Anyone into fermented foods?

[CathyA]

I'm thinking about making more of these. I bought some saurkraut, but then read that in things like that today, they use vinegar and they aren't really fermented, so the good bacteria isn't there.
Anyone have any favorite recipes for fermented veggies?

[puglogic]

CathyA, rush right out and get this Book from the library or used book site:

Wild Fermentation (http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=wild+fermentation&x=0&y=0) by Sandor Katz

I love fermented foods, love that book and have done many of the recipes in it -- really fun.

[reader99]

A few years ago I bought a pickling crock and vegetable starter and have been making saurkraut at home ever since. It ferments in the crock for 7-14 day, and keeps for months in the freezer and weeks in the refrigerator. I've bought starters from Wilderness Family Naturals and Caldwells. The starter isn't absolutely necessaru, but I ;ike feeling more sure that the batch is going to turn out. I like to put caraway seed in it.

[CathyA]

Thanks puglogic and reader!
pug.....I'll check that book out!
I made sauerkraut a long time ago, in the basement and canned it.
Looked too unappetizing to ever eat! This stuff I'll just do in the kitchen.
Do you think this stuff helps your GI tract?

[Mrs-M]

Not typically, but now that Puglogic posted the great read I'm definitely going to reconsider. I'm going to venture to say that fermented foods/drink are definitely beneficial to ones health and balance.

[Zoebird]

yup!

we make sauerkraut, kimchee, pickles, and fermented salsa. :D YUM!

[CathyA]

I have a clear glass jug with a tight-fitting jar. Is it okay for the fermenting stuff to get light?

[reader99]

The sauerkraut contains the lactase enzymes I need to survive the situation when I accidentally eat dairy. Here's a site about enzymes: http://www.enzyme-facts.com/

[frugal-one]

I also made a tomato relish that was fermented. I am taking a class early December on vegetable fermentation. It should be interesting.

[Jemima]

I have a clear glass jug with a tight-fitting jar. Is it okay for the fermenting stuff to get light?

I think it probably should be kept in a dark place otherwise you could end up with some really unappetizing-looking stuff. Most recipes call for a ceramic crock or other opaque container.

I haven't done any fermenting yet, but I'm looking for a crock. Thanks to Puglogic for the book lead!

[Zoebird]

ours use light, and it's ok. :)

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone! I'm starting the sauerkraut today.
Maybe they say to use a ceramic crock so you can't see all the weird stuff going on in there! haha
I'm going to keep it in the kitchen. It might start looking like something you see on a morgue shelf! hahaha
I'm excited about attempting to heal my gut this way!

[razz]

I got some large plastic pails from the donut shop (Tim Hortons, of course:laff:), cleaned well and shred the cabbage with the food processor, sprinkle on pickling salt as advised in "Putting Food By" making sure to tamp down the cabbage to draw some juice. I cover with a dinner plate (fits perfectly) weighed down with 1/2 gallon jar filled with tap water, and cover with a clean dish towel.

Every day, I clean the plate, regularly replace the dish towel but the pails stay in the kitchen area at all times. When done, I freeze it all in plastic bags that I save from our milk purchases. Great results!
This is what I am working on tomorrow.

[CathyA]

I meant to look for a plate that would fit this morning at the store and I forgot. I'm using a 1 gallon glass container. My smallest plate is too big. So I'm using a custard bowl with another smaller bowl inside it with cleaned rocks in it with a lid. But its not covering the outer edges of the cabbage. There's usually a small amount of brine over that area, so I hope that's good enough. It might take a few tries to get the system down!
What ratio of salt to cabbage do you use razz?
I did mine last Friday and its starting to smell like sauerkraut.....but it has a few weeks to go yet.
Does freezing it turn it to mush?

[CathyA]

I was wanting to avoid using the food processor, but my poor arthritic hands didn't do well with shredding the cabbage myself.......so next time I'll use the food
processor.

[razz]

I am quoting from Putting Food By originally written by Hertzberg, Vaughan and Green.

"Salt/cabbage ratio is 6 tbsp per 10 lb of shredded cabbage. Pack the container with alternate layers of cabbage and salt tamping every two layers to get rid of trapped air and to start juice flow. Top with a layer of salt, cover and hold at 68-75F while it ferments. Skim daily until fermenting has stopped in about 2 weeks or so. The sauerkraut will be a clear pale gold in colour and pleasantly tart in flavour. If your storage is not around 38F, you better can it."

[puglogic]

I've made mine with red cabbage, CathyA, what a beautiful concoction that was! :)
Good luck,
pug

[CathyA]

Thanks Razz and Pug.....
I'll try the red cabbage next time! I've heard it makes a neat color....even when you use both green and red.

[Zoebird]

we also don't skim ours until the end. we skim it once.

and i've used purple cabbage for saurkraut as well, and it was purty. Hawk loves to drink the "purple juice!"

[CathyA]

I'll bet the juice has tons of good stuff in it (although a bit high in NaCl!).