Post: #1

I just started fermenting foods - as I'm a novice, I know barely more than you do. What I've read here is a distillation of what I've read elsewhere. Fermentation preserves foods and begets healthy bacterial cultures, like how yogurt is supposed to. It can also mitigate the harm of toxins like oxalates.

Required equipment:

1. Fido Jar.
2. Produce you want to ferment.
3. Salt, and not table salt.

The standard guideline is 3 tablespoons per 5 pounds of cabbage, and presumably other vegetables. For classic sauerkraut, you can add a tablespoon of caraway seeds per 2 pounds of cabbage.

To make sauerkraut, you rinse the cabbage, take off the top leaf or two, slice away the hard center stalk, and then finely slice up the cabbage. Put the cabbage in a bowl, put in the salt and caraway seeds, and start kneading that cabbage. It's actually pretty therapeutic - it may be the most relaxing thing you do all day.

The salt helps the cabbage release a lot of water, to the point where the cabbage is soggy and mushy in your hands, where it was dry just moments ago. When it gets to that point, stuff it in your jar and compact it with your fist or a muddler/wooden spoon, so that the water released rises above the cabbage. If there isn't enough water, knead it more, or if you've already done that, add some salt water (a cup of water and a teaspoon of water - I never had to add brine). Close it and let it sit for 2-4 weeks.

Wash your hands beforehand. Definitely use gloves if you're handling spicy foods, as your skin will burn for hours if you start kneading that cabbage with chilis floating around.

Cabbage is the rockstar of the fermentation world - it's cheap, healthy and abundant. It's the centerpiece of Korean Kimchi, that reddish cabbage pictured above. If you've never had it, it's delicious - think the consistency of a crunchy pickle but with cabbage, mixed with a savoriness and red pepper flavor.

I read about people using all kinds of equipment, but one woman tested a bunch of different setups and concluded that Fido Jars are the best mix of affordability and convenience. These are big glass jars with a clasp top and a rubber gasket that keeps them airtight but lets out small amounts of CO2 - which prevents the bottle from shattering from the pressure induced by fermentation.



Crate and Barrel and Sur La Table both sell Fido jars at reasonable prices - I got a 2L for $7, and there was a 5L for $12. And these jars are very high quality, made in Italy. You could also use a Mason Jar, but according to this woman (Nourishing Traditions is the site I believe), the Mason Jar could explode if you keep it closed, and mold could develop if you leave it open. You'd need an airlock for it to ferment properly and safely, and at that point personally, I'll just spring for the ready made Fido jars. Plus Mason jars don't get that big. I used a Mason jar without issue, but only for about a week or two.

Careful when opening the jars, as the pressure may combust some brine on you upon opening...


Pros:

• 1. Lets you prepare weeks' worth of vegetables at a time.
  2. Increases nutrient absorption/availability.
  3. Cheap
  4. Great source of probiotics
  5. Almost any vegetable, fruit or herb can be fermented. You can make any mix you imagine.
  6. Generally makes produce tastier - eg pickles vs cucumbers.
  7. You use the whole vegetable generally
  8. Complements buying in bulk.
  

Cons:

• 1. Requires preparation ahead of time - if you want good sauerkraut now, you'll have to wait a month until it's ready. Although I hear you can put in separate starter cultures that you purchase elsewhere that will shorten the process a few days.
  2. Has a different taste profile from fresh produce. I've only just started eating fermented foods, but I'm starting to crave a fresh salad even more now, hmmm
  
  

Instead of having to worry about buying produce constantly and how to serve it, this is a great convenient option with some choice health benefits. There's a lot of room to experiment here.

I'd also love to experiment with fermenting fruits and herbs, as well as kombucha which deserves a thread in its own right.

I'm planning to do a kimchi soon. Something along these lines: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi

Post: #2

great post, I didn't know that you could use those jars to vent the C02. Do you lock it while its fermenting?

Home made sauerkraut tastes so much better than canned. I've never made Kimchi but I've had it made by by old Korean ladies...again it tastes a wold apart from store bought.

Last, bragg's ACV is in this category. Its essentially distilled kombucha.

Post: #3

David Chang's Momofuku cookbook has an extensive section on pickling, along with short recipes for pickling almost anything you can imagine.

The only thing I hate about the book is that it lacks an index of recipes.

Post: #4

Be aware that just about everything you buy off the shelf now that is fermented has been pasteurized, homogenized, preservitized, chemicalized, nuclearized, GMOized, ect. The probiotics and enzymes have been sterilized out leaving a useless product.

My family has a strong tradition of canning, and it takes a lot of time and experience to make right.

My favorite fermented foods are:

kimchi
pickles
beer
wine
ACV
miso

I'll eat anything fermented though.


Humans have been eating fermenting foods for thousands of years successfully but until recently the health benefits have been scrubbed. I wasn't a fan of Dr. Oz, but recently caught 2 shows where he was praising ACV and fermented foods. "We as doctors don't know why apple cider vinegar works, but it does". Nice. Links below:

http://bragg.com/blog/index.php/all-natu...-on-dr-oz/

Post: #5

Haha this is such a hipster/SWPL thread... Momofuku and kimchi.

I've made sauerkraut myself and it's quite easy. Sometimes I also buy the Bubbie's brand which is true fermented cabbage. Save the brine and use it to inoculate your homemade batch with bacteria.

Post: #6

You can get kimchi at any Korean store. For the players in ATL, check out Buford Highway Farmers Market:

http://www.aofwc.com/index.aspx

It is the pinnacle of all things food, and at any given time will have scores of girls from all four corners of the globe. They have a Korean deli in the back, and a whole isle dedicated to kimchi. Girls are receptive to talking, as I've been saying for three years on here about the power of food crossing cultural lines. If you can speak Spanish, Korean, or Chinese, then all the better.

I buy my fermented foods from there that aren't pasteurized, including kefir and Greek Yogurt.

Post: #7

I eat Kimchi everyday

I live in Korea and it's a staple of the diet

Post: #8

My favourite mexican drink: Tepache. Made with fermented pineapple rinds.

Post: #9

Wiscanada, yes I think it can vent small amounts of CO2. If you're concerned, you can periodically open the jar to release it or leave a lot of space at the top. Someone said their cabbage bubbled when opening the jar, so it doesn't release all of the gas. Last night I checked my latest cabbage brew and the jar was a little damp. I opened the jar and the juices exploded - there was too much liquid and gas and it sprayed me and my counter. I took a couple spoonfuls of liquid out, locked it and put it back. Just open the jars under a cloth if it looks super full, to avert spraying your kitchen with brine.

Here's an overview of different equipment: http://www.nourishingtreasures.com/index...al-report/

"Haha this is such a hipster/SWPL thread... Momofuku and kimchi."

? Never seen an affinity for kimchi among hipsters. Except in the Asian stores, Kimchi is wildly expensive, a $1 per half cup serving or so.

Post: #10

Dream of the 1890s...knitting, raising chickens, making pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, homebrew, shopping farmer's markets, reading the latest Michael Pollan...

Post: #11

There's a lot of players in the DR right now. If you guys are having stomach problems, especially just after putting boots on ground, go to the colmados and look for the little containers of yogurt. They cost like fifty cent a piece, and are unpasteurized and all natural. It will get your gut health right. Trust me.

Post: #12

I've been drinking GTs Organic Raw Kombucha the past few days (its a bottled brand I got at a natural foods store)

I like the stuff, you feel pretty good and alive after you drink it, get a slight energy buzz from it.

Not sure if Kombucha relates to fermented foods though...

Post: #13

Kombucha is fermented. It takes a little prep and equipment but its vastly cheaper to make yourself than to buy in a store for $3-4 per bottle.

Is it worth making yogurt if you use pasteurized non-pastured milk? Ideally I'd use raw pastured goat's or sheep's milk, but it's expensive. Would using a starter culture make pasteurized milk worth using, or should I just stick to fermenting vegetables?

Post: #14

Yo, I LOVE ferementation.

Looking in the refrigerator right now, we have --ALL HOMEMADE
Coconut kefir
3 flavors of kraut
Kim-chi
Ginger kombucha
Coconut-almond yogurt
Pickled ginger
Fermented salsa

There are also two batches more batches of kombucha going.

I generally consume something fermented at least twice a day.

Post: #15

(11-27-2013 12:02 PM)basilransom Wrote:  Is it worth making yogurt if you use pasteurized non-pastured milk? Ideally I'd use raw pastured goat's or sheep's milk, but it's expensive. Would using a starter culture make pasteurized milk worth using, or should I just stick to fermenting vegetables?

From Deep Nutrition: Why Our Genes Need Traditional Food (A good book by the way, it’s very much Weston A. Price / Paleo oriented):

Quote:If you can’t find a good source of fresh, unprocessed milk, what can you do? Get the next best thing: yoghurt made from organic whole milk, The fermentation process rejuvenates damaged proteins and makes minerals more bioavailable.

I would look for some milk that is not ultra-pasteurized (very high heat), but that’s getting harder and harder to do nowadays. You’re going to (gently) pasteurize it anyway when you make the yoghurt. I’ve tried using raw milk myself and the yogurt produced turns out very runny unless you purchase special cultures for raw milk yoghurt.

Post: #16

Mon I noticed you don't do dairy, only pseudo dairy with coconut and almond - why is that?

As for milk, I'm pretty skeptical of organics being worth the price premium sometimes, but organic whole milk tastes demonstrably better and creamier than the non organic competition.

I did some preliminary research, and it looks like even fermented pasteurized cow's milk will be problematic. While the lactose will be reduced in fermentation, industrial cow milk contains A1 casein which causes problems and cannot be fermented to the point of being harmless. Milk from Guernsey or Jersey cows should not be a problem - same for that of sheep and goats. Protein from Friesian or Holstein cows is a problem, even in raw pastured milk.

Post: #17

(11-27-2013 10:48 AM)basilransom Wrote:  ? Never seen an affinity for kimchi among hipsters. Except in the Asian stores, Kimchi is wildly expensive, a $1 per half cup serving or so.

For real?

Hipsters are all about eating un-American food from all over the world. And artesanal American food.

Hipsters definitely love kimchi, if you don't like kimchi, a hipster would look at you as a bro who probably just wants chicken parm.

Post: #18

Real question:

I thought fermentation required the addition of yeast or some other bacteria to convert sugars into alcohol.

Yet you're talking about fermenting stuff with only salt.

?

Post: #19

Sonsowey, that depends on what you're fermenting. Sauerkraut and other vegetables definitely don't require it, though it can expedite it. I think the same is true for fruit.

Kombucha, which is fermented tea, does require a starter culture known as SCOBY.

Post: #20

Basilransom: I gave up dairy in 1995. It gave me problems. Although, I later realized that it could have been more a problem with the catastrophic, pasteurized & homogenized concoctions sold in regular grocery stores.
By the time I realized that, I wasn't missing dairy, so I never fucked with it any more... until very recently.

Here & there, I've been getting raw, cultured goat butter directly from a farmer here in the San Diego area.
I've also been moderately using ghee made from grass-fed cows' milk & supplementing with raw high vitamin butter oil. Neither of the two contain casein or lactose.

This same farmer who sells me the cultured goat butter also has raw goat's & raw sheep's milk. I plan to get a bottle of each this weekend and see if we can get some kefir made with each. Test'em out in smoothies.

You definitely want A2 instead of A1.

Post: #21

Yep. It's great stuff. You can but a sauerkraut pop on amazon. Lots of instructionals on YouTube too.

Post: #22

Though I've been to Japan and love the food I've never had the opportunity to try natto.

Anyone?


From what I've heard, you either love it or hate it.

Post: #23

This thread is great. I love kimchi. All kinds. I'm looking forward to making it.

Post: #24

This forum never ceases to amaze me.

WIA

Post: #25

Sombro: Nothing comes CLOSE to natto for vitamin K2.
It is a love/hate kinda thing. Instead of soy, the few times my chicks have made it, they used chickpeas.

We discovered that, at least for us, it becomes more palatable when we mix the natto with saurkrauts or kim-chi together in large, covered bowl or jar. Just mix together well and let sit together overnight. The coming together of tastes definitely helps the natto.
Tastes much better that way, to me.

But for the elusive vitamin K2, I generally opt for a good supplement and high vitamin butter oil, rather than chow down on natto every day.