I have tried various ways to ferment my own kraut. I even bought a beautiful stone crock must for making mounds & mounds of sauerkraut. Unfortunately, my crock does not come with a fitted top, so I had to improvise. Let me tell you the kraut story I will never live down:
One day, kept smelling "gas" in my kitchen. I live in an old house, built in 1950, so gas smells are always taken seriously. I called PG&E, and they had someone out within the hour to check. He came and smelled it too, but could not pinpoint a leak anywhere. After checking all the pipes and deeming the house safe, he left. I returned to the kitchen, and while walking into my pantry, I got a whiff again! I looked over, and there stood my crock with kraut in it. I lifted the towel, and realized it was the benign, but smell culprit!
Now I have discovered a fantastic, and non-smelly, way to make kraut. I love it because I do not have to worry about my kraut creeping out of the brine. All you need is a Mason Jar, and you can go from cabbage to kraut in 4-5 days! It also looks real cool, and fascinates little (and big) scientists, watching the bubbles as the concoction ferments!
I wanted to take a picture of our finished kraut, but this little bowl is all we had left when I went to take pictures. My kids ate it already. We are on our third batch.
I was so excited to share this with you, I contacted Kayleigh, the fabulous owner of "Pickle-Biotic", and now you have a chance to win your own fermentation kit!! Just enter the Rafflecopter below!
You can find all kinds of cool recipes on Kayleigh's website. I just cut up the cabbage, pounded it into a 1/2 gallon Mason Jar, added the brine water, and 5 days later we have crispy kraut. I put my jar in a bowl to catch any overflow.
This year I thought ahead, and planted only TWO squash plants :). Plus, I chose a mediterranean squash (sounded mysterious :)...), and a spaghetti squash instead of our standard zucchini & yellow crookneck. I know I will get both left in anonymous baskets on my front porch not too long from now.
The funny round squash is already bursting. One day I will go out and there is nothing, and the next day there will be a few of fabulous little green pumpkin looking surprises.
I love to ferment, and when I googled, sure enough, I found a Lacto-Fermented Summer Squash recipe. If you’re
wondering what to do with it all why not ferment it which improves
flavor, digestibility, and keeps for months in cold storage. Quick &simple too, my favorite. And friends, this is what you are getting for Christmas & Yule, as my magic squash plants are promising with lots of flowers......
1-2 medium sized summer squash, cut into 1/2″ chunks (just enough to fit in a quart jar)
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
a few sprigs of flowering cilantro.
a couple of mesquite, oak, or grape leaves (to keep them crunchy)
1 quart of filtered water
2 tablespoons sea salt
Instructions:
Combine water and sea salt, stir well and set aside.
Add
the crushed garlic and one sprig of flowering cilantro to the
bottom of a quart jar. Fill jar halfway up with chunks of summer
squash. Add a bit more garlic and cilantro and fill the jar with
squash chunks up to 1-2″ below rim.
Pour
salt water brine over the squash. At this point you want to weigh
the squash down in order for it to remain below the level of the
brine and ferment evenly. This isn’t an ideal solution, but I like
to use a narrow-mouthed lid in my wide-mouth quart ferments. Just
press it down until enough brine covers it that it weighs the
squash down. You could also use a cabbage leaf or a cleaned rock.
Cover
tightly with a canning lid and ring. Allow to sit out at somewhere
near room temperature, ideally 60-80 degrees. Check your jars and
burp them every 12 hours or so by loosening the lid and allowing
some gas to escape.
Let ferment 2-5 days, depending on temperature and then transfer to cold storage (refrigerator, root cellar, etc.).
P.S. If you are in the need of grape leaves, and live in Sacramento, I am happy to share. I have LOTS. Not sprayed either :). Stuffed grape leaves is next....
Hello Beautifuls!
I have made two (short??) videos on making both fermented lemonade, and ginger beer. The recipes are underneath. These are two super tasty drinks, and a great alternative to soda. The ginger beer takes about 4 weeks to be "ready", but the lemonade only takes two days, so I am adding that as an almost instant gratification! Message me if you have any questions, and remember, these are just "my" adaptations of some wonderful recipes. I try to make it simple & quick, the hardest thing is waiting :). Forgive my heated look, it is 108F outside, and about 90F in my kitchen...LOL...just pretend I am in the South somewhere without A/C, kinda like "Fried Green Tomatoes".
Have fun! Heike
Ginger Beer
This is my adaption from the fabulous book "Wild Fermentation", a great book for your library if you really want to get into the old art of fermentation. Ginger beer takes about 3-4 weeks to finsih, as your ginger "bug" takes 1-2 weeks :). Plan ahead, once you make this, you will be hooked!
You will need:
for the "bug"
Fresh ginger
sugar
water
1 small mason jar with lid, or not (see note)
Chop ginger, making about 2tbls. Put about 1 cup of filtered water into a small mason jar. Add 2tbls sugar, and add ginger. Cover with a cloth or coffer filter with rubber band, or just lid very loosely so air can get in. Do this every 2 days until your bug starts to bubble. I have mine on a shelf in the kitchen with my kombucha and other concoction so I do not forget it! When it bubbles:
You will need:
3-4 inch piece of fresh ginger
2 lemons, juiced
1cup of sugar
OPTIONAL
1 handful of Sarsaparilla root, or herb of your choice
Equipment:
Bottles, preferably dark.
funnels for bottles, and jar if you strain my way :)
strainer
Boil a 1/2 gallon of water, add sugar and ginger. Boil for 15 minutes, then cool. Once cool, add your strained ginger bug (keep about 2tbls of your ginger bug for the next batch), lemon juice, and another 1/2 gallon of water.
Strain liquid if you have added herbs. Then fill into tight closing bottles (dark bottles are best. I recycle grolsch style bottles, and big beer bottles with twist lids :)...) Put a label with date. The ginger beer must ferment for two weeks in a dark place. Put the date in your calendar to remind you! Carbonation explosions happen if left too long (I can personally attest to this :(..)
WARNING! Cool your ginger beer before opening!
The fermentation causes some serious bubbles, and opening the bottle warm will make it spurt out like a volcano. There is no limit to UP, as my ceiling will attest to! Also, you want to open the bottle slowly, in small waves, letting the carbonation escape. You will find the best way, just practice the first time in a sink :).
Fermented Lemonade (It's FIZZY!) You will need:
5-7 lemons, or enough to make 2 cups of lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup whey
Equipment:
1 gallon jar with filtered water (I use recycled pickle jars)
This
recipe is so simple, gifting you with yummy "good for you" fermented
lemonade. Simple fill your jar 3/4 full with filtered water, add sugar
and dissolve. Add lemon juice & whey. Now put a tight lid on
your jar, and sit in a dark place in your kitchen. After two days, the
lemonade will be fermented :). Now you can transfer it to the fridge,
cool, and ENJOY! A Little about Bottles and the Gooky stuff in them:
Fermentation causes a "silt" to form...some people think that looks yucky, but it is quite normal. You can filter this out when you pour your finished ginger beer, just pour it through a coffee filter.
I recycle bottles. If you have a dishwasher, it is very easy to sanitize them, just run them through a hot cycle. I don't, so I periodically boil bottles, and cap them. Then, when I need them, I give them a quick rinse with hot water before I bottle.
Today I wanted to share with you what happens several weeks AFTER I post pics....It seems there are always wonderful resources online to start things, but it never shows how they are supposed to look like.
Mine things may not be as they are "supposed" to, but at least you will have a visual. So, enjoy.
A few bottles of water kefir, flavored. Our favorites so far: Cistus tea (a rock rose, it would be the pinki. The one next to it has vanilla extract and cinnamon, and the third bottle has sarsasparilla :). So good...and fizzy good enough for the kids to think "soda".
This is my peach Scrap Fruit Vinegar. Not quite ready to dump it, but tomorrow :). Compare it to .........
The plum vinegar! It is a beautiful ruby color. In about two weeks we will be enjoying wonderful plum essences in our salad :).
And last, but not least, the trick for all those chaotic Goddeses like me :). I put coffee filters with rubber band on top to keep the flies out and the air in. When I make vinegar, I put the date the the filter, so I know when I have to strain it, etc.
Now I have discovered a fantastic, and non-smelly, way to make kraut. I love it because I do not have to worry about my kraut creeping out of the brine. All you need is a Mason Jar, and you can go from cabbage to kraut in 4-5 days! It also looks real cool, and fascinates little (and big) scientists, watching the bubbles as the concoction ferments!
