Some of these questions may be answered elsewhere. I tried to search for them, but I'm not having one of my better days and I don't have the patience to poke through all of the potential hits. Sorry if any of these questions are repeats. :-/

I'm been reading "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Ellix Katz. Interesting book but it raised several questions and I wonder what has been the experience of others. First, what has been your experience with vegetable ferments, sauerkrauts, kimchis, and the like? In particular, how does fermentation impact starchy root vegetables, e.g., does the starch remain "encapsulated" or does the starch because "available" as with cooking? Second, I'm very interested in miso. Does fermentation "digest" any of the starches from the beans?

Thanks in advance and again, sorry if I'm rehashing old information.

http://heal-thyself.ning.com/group/sharingstartercultures

Might find this of interest -

I don't know for certain, but I suspect that if it was starchy to begin with, it'll be starchy (to some degree) at the end. Personally, I don't eat any starchy foods regardless if they are fermented or not. (The only exception is garlic and ginger.) I've had mixed results with sauerkraut. I think cabbage cores are starchy and that is why some batches are more problematic than others.

Good luck!