i lived for almost two years without a fridge when i first moved out of seattle in 2008. i was living off the grid and we grew some of our own produce. i loved how it encouraged me to eat things right away and to simplify my diet. one of the guides in this time that helped me and those i was living with to get on board with traditional food preservation was the book 'nourishing traditions' by sally fallon. there is a good recipe in there for fermented bean dip that i used with success. all the talk of beans going bad made me want to offer it here. it is basically like making sauerkraut but with beans and other ingredients that you would normally put in a dip.
i like to mash up the beans to make the dip easier to keep on a chip. they can also be left whole for something more like a chunky salsa. for a quart jar full of dip use about three cups of beans. mix in a bowl with a couple tomatoes, several sprigs of fresh cilantro, a medium-sized red onion, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper to taste. if you have fresh hot peppers use those instead of or in addition to the cayenne. green bell pepper can be nice to add some dimension to the flavor. just play with it and add or subtract what you like!
when all the ingredients are well mixed put them in a jar. do your best to avoid air pockets. a chop stick works well if there are air pockets down in the jar, but they can be avoided by careful packing. before putting the lid on add about a quarter cup of whey to encourage the good bacteria. you can get whey from a tub of yogurt or your local cheese maker. if you are vegan it could work to use some kraut or kim chi liquid. put the lid on just tight enough that it is sealed, but air can still force itself out with the pressure from fermentation in the jar. after a few days to a week at room temp the dip in the jar will begin to expand and you will see air pockets throughout the jar. it will proceed to get more and more sour like yogurt or other lacto-ferments.
hope this helps you go fridge free with a smile!
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