Fermentation

[duplessis3]

I am really gettign into fermentation. Right now I have dairy kefir, water kefir, kombucha, garlic pickles, polish dill pickles and kim chi going.

I'm reading Sandor Katz' The Art of Fermentation and it is convincing me that the revolution will be fermented. My husband is already a gardener, so supposing we have an excess of anything (I don't anticipate that with the asparagus)I'm ready!

I've already used the dairy and water kefirs, which were really great, and the garlic pickles, which are nice and crunchy.

[LillyCat]

mmm, i'd love the recipe for your garlic pickles if you don't mind sharing. right now, i just have kraut, a ginger bug, and water kefir going.

[duplessis3]

Nice with the ginger bug! Did you make/grow it yourself? Right now I have green tea Kombucha, black tea Kombucha (Ithink it really helps with allergies btw), water kefir, dairy kefir, buttermilk, villi, piima, fil mjolk and caspian style yogurt. I am NEVER going back to thermogenic yogurt. The caspian stuff is awesome and no burning!

I

I am starting on some daikon korean style pickles, and some kim chi today. My husband and son are lobbying hard for mead.

This is Sandor Katz' recipe. I put in a teabag, not the leaves to keep the pickles crisp. And I don't like dill so I didnt put any dill in. If you cant find pickling cucumbers, persian or english can work.

Timeframe: 1-4 weeks

Special Equipment:

Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket

Plate that fits inside crock or bucket

1-gallon/4-liter jug filled with water, or other weight

Cloth cover

Ingredients (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

3 to 4 pounds/1.5 to 2 kilograms unwaxed

cucumbers (small to medium size)

3â„8 cup (6 tablespoons)/90 milliliters sea salt

3 to 4 heads fresh flowering dill, or 3 to 4

tablespoons/45 to 60 milliliters of any form of

dill (fresh or dried leaf or seeds)

2 to 3 heads garlic, peeled

1 handful fresh grape, cherry, oak, and/or

horseradish leaves (if available)

1 pinch black peppercorns

Process:

Rinse cucumbers, taking care to not bruise them, and making sure their blossoms are removed. Scrape off any remains at the blossom end. If you’re using cucumbers that aren’t fresh off the vine that day, soak them for a couple of hours in very cold water to freshen them.

Dissolve sea salt in ½gallon (2 liters) of water to create brine solution. Stir until salt is thoroughly dissolved.

3. Clean the crock, then place at the bottom of it dill, garlic, fresh grape leaves, and a pinch of black peppercorns.

Place cucumbers in the crock.

Pour brine over the cucumbers,place the (clean) plate over them, then weigh it down with a jug filled with water or a boiled rock. If the brine doesn’t cover the weighed-down plate, add more brine mixed at the same ratio of just under 1 tablespoon of salt to each cup of water.

Cover the crock with a cloth to keep out dust and flies and store it in a cool place.

Check the crock every day. Skim any mold from the surface, but don’t worry if you can’t get it all. If there’s mold, be sure to rinse the plate and weight. Taste the pickles after a few days.

Enjoy the pickles as they continue to ferment. Continue to check the crock every day.

Eventually, after one to four weeks (depending on the temperature), the pickles will be fully sour. Continue to enjoy them, moving them to the fridge to slow down fermentation

[duplessis3]

Man, the daikon kim chi is the bomb - it is so flavorful! Now I just have to make sure I am not the only one eating it...

[doggie]

Special Equipment:

Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket

Plate that fits inside crock or bucket

1-gallon/4-liter jug filled with water, or other weight

Cloth cover

Ingredients (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

3 to 4 pounds/1.5 to 2 kilograms unwaxed

cucumbers (small to medium size)

3â„8 cup (6 tablespoons)/90 milliliters sea salt

3 to 4 heads fresh flowering dill, or 3 to 4

tablespoons/45 to 60 milliliters of any form of

dill (fresh or dried leaf or seeds)

2 to 3 heads garlic, peeled

1 handful fresh grape, cherry, oak, and/or

horseradish leaves (if available)

1 pinch black peppercorns

I have made these and they are great .but they vary a lot on taste. but I was the only one that ate them so it was a waste. We go to a local Chinese restaurant that makes their own kimchee I get my weekly fix that way.

[duplessis3]

I totally recommend making your own kimchi at least once! That way it can be tailored exactly to your taste - this daikon kimchi is the most delicious kimchi I have ever had, and we eat Korean food a lot.

[Ellimenopy]

I've been experimenting with fermentation over the last year, but I'd never thought of doing kimchi! And I just got a giant cabbage from a farmer's market yesterday! Is there a good recipe to try? I don't even know where to start with the seasoning.

I've been doing more cheese making than fermenting, but this means I have lots of leftover whey.

[duplessis3]

I haven't done any of the whey fermentations.

I used Sandor Katz's kimchi recipe - beware though - kimchi will stink up your house as it has loads of garlic in it.

Id love to hear more about your cheese making.

Had an interesting kombucha experience - I was on vacation at my mom's house, and so I took my whole continous brew with me - the scoby didn't grow at all in SoCal, even though it was fed etc. When we came home to No NV, it is growing again very nicely! Weird.