to force the issue; if they ask and are interested I can share.

So would you like to eat these foods, but you’re not sure how? Well, it can be like Olives, at first you may not like them but over time they are delicious, you even crave them. Fermented vegetables may be difficult to enjoy at first, but its certainly worth persevering. Here are 5 ways to get you started.

5 easy tips to get you started on eating that jar of Fermented Veggies you have made….you’ll be craving them in no time.

1 – Mayonnaise – Mix with mayonnaise, to make a coleslaw. (Mix with shop bought coleslaw is also easy peasy).

Any mayonnaise, it’s the beginning of a journey, just eating fermented food with your usual diet is enough at first to start you on your way. Eat just like normal coleslaw, in a sandwich, on a jacket potato, as a side to cheese and meats.

2 – Pickle – pickles used to be lacto-fermented. Now they are mainly sterile, pasteurised and use white vinegar. Mix some of your veggies in with your pickle. If you like a cheese and pickle sandwich, chutney on your crackers, ensure to add a little fermented vegetables to supercharge your food.

3 – Salad dressing.  Mix your salad dressing with a few tablespoons of the fermented vegetable liquid. The liquid itself is a fantastic source of probiotics. It is salty, sour and tangy so perfect for substituting the vinegar and salt in a salad dressing.

4 – Pasta and Rice Salads – Cold rice and pasta salads are perfect for adding your fermented vegetables too. They can be mixed with sour cream, coleslaw, oil, they will add the salty vinegary taste to the salad and make it extra tasty. Summer barbecue?   Make sure those sides are full of probiotics.

5 – Stir-fry – Heating kills the probiotics but a stir-fry is okay, just add the fermented vegetables in last just to warm through, don’t fry them for ages with the rest of the meal. I do cook with my fermented vegetables, to get the benefit of the taste and texture but I already have an abundance of fermented probiotics in my gut and cooking with Fermented Vegetables is the next stage of using large quantities and enjoying the flavour.

I cannot emphasize enough just have a go, use these ideas and let your imagination run riot. Fermenting is not new, we have just lost some of the art and with it the health benefits to our gut flora.

How to make Lacto Fermented Vegetables here.