So, I want to ferment a bunch of stuff

[redsquirrel]

I am sure there are pickle and sauerkraut and kimchi making mamas here.  I really need to get started, but don't know quite what I need.

 

Here is what I have: DH and I are pretty solid on the process. We homebrew and make wine and kombucha. So, we have fermentation buckets and airlocks and know how to sanitize etc.

 

However, my kids are eating entire quarts of the amazing locally fermented pickles and sauerkraut and kimchi I can get at the local HFS in a day. It cost 10$ a bloody quart, and it is gone in a day!!  Now, I don't begrudge them the $$ because it takes time etc.  But, I can make this myself and it will be just as good!  I clearly need to clear out a corner of my basement and create my own little pickling station.

 

So, lets say I need to make about...1 quart EACH pickles, kraut and kimchi per week? Maybe less. I am assuming they won't fall on it like jackals if it is something we have around all the time. What do I need? For pickles I am guessing 2 large plastic fermentation buckets w/lid and airlock? 

 

I just don't know where to start.  I can get everything here. I can even get the red pepper for kimchi at the local Wegmans. Buckets etc I can get from the homebrew store.

 

How do you do this? Is there a book I should buy?  What does your fermenting setup look like?

 

Feel free to just link me to a blog etc if I have asked such big questions that it is all too much to type. I do that sometimes.

[Lady Marmalade]

This book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Fermentation-Flavor-Nutrition-Live-Culture/dp/1931498237/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1459705390&sr=8-3&keywords=sandor+katz

 

And his website:

 

http://www.wildfermentation.com/

 

I really wish I had room to set up a pickle station!  I have successfully fermented pickles before, and my brother makes killer kraut.

 

One thing that you may not have thought of is storage after it's fermented to the point you like it.  If you can it, you lose the good probiotics from the canning process, so you'll want to store your finished products in the fridge for longer term storage.  Do you have the space for that? 

[happi duck]

Thanks for starting this thread!

[redsquirrel]

This book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Fermentation-Flavor-Nutrition-Live-Culture/dp/1931498237/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1459705390&sr=8-3&keywords=sandor+katz

 

And his website:

 

http://www.wildfermentation.com/

 

I really wish I had room to set up a pickle station!  I have successfully fermented pickles before, and my brother makes killer kraut.

 

One thing that you may not have thought of is storage after it's fermented to the point you like it.  If you can it, you lose the good probiotics from the canning process, so you'll want to store your finished products in the fridge for longer term storage.  Do you have the space for that? 

 

I did know that b/c we have done naturally fermented drinks. You stop (really just slow down) fermentation in kombucha by putting it in the fridge. If you don't the bottles will explode. In the over 20 years we have been making beer, wine etc have never exploded anything...so far, lol.

 

I have thought I could have a larger batch and just bring up enough for the week and put it in the fridge?  Or, I guess I could talk DH into getting a cheap fridge to keep in the basement. He wouldn't mind if it meant pickles, lol. But we'd only need it in the summer. It gets quite cold down there in the winter...that would require temp monitoring...but I can live with that.

 

[redsquirrel]

I see Sandor Katz has two books:

 

The older is Wild Fermentation and was written in 2003

 

The Art of Fermentation was written in 2012

 

Anyone have an opinion on which is more useful in the day to day?

 

Off to read Amazon reviews...send help if I don't resurface for three days.  Ok, I've got coffee and I'm going in ..deep breath...

[Lady Marmalade]

I see Sandor Katz has two books:

 

The older is Wild Fermentation and was written in 2003

 

The Art of Fermentation was written in 2012

 

Anyone have an opinion on which is more useful in the day to day?

 

Off to read Amazon reviews...send help if I don't resurface for three days.  Ok, I've got coffee and I'm going in ..deep breath...

 

I've only experienced the first one.  But reading the reviews, it sounds like his newer one is NOT a recipe book.  It looks beautiful and full of information, but Wild Fermentation is actual recipes that you can follow.  There are some in the newer one too...

 

I guess it depends what you are hoping to get out of it.  Does your library have them that you could borrow and preview?

[Soror]

I would ditto the rec of Katz' book, I only have the older one too. I would say that the commercial operations(even natural ones) are hard to beat. I never could get a pickle as crispy as Bubbie's, I tried various tricks to no avail. My pickles fermented well and had good flavor, just lacked crispness. I never used any fancy equipment, when I started there weren't all the specialized crocks to buy and I never bothered to upgrade when such things became more prevalent. I used mason jars and old fashioned crocks with various make-do weights. I didn't have as much luck on kraut and my kombucha seems to get off after so many batches but pickle and various veggies did pretty good. I just jumped in and tried various recipes. Anything by Sally Fallon- UGH- her whole cookbook is (IMO) total crap. I wouldn't bother using it for recipes, there are too few that taste good/work.

Edited April 4, 2016 by soror

[redsquirrel]

Ok, thank you all so much. I will start with the first book and see where that takes me.  DH thinks we don't need any book b/c we already know what to do, but I would feel better.

 

Our local places are really good. Here's a news story about all the different choices we have:

 

http://www.ithaca.com/news/fermented-foods-turning-excess-into-product/article_99ea60b6-ba04-11e5-b053-dfb0850dd706.html

 

I will keep an eye on crispness. I always thought with natural fermentation that was a product of salt and length of fermentation time? But I will strive to do as good a job as I can!  Honestly, I am not sure exactly how crisp the local ones are. I have had Bubbies, and the local ones aren't as crisp..but they are absolutely not mushy. 

 

A looooooong time ago, I knew through work one of the couples mentioned in the article. I remember she told me all she uses is salt, water and garlic. At least I think that is what she said. Do pickles need water? I think now there is a bit of fennel seed in there. I have an empty jar of the kraut and it just says 'cabbage, salt, garlic'.

 

I have so many mason jars etc. But I like the lids with the built in airlocks.

 

But I am totally going to jump on this.  I LOVE kimchi and I have a couple really intriguing recipes I'd like to try. Given all the other stuff we do, it seems like it would fit right in.

[Soror]

It has been a while since I made pickles but what I remember using is water, salt, peppercorns and fresh dill(there are different recipes of course). My pickles weren't mushy just not as firm and crisp as the commercial naturally fermented ones. Plain kraut was about the same although IIRC some use caraway, which I don't like (if I wasn't lazy I'd get up to look up the recipe in Katz' book. The fermentation isn't that complicated so in a since I agree with your dh but then again the book has ideas and recipes for things you would never even think of, chocked full of his many years of experience, I think you'll enjoy it just to read. 

[Lady Marmalade]

When I made pickles, I followed the recipe for Spicy Crock Pickles in Linda Ziedrich's Joy of Pickling cookbook.  It called for a brine made from water, vinegar and spices, and then I also lined my pickling crock with fresh grape leaves, as those are supposed to help with crunch. 

 

The pickles were much more crunchy than a traditional home-canned pickle, but not as crunchy as store-bought.  I really don't think that store-bought crunch can be replicated at home.

 

After my pickles were done fermenting, I put them in our extra fridge for storage.  At some point, the fridge died and we didn't catch it, so the pickles developed a nice layer of mold.  I maybe could have just skimmed that off, but I though it was pretty gross, so we tossed the pickles and I haven't made them since. 

[solascriptura]

I'm fermenting three types of kimchi as I type.  If you have a question. please ask.   All the equipment you really need to make kimchi is a large bowl, colander, and a glass jar.  There is no special equipment necessary.  I

[aaplank]

I have used the Perfect Pickler which is an airlock system that attaches to a glass canning jar. So easy and foolproof. On on my phone so I can't post a link, but if you google it, it should be easy to find. Lots of recipes are included.