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Green bean fermentation recipe to nourish your microbiome

Sebastian Pole

I started Herbal Reality in 2020 to share traditional, scientific and practical insights into herbal medicine that informs a deeper understanding of the power of plants and clinical herbalism.

Along with my herbal studies and clinical practice, much of what I have learned about the intricacies of the herbal world has come from my time with Pukka Herbs that I co-founded in 2001.

I have travelled to hundreds of organic farms around the world pioneering sustainable herbal value chains, rigorous quality systems and a regenerative approach to business.

I now work with Earthsong Seeds, a medicinal seed project in the UK growing over 100 species to encourage the tradition of the self-empowered apothecary; growing and making health-remedies yourself. I am also a trustee of Earthsong Foundation and serve on the Advisory Board of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

I have written Ayurvedic Medicine: The Principles of Traditional Practice, A Pukka Life, and Cleanse, Nurture, Restore with Herbal Tea.

Fermenting has always been a part of food cultures, until recent years. In this article, we share with you a delicious and healthy fermented recipe.

Fermenting foods seems to have been at the heart of our food culture forever. Until recently. With the industrialisation of food and our increasing separation from natural food culture, we somehow forgot about how much food is fermented and how good it is for us.

green beans fermentation recipe to nourish your microbiome

As ‘fermentation revivalist’ and catalyst for the surge of interest in all things ‘fermented’ Sandor Katz says, “Fermentation makes foods more nutritious, as well as delicious. Microscopic organisms – our ancestors and allies – transform food and extend its usefulness. Fermentation is found throughout human cultures. Hundreds of medical and scientific studies confirm what folklore has always known: Fermented foods help people stay healthy. Many of your favourite foods and drinks are probably fermented. For instance: Bread, Cheese, Wine, Beer, Mead, Cider, Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Pickles, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Salami, Miso, Tempeh, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Yogurt, Kefir, Kombucha.”

The confirmation of the central importance of a balanced microbiome to our overall health – especially the gut-brain-immunity health relationship – backs up traditional habits of preserving foods and including them as an essential and regular part of the diet. As all vegetables, fruits and herbs are covered in some lactic acid, when they are placed in an appropriately acid environment, beneficial Lactobacillus bacteria will flourish as the vegetables ferment. When eaten this helps to enhance overall microbial diversity. There is some interesting experimentation fermenting therapeutic herbs such as ginger and turmeric to release more potency. You can also learn more about the importance of our microbiome and how plants can support it in our article “Plants and the gut microbiome: Prebiotics and postbiotics“. 

The simplest method is using salt, aiming for 5-6% concentration. You can either just rub salt on the vegetables as in the traditional sauerkraut method, or use a salt brine as olives and gherkins are commonly fermented in. Here’s a simple recipe using brine and green beans with some herbs, so you can try it at home.

Sebastian Pole

I started Herbal Reality in 2020 to share traditional, scientific and practical insights into herbal medicine that informs a deeper understanding of the power of plants and clinical herbalism. Along... Read more

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