Fermentation support thread :D

[MTmomma]

Originally Posted by Chaos Coordinator

they were out for 2 days per the recipe i used, and been in the fridge a few months. i havent tasted one recently, but when i did they were just salty.

2 days doesn't sound like long enough to me.....and it can vary so much depending on your temperature, etc. I had my pickles out for probably 2 weeks. I just tasted them every 2 days or so, and when they got to my desired level of sourness, I stuck them in the fridge. I wonder if you could pull them out of the fridge and let them ferment a bit longer.

[rebecuna]

Originally Posted by MTmomma

I wonder if you could pull them out of the fridge and let them ferment a bit longer.

I think this would work... haven't tried it, but theoretically you're just waking up the sleepy bacteria, right? And if you can reuse the brine to make new pickles, it must work this way, too.

now to whether I dare do this with my pickles... i threw away 5 of 21 jars b/c of serious mold problems after about 12 days (recipe said 4 WEEKS!), and the ones in the fridge don't taste quite right... i'm afraid to eat them so they're just sitting there. but i'm too grossed out thinking about pulling them out. I don't want to sit and wait for mold to grow!

[bananacake]

I fermented my pickles for a week.
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[abbiroads]

f the taste good they are done. That's exactly how I would describe the taste of my dilly carrots.

[Rugayatu]

Okay, I really want to start making some more fermented foods for our family but I have never done anything except yogurt and kefir before. I got some lacto-fermented carrots from a food swap a few months ago but they honestly were not that good. They just tasted kind of salty and sour but not in a good way (and I do like sour things). How can I make fermented veggies that taste really good?

[Stiina]

bumping for inspiration. I'm on page 9.

I had a bunch of carrots so I peeled, rinsed, and cut them into circles. Put them in a quart mason jar with some peppercorns and covered with water+2T dissolved sea salt, and a ziplock bag with water, and put in my pantry.

The ziplock bag is verrrrrrry close to the lid of the jar (which I put on very loosely). When the mold grows, how am I going to scrape it off? The bag is lumpy and doesn't seem easy to scrape...do I need more water on top of it??

Then, if there is more water on top and you scrape it off...do you need to add more water?

[shekinah]

So far I have been doing and loving kombucha. I just received my water kefir grains and am rehydrating them. They look okay so far.

I made dilly carrots with dill, garlic, and salt, tight lid, left for four days, they didn't have any problems staying under the water, although the garlic and dill floated to the top, and no mold. They taste like garlic carrots though. It's SO strong. They don't taste salty. I am thinking of using way less garlic next time and maybe leaving them longer than four days from the sounds of this thread.

DH gets a slight anaphylactic response when he eats raw vegetables, but he had no problems with the dilly carrot he so bravely tried! Just said it was too garlicky but would eat the next batch with less. I'm so glad he might finally be on board with something like this.

I don't understand though why the garlic is added. Isn't garlic a natural antibiotic? Is it killing off any of the bacteria I am trying to cultivate in the dilly carrots?

I also have fermented french fries going on right now. They won't have probiotic value once cooked, but apparently fermenting removes the acrylamide browning effect that is carcinogenic. I will try baking them as I am out of tallow to fry them in. We'll see how they turn out!

I'd really like to try fermented pickles next. I hate pickles but DH loves them on sandwiches. Do they taste similar to regular dill pickles?

---------- Post added at 01:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:24 AM ----------

Oh and this link How to Make LactoFermented Vegetables Without Whey is interesting. He has some suggestions about what vegetables to use and different flavourings to add. His vegetables in the video look so beautiful! He mixes so many colours together.

[NeshamaMama]

Originally Posted by shekinah

DH gets a slight anaphylactic response when he eats raw vegetables, but he had no problems with the dilly carrot he so bravely tried! Just said it was too garlicky but would eat the next batch with less. I'm so glad he might finally be on board with something like this.

Does he have Oral Allergy Syndrome? I do, and so far I have been alright with all the raw veggies I've fermented! I would imagine he'd experience the same. That should get him on board if he's anything like me - the JOY of eating a crunchy carrot after so many years! :swoon

[shekinah]

Hmmm, I'm not sure what he has. I'll have to look that up though. It only developed in maybe the last 5 years or so, and every year seems like there's a new vegetable to add to the list, as he is fine with some but not others. It's really strange. I have no experience with allergies at all, so it's a pleasant surprise when the ferments are okay for him.

[hellomama]

Hi mamas,
how can I tell if my sauerkraut is bad? We just opened it up today and sniffed around. It tasted ok, but smelled super strong, and somewhat rotten. No slime. Submerged in water, etc.

[Stiina]

If it is bad, you will know. it will taste BAD.

although I think sauerkraut always tastes bad

[houseforjoy]

just made my way through this thread, i haven't fermented anything in ages, so i am not sure if i remember anything anymore. i am trying some kraut cuz man i miss that stuff, and now i have gazillions of book marks open from all the links in here!!

did anyone ever find out how ferments are with ACV?

[me]

Everyone here ferments their ginger beer by just leaving it out on the counter. We usually drink ours that same day. What do you guys think of just letting this stuff sit on the counter for a couple of days???
I would love to get some fizz into this but im to scared
http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/1060880

[houseforjoy]

is the liquid in fermented beets supposed to get thick/syrupy???

the longer it is in my fridge the more syrupy it gets. they still taste and smell okay is it just from the sugar in the beets?

[2TMama]

We recently purchased 3 "perfect picklers" at a homeschool conference. I made two jars of sauerkraut, but only ds & I like it. I have been putting 1/3 cup on a big salad = YUM. Thinking about what to try next--- maybe some salsa starter?? Thoughts on your favorite "pickled" item?