The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: Anke on January 24, 2018, 05:14:19 pm
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Just set up my 1st ever Sauerkraut... fingers crossed. It was on my 2018-to-do list, and pleased that I managed to fit it in in January! Anyway, may all go horribly wrong and maybe whiffy...
Anyone else doing any?
There seem to be weird and wonderful things out there in the www.... like fruit fermented in honey (maybe worth a try), all sorts of veggie combinations (definitely worth a try), something called Kombucha (which I haven't come across and doesn't sound appealing at all), I already have made Kefir (but managed to kill the grains in autumn unfortunately - so need to source new ones for new milk supply starting in a couple of weeks), and usually have a sourdough starter on the go.
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Done carrots. Grated and batons. I was amazed how much the jars bubbled. Tasted not bad.
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I was going to make kimchi and sauerkraut, even bought the jars from Lakeland, but when I went to pick the cabbages, the caterpillars and slugs had demolished the lot, from the inside out :rant: . Ah well, there's always this season to try again.
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Well I had to go and buy a couple of cabbages... I don't even have kale in the garden this year... as dummy here forgot to sow it...
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I Make a varient of the hot n sour source in Sandor Katz's Art of fermentation.
Roughly chop an onion and a a few garlic.
Roughly chop peppers and chillis at a ratio that seems about right for your spiciness preference.
Mix all together and weigh add about 2% salt less would almost certainly be OK as well. Give a good squeeze to get moisture out.
Pack tightly into jar and cut a plastic/wood disk (not metal) to fit inside and press down by hand and then weigh down with a jar.
Check after 24 hrs that enough moisture has come from the veg to cover them if not top up with a little water.
Ferment for ages - i often let this go a month or more - taste as it goes to see how sour it is and stop when you like it.
Don't worry about white mould only black and colourful ones.
Blend and put in fridge to slow down ferment.
May not like metal lids on jars.
I am usually eating this right through to the next pepper season, it lasts forever in the fridge.
Although everyone says you shouldn't make sour pickles from large cukes i have had success.
Half cukes and scrape out seeds and watery bit.
Cut to size i do large thick battons about the right length for the jar.
Sprinkle over 4 level tsp salt and toss well.
Put in colander over bowl for 24 hours give occasional shake to help the water out.
Mix up the drained juice to 1ltr with spring water mix cukes around in it to wash off salt.
Pack cuckes into jar with spices and pour over the brine to cover. I used a few whole coriander, a bay leaf and some dried dill.
Leave to ferment at room temperature tasting daily and put in fridge when they are good flavour - they go quick a day or 3 should do it.
These lasted a couple of months and stayed crunchy.
Pickled chili
Wash hole chilli's and pack in jar with 5% brine keep on cool dark shelf until ready to eat very nice and crunchy, maybe add some seeds coriander, mustard, cumin etc.
Enjoy
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Everyone in my family used to pikle cucumbers/gherkins on different types.
Also mushrooms (yuuuuk!), cabbage (yum!)
You should have told me you need kefir grains as I through away quite a lot recently because there was to much. They double in volume every couple of weeks so i will have some more available very soon!
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I Make a varient of the hot n sour source in Sandor Katz's Art of fermentation.
I like the idea of fermented chillies - if I get a good crop will definitely try it. This year's plants have just gone from the propagator to the light box...
Unfortunately the Sandor Katz books are quite expensive (and seemingly not available secondhand any cheaper!) and my local library hasn't got them, so they are on the wish list... which is already very long...
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You should have told me you need kefir grains as I through away quite a lot recently because there was to much. They double in volume every couple of weeks so i will have some more available very soon!
I am not sure how well they would post, as I am in the Scottish Borders... but if there is a way of posting some I am interested!
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They post well.
I got mine from eBay lol
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Yes Anke The Art of Fermentation was expensive but very good. Not full of receipes so much as a world tour of techniques with various methods described. Well worth it in my opinion - but probably mainly for folk who are confident in the kitchen - not that much step by step instruction..
Other thing I am trying at the moment (slightly forgot about actually!) Is green tomatoes in a brine... hmm m will have to go taste them see how they are after 12 weeks!!