Fermented foods.

[smallblueplanet]

I was googlin' for info on making kimchi and other fermented foods when this forum came up in the answers.

So I thought I'd ask what sort of foods have GYOers had success fermenting? I did see a recipe to make fermented tomato salsa. I hope to give that a go when our tomatoes are growing later in the year.

But for now I am about to start fermenting by making sauerkraut. I've just got to stop myself buying lots of extra kitchenalia paraphenalia to 'help' with the fermenting!

Edit: just realised, of course we make our own kefir - great for the OHs IBS - forgot that's a 'fermented food'!

[veggiechicken]

Here's one of several threads...........https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ods_96363.html

[MelanieSW]

Friends of mine are raving about their fermented chips - their instructions are to submerge them in a week brine (1tbsp salt per litre water) for 3-4 days at room temperature, in an open container. Rinse, pay dry, freeze. Fry from frozen.
Will have to try that one day!

[smallblueplanet]

That's the one that googled @veggiechicken.

Say wow to fermented chips @MelanieSW. It's something to think about, and as we don't fry stuff much anymore down to OH's IBS, I wonder if they could be turned into oven chips. I found an ordinary 'home oven chips' recipe that I keep meaning to try, very straightforward, but that would push them a bit further.

[smallblueplanet]

Friends of mine are raving about their fermented chips - their instructions are to submerge them in a weak brine (1tbsp salt per litre water) for 3-4 days at room temperature, in an open container. Rinse, pat dry, freeze. Fry from frozen.
Will have to try that one day!

Thinking about this again, I wonder if it's the brine bringing the water out of the potatoes making them 'more floury' which is better for chips? It's an interesting tip if so as when there's only shop bought in winter the variety choice (for organic) tends to be white or bakers! I presume they ferment them chipped? I was looking longingly after a crinkle cutter on *mazon the other day!

[MelanieSW]

Thinking about this again, I wonder if it's the brine bringing the water out of the potatoes making them 'more floury' which is better for chips? It's an interesting tip if so as when there's only shop bought in winter the variety choice (for organic) tends to be white or bakers! I presume they ferment them chipped? I was looking longingly after a crinkle cutter on *mazon the other day!

Yes they chip them before the fermentation (in the pics I've seen they left the skin on). The brining should make them less watery, and the fermentation remove some of the starch. I haven't tried it, but they say they are tastier than regular chips.

[smallblueplanet]

Oh and another one I forgot about, sourdough bread! Don't know how cos it knocks spots off commercially yeasted breads.

[smallblueplanet]

For those of you interested in finding out more about fermented foods, and how easy fermented vegetables are to make here are some links.

These links feature 'the king' of the fermented foods revival Sandor Katz.

Fermentation Q&A with Sandor Katz:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...OjZi4xMBK0szSE

Skip to these two short videos if you just want to know how easy and simple making sauerkraut is. Three things needed: cabbage, salt and a lidded jar!

Sandor Katz - How to Make Sauerkraut: Salting & Massaging:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkN_J1bQAhk

Sandor Katz - How to Make Sauerkraut: Packing, Weighting & Venting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcJ4rRRFz5k


For those interested in how fermented foods developed and are still made in great variety (vegetable, meat and fish) in China this is a fascinating serious of short videos with Sandor Katz.

People's Republic of Fermentation:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...4vxx983PEGK9q_

[Yasai]

I’ve just bought Miso, Tempeh, Natto by Shockey and Shockey. It really undersells itself because it has way more stuff than that in there. I’ve got the hang of making natto so the next thing I want to try is tempeh. Not that I’ve ever eaten it in my entire life but it looks nice.

The high sodium content in kimchi is apparently linked to stomach cancer so maybe go easy on it.

[smallblueplanet]

The high sodium content in kimchi is apparently linked to stomach cancer so maybe go easy on it.

I presume that somewhat similar to making sauerkraut (or other fermented veggies) that the salt (sodium) can be 'to taste'. As it's actually possible to make sauerkraut without salt, just water which keeps the cabbage anaerobic (ie no oxygen). But without salt the sauerkraut texture is soft and mushy.

There's a fermented foods forum, which is quite quiet but has a section on Legume ferments.
https://www.wildfermentationforum.com/viewforum.php?f=4

[muckdiva]

My mum was German so I was raised on Sourdough and sauerkraut ! Will watch this thread with interest as although I made my own sourdough last year (it was delish!) It seems I can’t tolerate much yeast, even home created, so had to give that up. I’d like to try sauerkraut and am hoping to give it a go once I have cabbages to harvest.

[Mikey]

I made fermented runner beans last year, and fermented cucamelons the year before, I've got a couple of special ceramic fermented jars I had made for me by a potter. They are lovely but, the water well around the edge isn't quite deep enough, so I have to keep topping up often. I wonder if you can make a seal in a different way?

Anyway I digress, the cucamelon one is lovely they make awesome burger pickles, the runner bean mixture was a bit chewy if I'm honest.

[smallblueplanet]

I made fermented runner beans last year, and fermented cucamelons the year before, I've got a couple of special ceramic fermented jars I had made for me by a potter. They are lovely but, the water well around the edge isn't quite deep enough, so I have to keep topping up often. I wonder if you can make a seal in a different way?

The 'modern way' seems to be with silicon tops to put on mason jars - they have a 'nipple' that lets CO2 out but doesn't let oxygen in.

[smallblueplanet]

Before allowing myself to buy lots of 'unnecessary' kitchenalia last Sunday we decided to have a go at 'kraut.

Too lazy to chop and liking the thinner style of sauerkraut we'd tried, the cabbage was grated in a Magimix (at 2mm, probably too fine but not yet got a 4mm disc - it's on it's way!), and as we'd not enough (or too much cabbage for one jar), some carrots were also grated.

The amount of salt was slightly more than 2.5% by weight of cabbage (did the maths wrong!) for the all cabbage jar (ie sauerkraut), and less than 2% for the (mostly) carrot and cabbage jar.

They were 'capped' with a cabbage leaf from the outer layers, and the jars have been sitting fermenting in a container, as there has been overflow, since Sunday afternoon. I pushed down the grated veggies on Weds afternoon as there were gaps occurring, perhaps due to no weight on the top? Tasted and the flavour is getting there, not sure how sour we want it to be but will taste again tomorrow and decide whether to decant the kraut into smaller jars and put in the fridge to stop/slow the fermentation.

[SarrissUK]

That looks lovely