Fermented Vegetables

[kib]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV2mQlfgyj4&list=UUadP42o-1XSTgTwchg_QFeA

Peak Moment has just interviewed Kirsten K. Shockey and Christopher Shockey about how to ferment your own veggies for kraut, kimchi, pickles and other food. They got their start from Nourishing Traditions, recently mentioned here re broths.

[herbgeek]

I'm just starting to get into this. I did some pickled daikon the other year without really knowing what I was doing. This summer I made a carrot/daikon mix for a Bahn Mi, as well as fermented jalapenos. This past week I preserved some lemons. Just purchased "Fermented Vegetables" from Storey Publishing, and purchased some glass weights (I ferment in pint jars instead of larger crocks- this holds the veggies under the brine). Next year I hope to do much more.

[kib]

I'm watching it now, and she's saying that some of these fermented veggies can last up to a year in the fridge! That could actually be quite convenient. Yes, that's their book, "Fermented Vegetables".

[pinkytoe]

Funny you should mention this as I tried my first sauerkraut a few weeks ago. Just did one head of cabbage as a trial. This past weekend we went to the Fermentation Festival here in Austin and they featured Sandor Katz who is some sort of fermenting guru. I went to the sauerkraut workshop and learned that my internet self-education about on it missed a few points. Oxygen and metal utensils are your enemy. I made mine in the crockpot ceramic liner but didn't have a good tight lid. In any case, I let it sit a week, put it in the fridge and have been eating a bit every day. It tastes fine but is very squeaky. Obviously it needed more time too. I think if made correctly it does last a very long time.

[kib]

Funny you should mention this as I tried my first sauerkraut a few weeks ago. Just did one head of cabbage as a trial. This past weekend we went to the Fermentation Festival here in Austin and they featured Sandor Katz who is some sort of fermenting guru. I went to the sauerkraut workshop and learned that my internet self-education about on it missed a few points. Oxygen and metal utensils are your enemy. I made mine in the crockpot ceramic liner but didn't have a good tight lid. In any case, I let it sit a week, put it in the fridge and have been eating a bit every day. It tastes fine but is very squeaky. Obviously it needed more time too. I think if made correctly it does last a very long time. The video is a good tutorial - you can skip to about 13:45 to get at the how-to-part. They actually "scrunch" the cabbage to help break down the cell walls a bit and create a brine. And their method here really doesn't use anything but cabbage, salt, 2 different size glass jars and a tea towel, not even a lid.

ETA - I just tried making my first batch, probably over salted it. Found it ironic, I was so over the moon about no-knead bread and here I am, kneading cabbage instead. >8)

[ApatheticNoMore]

What do you eat sauerkraut with (don't say hotdogs .... :laff: ). I find most of these things uh .... hard to like. But I could totally do the salt lemons I've wanted to for a long time.

[kib]

What do you eat sauerkraut with (don't say hotdogs .... :laff: ). I find most of these things uh .... hard to like. But I could totally do the salt lemons I've wanted to for a long time. My mom usually just serves pickled beets or kraut as a side dish with something that's got fat on it, like a pork chop, or is really bland like mashed potatoes. That's what I plan to do with my kraut, use it as a second vegetable. The thing I've heard about home made naturally fermented veggies is that you can adjust the sourness so it's not like eating a mouthful of cleaning vinegar, and you can add other flavors like garlic or herbs so you've got more flavor as well. I'm not a huge commercial sauerkraut fan either, hoping I'll like this better. Already have my first little jar sitting on the counter, if nothing else, it's super simple to do.

Salt lemons?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Salt lemons?

http://whatscookingamerica.net/KarenCalanchini/PreservedLemons.htm
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Preserved-Lemons-231570

I don't know if it's technically fermentation really or more just brining or salt preserving. It's a Mediterranean recipe, then they are used with cooked fish or chicken or veggies. I figured that is what was meant by "preserving lemons" if there are other ways to preserve them I don't know it.

[kib]

They certainly look pretty. I'm not sure I've ever eaten one. So the flavor is different from lemon? Or just less tart? I see they are "very powerful" ... if they're not sour, what is their super power? Can they fly? That would certainly be worth making! :D

[kib]

OOh, it's like magic! Stick cabbage in a jar with salt, wait 2 weeks, eat delicious pickled veggie. Ate the whole jar (half a head of cabbage) in one afternoon, unfortunately.

[pinkytoe]

I eat a spoonful of my kraut everyday. It is surprisingly yummy - at least to me. Even my weiner dog loves it!

[kib]

Ok, I now have to ask those of you who ferment your own veggies: Am I supposed to add some of my old brine to my next batch, or is that not how lacto fermentation works? I'm thinking it's like vinegar mother and adding some of the old juice would give things a head start, but maybe not?

[herbgeek]

I don't find it necessary to reuse brine but I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything.

[creaker]

Ok, I now have to ask those of you who ferment your own veggies: Am I supposed to add some of my old brine to my next batch, or is that not how lacto fermentation works? I'm thinking it's like vinegar mother and adding some of the old juice would give things a head start, but maybe not?

I would think if you had a batch that you liked, introducing some of the old brine would help induce the same cultures in the new one, rather than leaving it to chance.

[SteveinMN]

Am I supposed to add some of my old brine to my next batch, or is that not how lacto fermentation works?
It's not at all a requirement. In fact, you may find yourself adjusting a little more than usual. Lactofermentation relies on balancing bacterial activity; too little salt and the bad guys run rampant; too much and you kill the good guys. Just don't treat the "old" brine as water (that is, without adjusting the amount of salt used in the rest of the solution); if you do, eventually you will have too saline a solution.

[kib]

Lol, Steve. Now you have me worried, for the first batch I watched the Shockey's video and threw in about as much salt as it looked like they used, that was my careful saline calibration. Maybe I should stick with my luck and do what worked the first time. :-)

[SteveinMN]

Lol, Steve. Now you have me worried, for the first batch I watched the Shockey's video and threw in about as much salt as it looked like they used, that was my careful saline calibration.
Well, fermentation measurement isn't as specific as baking measurement is. But I'll bet everyone who has pickled for a while has a tale (or two) about a batch that went bad for lack of salt or was unpleasantly/inedibly salty because the salinity was out of whack. I wouldn't worry; I'd just be mindful of each step of the process. The treat-brine-as-water scheme would work for a while -- maybe quite a while if one got used to the additional saltiness. Eventually, though, it would be bad news.

[kib]

You're absolutely right, I shouldn't let fear of salty cabbage ruin my day. I did, however, add garlic to this last batch, not thinking about the fact that I ferment with only cloth covering my jar, so now I have stinky garlic house smell concerns instead. >8)