Fermentation Experimentation

[Rosie_0801]

We need a youtube vid, Bill. 

 

:w00t:

[Spy Car]

Yeah, to us "pickles" are those Branson type chutney things. I'm yet to decipher the difference between what we call pickles and what we call chutney. As far as I can tell, they are both nasty sweet things that ought to be savoury. Maybe the difference is the colour? Pickles are yellow and chutneys are red?

 

I don't think anyone uses the phrasing "cucumber pickles." We have gherkins and if it is a pickled cucumber that doesn't rightly seem to be a gherkin, it is a pickled cucumber. 

 

Of course, it isn't "cucumber pickles," it's pickled cucumber (what was I thinking? :D)

 

Remind us again how you don't fall off the planet when you're hanging upside down.

 

Bill

Edited November 4, 2016 by Spy Car

[Rosie_0801]

Ok. My mother has also established that "making pickles" doesn't necessarily mean the yellow, sloppy stuff.

 

 

Actually she's on the phone right now talking me though one of her old cookbooks to find the official difference between pickles, chutneys and relishes.

[Liz CA]

I don't think the fancy pots make any difference other than convenience.

 

I should get one for my mum...

 

I am thinking I could make a larger batch without having 5 mason jars sitting on the counter.

I was also thinking / hoping that there was some magic in the stone/ceramic of these pots... :lol:

[Rosie_0801]

For magic you would need a kitchen witch!

 

 

I have one because my grandmother had one, but I never asked why she had one. She was English so I supposed I must have thought that was the sort of thing English grandmas did. :lol:

[Rosie_0801]

I'm going to make some experiments with celeriac when dd is out of the kitchen.

 

I'm going to try pickling in vinegar like Regentrude was talking about a couple of months back, and try making a lacto-fermented version too.

[Liz CA]

I'm going to make some experiments with celeriac when dd is out of the kitchen.

 

I'm going to try pickling in vinegar like Regentrude was talking about a couple of months back, and try making a lacto-fermented version too.

 

Are you using vinegar and water? I have only used water, whey and salt so far.

 

Has anyone ever used these starter cultures:

http://www.cuttingedgecultures.com/about-us-starter-culture/

 

and if so, is it worth it?

[Rosie_0801]

Are you using vinegar and water? I have only used water, whey and salt so far.

 

Has anyone ever used these starter cultures:

http://www.cuttingedgecultures.com/about-us-starter-culture/

 

and if so, is it worth it?

 

Regentrude said: "Cut it in slices, boil in a water/vinegar mix until soft, put in a crock and let it sit for a few weeks."

 

So I'm going to do that.

 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the lacto-fermented batch. Probably consult Sandor Katz's book and see what he thinks. I'll probably just use salt.

 

 

 

$22.95 sounds like a lot of money to spend on fermenting veggies that will ferment themselves. The only inoculant I've used was for making tempeh.

[Liz CA]

 

$22.95 sounds like a lot of money to spend on fermenting veggies that will ferment themselves. The only inoculant I've used was for making tempeh.

 

My thoughts exactly. I've just made an excellent batch of my favorite beet/carrot/apple mix and since the temps were a moderate F70-75 in the house, it turned out great without starter culture..and without a crock. Still trying to decide if I want one for Christmas.

[Rosie_0801]

Alrighty. After meaning to try fermenting carrots for an age or two, I finally decided internal motivation was no longer a properly operating function, so I bought a 5kg bag figuring I'd respond to the external pressure of the carrots shaming me. Anyhow, it worked and I've set up a 3kg crock of carrot sticks flavoured with celery seed and caraway seed. I'm going to do a smaller jar flavoured with garlic and I'll have to scrounge around to see what else is here to flavour the third. 

 

I'm also about to google lacto-fermented eggs, since we have a glut here. I think I am frightened of fermented eggs. Can anyone reassure me they won't mutate and take over the world?

[idnib]

Ginger is a good flavor for the 3rd. It's one of my favorite ferments!

[Rosie_0801]

I think I've only got jarred ginger around. That seems like a kind of manky thing to throw in?

[idnib]

I think I've only got jarred ginger around. That seems like a kind of manky thing to throw in?

 

Had to look what "manky" means. No Google, I don't mean "lanky".

 

Is it powdered? Wet or dry?

[idnib]

Another option is a Mexican-style carrot pickle with a spicy pepper and oregano.

[Rosie_0801]

Had to look what "manky" means. No Google, I don't mean "lanky".

 

Is it powdered? Wet or dry?

 

I may have dried, but I know I have wet stuff in a jar.

[Rosie_0801]

Another option is a Mexican-style carrot pickle with a spicy pepper and oregano.

 

That's a possibility. I have some dried chillies around waiting for a rainy day, and today is rainy. Dried or fresh oregano? I think I have both.

[rose]

Garlic and dill is yummy with carrots too.

 

As a side note, this is my new favourite thread. I love fermenting food. I just made a 5 gallon pail full of sauerkraut yesterday. I have an older batch of red cabbage kraut in my fridge and the remnants of a bucket of fermented onions in there as well. I also keep a sourdough starter for bread, which reminds me, I need to put together the bread shortly. I constantly feed the starter in the afternoon and then forget to put together the bread in the evening. I'll probably do some carrots and turnips this week and my dc have been bugging me for some yogurt. Does anyone have a suggestion for incubating a gallon sized bucket of yogurt? Any less than this and my yogurt would be instantly gone. My dc love yogurt. When your eggs are done let us know how they turn out. I might give them a try.

 

One of these days I'm going to break down and try homemade soy sauce. That process is truly intimidating. Basically you mix together rice bran (or flour) and ground soy beans until you have a consistancy that you can make a patty out of. Then you let them thoroughly mould all over. At this point you submerge the mould patties in brine and let them ferment for several months in a sunny window. The juice is then strained and that is your soy sauce. Sounds delicious doesn't it?!

[Rosie_0801]

The soy sauce sounds truly terrifying.

 

I fully intend to do dilly carrots, but my dill isn't big enough to harvest yet. I settled with one garlic and one ancho chilli. I hope they turn out edible.

 

How did you do your onions? I was reading they are one of the few veggies that really require a starter.

 

This is more or less what I'm going to do with the eggs. http://naturalfamilytoday.com/nutrition/true-pickled-eggs/

 

 

[idnib]

I've made the carrots with both fried and fresh oregano. I think if would pick fresh if I had both.

 

I bet you can get away with the wet ginger if it's not preserved. But I think the oregano is sounding better to me.

 

I went through a phase of adding fresh dill to all my ferments and I later regretted it as their flavor profiles were too similar.

[Rosie_0801]

I'll save the oregano idea until mine looks a bit healthier in the Spring, I think. I've put a chilli into one though. 

 

I hope it turns out!

 

I still have a whole lot of carrots here too...

 

It might be time to bring out some smaller jars and try some shredded.

 

Oh man. There's so much carrot here I'm not sure whether I should hope they don't work! 

[Rosie_0801]

Okay. I'm going to flavour the eggs with leek leaves, rocket (arugula) and oxalis, since that's what is in my yard!

 

Wish me luck. :D

[Liz CA]

Okay. I'm going to flavour the eggs with leek leaves, rocket (arugula) and oxalis, since that's what is in my yard!

 

Wish me luck. :D

 

Interesting. Let us know how it turns out.

I tend to ferment the same combo over and over because I like it so much.

We often have lots of eggs from the CSA basket. Would be worth a try to give the eggs a different twist.

 

[Rosie_0801]

I had the first of the eggs just now. It was quite good. It didn't taste like rocket/arugula, leek leaves or really oxalis, but it was good. I thought the oxalis would add an almost sweetness and it did.

[Liz CA]

Did you follow the recipe in the link. I am checking it out for future use.

[Rosie_0801]

Did you follow the recipe in the link. I am checking it out for future use.

 

Only for guidance on how much salt to use. Otherwise I put in the greens I had in my yard because they don't cost anything.

[TravelingChris]

Oh this is a cool thread.  I have made pickles before (cucumber ones) and they were really good. But that was long ago.  I have also made sourdough bread.  Now I think I might start experimenting.

[desertstrawberry5]

Alrighty. After meaning to try fermenting carrots for an age or two, I finally decided internal motivation was no longer a properly operating function, so I bought a 5kg bag figuring I'd respond to the external pressure of the carrots shaming me. Anyhow, it worked and I've set up a 3kg crock of carrot sticks flavoured with celery seed and caraway seed. I'm going to do a smaller jar flavoured with garlic and I'll have to scrounge around to see what else is here to flavour the third. 

 

I'm also about to google lacto-fermented eggs, since we have a glut here. I think I am frightened of fermented eggs. Can anyone reassure me they won't mutate and take over the world?

 

I'm thinking about doing a mexican carrot salad with milder peppers than usual so that my kids will eat it. 

 

I would be iffy about lacto fermenting eggs. D does refrigerator pickles with his eggs. 

 

I haven't started fermenting yet, as my kitchen still isn't finished and We're just not there yet. I do have seeds sprouting right now, so that's a bit of a start, right?

 

EDIT: I haven't started fermenting in our new house. I have fermented many things in the past. 

Edited August 9, 2017 by desertstrawberry5

[Rosie_0801]

I would be iffy about lacto fermenting eggs. D does refrigerator pickles with his eggs. 

 

Eggs don't lacto-ferment, so I found out when I was reading up. The weeds I put in for flavour are though.

 

Someone in another group told me about iron eggs. They sound, um, fun.

[desertstrawberry5]

ah Rosie! You did the eggs! And you ate them. You are a brave soul. 

 

Could I have a bit more detail on the cheater kombucha? How long does it sit? How much sugar? Does it fizz? I did a chai kombucha, but I did it wrong and it never fizzed, and I did n't drink it :(

[desertstrawberry5]

Eggs don't lacto-ferment, so I found out when I was reading up. The weeds I put in for flavour are though.

 

Someone in another group told me about iron eggs. They sound, um, fun.

 

 

Yeah. I'm gonna pass on the iron egg. Not as bad as the   century egg.I have made tea eggs. They taste a bit breakfasty. 

[idnib]

I'm trying the mouse melons this week. Maybe with mint?

[Rosie_0801]

ah Rosie! You did the eggs! And you ate them. You are a brave soul. 

 

Could I have a bit more detail on the cheater kombucha? How long does it sit? How much sugar? Does it fizz? I did a chai kombucha, but I did it wrong and it never fizzed, and I did n't drink it :(

 

How do you know you did your chai kombucha incorrectly? 

 

Lazy girl kombucha is not "cheating" I'll have you know. It's very sensibly not making mountains out of mole hills. *nods sagely*

 

Anyway, it sits as long as it needs to and you bung in the amount of sugar you bung in. It fizzes if it wants to. I don't care enough to work out proper measurements because, as already stated, I'm too lazy.

 

Basically, if it is too sweet it isn't ready, if it is too sour, it is hungry. As long as it's not mouldy, it's fine. Fine may or may not be pleasant to consume. But it will be if you use that Dilmah rose and vanilla tea. Ooh yes indeedy.

 

 

 

I've just sampled my carrots. Two out of three batches are tasty. The third tastes like antiseptic. I don't know how that happened, but :ack2:

 

 

Tea eggs, eh? I'll have to look that up. I can't imagine it is good, but my imagination isn't perfect.

[Rosie_0801]

I'm trying the mouse melons this week. Maybe with mint?

 

Mouse melons sound adorable, even though I don't like mice.

[Tina]

Ah, the rose kombucha is a lazy girl recipe.

 

Buy Dilmah Rose and French Vanilla tea. 

Make up a batch of it and put in some sugar.

Pour into the scoby pot.

Binge on it.

 

 

One of these years I will have to get into this second ferment business, but in the meantime I use flavoured teas. I picked up some packets of tea from the Chinese shop the other month with goji berries, hawthorn fruit and all sorts of other interesting stuff. They're pretty good too.

I've made my kombucha with different teas several times and it's worked fine.  I then flavor a glass here or there by adding a few blueberries or such and letting them flavor it while I slowly drink it.  

[mytwomonkeys]

I had kombucha, water kefir & milk kefir going for a few years. I've since switched to drinking water only and my family doesn't drink it so I stopped. My favorite was probably grape "soda" with the water kefir. My first fermentation was with the grains, sugar, a dab of molasses and a couple of raisins. My second fermentation was with the water kefir only and organic grape juice. It tasted so carbonated and so yummy!!!

[idnib]

Mouse melons sound adorable, even though I don't like mice.

 

I have to put them in today. I put it off because I opened the crock with my string beans int it and it smelled terrible, like acetone. So I popped the lid back on and went to bed. I was way too tired to deal with that. I'm going to have to clean all that out today.  :ack2:

[desertstrawberry5]

How do you know you did your chai kombucha incorrectly? 

 

Lazy girl kombucha is not "cheating" I'll have you know. It's very sensibly not making mountains out of mole hills. *nods sagely*

 

Anyway, it sits as long as it needs to and you bung in the amount of sugar you bung in. It fizzes if it wants to. I don't care enough to work out proper measurements because, as already stated, I'm too lazy.

 

Basically, if it is too sweet it isn't ready, if it is too sour, it is hungry. As long as it's not mouldy, it's fine. Fine may or may not be pleasant to consume. But it will be if you use that Dilmah rose and vanilla tea. Ooh yes indeedy.

 

 

 

I've just sampled my carrots. Two out of three batches are tasty. The third tastes like antiseptic. I don't know how that happened, but :ack2:

 

 

Tea eggs, eh? I'll have to look that up. I can't imagine it is good, but my imagination isn't perfect.

 

I forgot the sugar, then added it later, after it had cooled. It probably should have been fine, but it didn't fizz and I just didn't trust it. The ones I've had were so fizzy. 

 

Far be it from  me to disparage your methods, or great one. I am all for an easy way to booch. The second ferment seems unnecessary to me. 

[Rosie_0801]

I forgot the sugar, then added it later, after it had cooled. It probably should have been fine, but it didn't fizz and I just didn't trust it. The ones I've had were so fizzy. 

 

It would have been fine. 

 

Sometimes I throw a handful of sugar on top when I realise it needs feeding and I haven't time to make up the tea just then.

[Rosie_0801]

I'm trying this out: https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/recipe/lacto-fermentation-recipes/lacto-fermented-lettuce with wild lettuce out of the yard and rocket/arugala from the shop because the dregs of mine have bolted.

 

I bet it's going to be nasty!  :laugh:

[Rosie_0801]

It wasn't inedible, but it wasn't worth eating either. :lol:

 

 

I've just made up some sauerkraut. I've tried one jar with celery seed and one with caraway to see if that nasty antiseptic flavour I got with my carrot experiment happens again.

[Ausmumof3]

Am I the only one that thinks Big Bang theory every time I see this topic?

[Rosie_0801]

I didn't get the antiseptic flavour this time, but I have concluded that celery seed isn't a nice flavouring for fermented veggies.

[DawnM]

I used to have water kefir going all the time, but stopped.  My gut health was better with it.  But I need to find some grains to start again.  

[Rosie_0801]

I used to have water kefir going all the time, but stopped.  My gut health was better with it.  But I need to find some grains to start again.  

 

Mine melted into a weird flat shape. I don't think they are meant to do that. Somehow I find water kefir more of an effort than kombucha, but it is probably just that I was in the habit of making kombucha and never got into the habit of the water kefir.

[DawnM]

I need to like some fermented foods.  I just don't.  Or it gives me gas (sorry, is that too much info?) 

I am having some horrible intestinal issues and wish I could figure out how to fix it.

[solascriptura]

I need to like some fermented foods. I just don't. Or it gives me gas (sorry, is that too much info?)

I am having some horrible intestinal issues and wish I could figure out how to fix it.

What fermented foods have you eaten that give you gas? There are other types that can give the probiotics you want without the gas.

[Rosie_0801]

My batch of Chinese cabbage and radishes turned out very nicely. I'm currently cooking potato to add to a new batch of sauerkraut. Apparently adding mashed potato is the right and true path in a village in Poland somewhere. I'm not sure if I'm going to be brave enough to eat it. There's something about mashed potato that says "do not ferment this" to me!

 

 

Does anyone have any tips on what adjustments need to be made due to the presence or absence of light when fermenting? In glass jars, it all turns out nicely. In the crock, I haven't managed it yet.

[idnib]

What's going wrong with the crock? I've never found a difference wrt light so I'm intrigued.

[Rosie_0801]

What's going wrong with the crock? I've never found a difference wrt light so I'm intrigued.

 

Light is the only difference I can think of. Maybe it is something else, though.

 

Whenever I try anything in the crock, it develops a nasty antiseptic smell. 

[idnib]

Hmm. Is the crock porous or does it have a crack or hard-to-reach area where there might be some mold hiding? You could sanitize it and see if that makes a difference.