Lacto-Fermented Mixed Pickles

1. Combine the salt and water in a measuring jug and stir until dissolved. You can heat the water first to help the salt dissolve, but let it return to room temperature before continuing.
2. Place the chopped vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a very clean 1-litre jar. Pour the brine over the vegetables, leaving at least 2.5cm of headspace at the top. Top up with water if needed to cover everything. A small pickling weight will help hold the veg below the brine.
3. Cover the jar tightly and leave at room temperature. About once a day, open the jar to taste the pickles and release the gases produced during fermentation.
4. When the pickles taste just right to you, transfer the jar to the fridge. Cold storage largely halts fermentation, though they’ll continue to develop very slowly.

Make it your own: Almost any vegetable combination works, so use this recipe as a template. Just be sure to use whole spices rather than ground ones, which will cloud your brine. Mustard seeds, dill seeds, juniper berries, red chilli flakes, or fresh additions like dill sprigs, horseradish, ginger or thyme all bring wonderful variety.