Fermentation

[TexLaw]

And to kick it up one last notch, cook your own beans rather then use canned.

Oh, heck yeah. I do keep a can of chickpeas in the pantry, but that's only in case of emergency. Otherwise, I've been cooking them in the Instant Pot. Rinse the dry beans well, add the to the pot with the water, push the "beans" button, bump the time up to 35 minutes, and let the magic happen.

For hummus, I like to let the beans cool if I can manage it. The texture isn't right, otherwise. If I really can wait, I go ahead and let them cool overnight in the fridge.

I might just try to ferment some hummus, with salt, the old school method instead of using fermented juice drippinz.

I looked into that, but it's difficult (if not impossible) to get around using some sort of starter. Dried, uncooked beans right out of the bag don't readily ferment because the starch chains still are so long and complex. You can sprout the beans so that the enzymes start cleaving those chains into something that yeasts or bacteria can digest, but that takes days and some work. After changing the water over and over, you probably want some manner of starter, anyhow, since you've pretty much rinsed away any good bugs that were on the beans. Cooked beans certainly need a starter, since you've killed off the good bugs. Trying to ferment the prepared hummus (or even just pulverized beans and stuff) doesn't work too well, either, because you still don't have the good bugs in there. Sure, they will eventually come from the air, but just on the surface.

In the end, I have an abundance of homemade starter from all the homemade sauerkraut, so it seemed like the thing to do. It worked so well that I don't see a whole lot of reason to start back from zero in the future.

 

[anemic]

Words of wisdom, Tex! Thanks!

 

[TexLaw]

The latest batch of sauerkraut (salt, caraway, and dill). It ain't much to look at, but it's mighty tasty!Just due to one thing or another, this spent an extra week in the crock, 7 weeks instead of 6. I don't mind that at all, though, as I like it good and soured.

I've also done a few batches of carrots with salt, black pepper, mustard seed, crushed garlic, and sliced ginger. For two of those batches, I cut the carrots into sticks and also added some small, sweet peppers that I cut in half and seeded. For the other batch, I sliced the carrots thinly on the mandolin and left out the peppers. The sticks and halved peppers were easier to just grab out of the jar for snacking, but the sliced carrots are more fun to play with for sandwiches, salads, etc. I'll keep doing both, although I'll keep the carrot sticks on the narrower side.

I never mentioned that I did a half-gallon batch of yogurt in the Instant Pot. I used a few tablespoons of the yogurt that we had as the starter culture and let the incubation phase run about 11 hours. The flavor is the right about the same as the starter (duh), which is to say that it is quite good if a little dull. The texture came was perfect--truly creamy and not like the store bought stuff that contains pectin and gums and stuff. I don't really have anything against pectin and gums and stuff, but there's a good reason that proper yogurt does not contain (or need) them. It was 2% milk, which is what we tend to have around the house. I liked it!

I picked up a couple other yogurt cultures to play with, so there's more to come on that front. I may also give buttermilk a whirl.

 

[davent]

Looks good Doak!

Have you tried making Kefir, another tasty dairy based ferment, thick but still still drinkable.

dave

 

[Avvatar]

Ok fellas,
Look, I'm a guy that loves the kitchen. I really enjoy cooking. I like to try new things as much as the next guy. So when my wife said "I'd really like to try good kimchi.", I said "I know just what to do!"

What I do is this:
1. Log onto tapatalk and check out the fermentation thread on my favorite forum!
2. Ask said forum for a few pointers because as amazing as it is (and let's not forget fairly simple) I've not done much fermenting.
3. Await sage advice from teh webz.


So, my friends, it is with great joy that I ask:

WHERE DO I START?
Any good beginner kit you recommend? Simple recipes? I love kefir and pickles and kimchi and things. I just haven't learned the art. I have no idea where to begin on this.

Little help?

 

[anemic]

Grab the book Wild Fermentation!

Sent from my ASUS_P00J using Tapatalk

 

[TexLaw]

Have you tried making Kefir, another tasty dairy based ferment, thick but still still drinkable.

I love kefir, and I've enjoyed it a number of times, but I've never made it. I know there's virtually nothing to it, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

WHERE DO I START?

Little help?

That thread is loaded with good information, but don't get overwhelmed with where to begin. Just do it, and then keep playing with it. The toughest part of making kimchi is getting the ingredients together.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Ok fellas,
Look, I'm a guy that loves the kitchen. I really enjoy cooking. I like to try new things as much as the next guy. So when my wife said "I'd really like to try good kimchi.", I said "I know just what to do!"

What I do is this:
1. Log onto tapatalk and check out the fermentation thread on my favorite forum!
2. Ask said forum for a few pointers because as amazing as it is (and let's not forget fairly simple) I've not done much fermenting.
3. Await sage advice from teh webz.


So, my friends, it is with great joy that I ask:

WHERE DO I START?
Any good beginner kit you recommend? Simple recipes? I love kefir and pickles and kimchi and things. I just haven't learned the art. I have no idea where to begin on this.

Little help?

Start by gathering your ingredients and/or tools. On a small scale get mason jars with some type of burping lid. On a larger scale a bucket or crock with weights. Canning salts are preferred but not completely necessary. I would avoid regular table salt but sea salt is OK. Spices are next. I like this kind of pepper flakes for kimchi. I like caraway seeds and juniper berries in my sauerkraut or use garlic and dill. A good organic green cabbage would go nice in your kraut and Napa cabbage in your kimchi.

 

[Extrawurst]

Fermented green beans

 

[TexLaw]

Fermented green beans
View attachment 886990 View attachment 886991

Those look good! Did you slice them up?

 

[Extrawurst]

@TexLaw
Yes. It's better to slice them

 

[Heron]

My first batch of Tepache (fermented drink made from pineapple rind) is done. The problem is, I've never had it before, so I don't know if I did it right.

 

[oc_in_fw]

My first batch of Tepache (fermented drink made from pineapple rind) is done. The problem is, I've never had it before, so I don't know if I did it right.

Is it good?

 

[Heron]

Is it good?

It is pretty good. It's slightly fizzy, too.

 

[TexLaw]

It is pretty good. It's slightly fizzy, too.

I've had some of that before, and it was deliciously funky.

 

[TexLaw]

I've been eager to try some radishes, and the store had some nice looking ones with nice looking greens, so I took the plunge. Four bunches went through the mandolin and got mixed with a couple of thumbs of ginger, a thinly sliced shallot, the better part of the greens (roughly chopped) and about 2% salt. No additional liquid required.

It ain't a bad looking jar of groceries, and it sure tasted good as it was going in. Here's hoping that a week or so makes it even better.

 

[Avvatar]

View attachment 895741

Boy, does THAT look good! 2% salt. Forgive the newb question, but this is by weight of the produce, correct?

 

[TexLaw]

@Avvatar, you are correct. If I need additional liquid, it's easy enough to make a brine of whatever strength I need.

Get a decent scale that measures in grams, and the arithmetic is a cinch. Divide by 100 and then multiply by whatever percentage you're shooting for.

 

[G-Dogg]

I’m currently working my way through a jar of sauerkraut. My first effort was hopeless as I didn’t pound the cabbage enough, but the second has worked out well. It definitely improves as it matures. I’ll probably stick some caraway in the next one to give it added complexity.

I also do my own preserved lemons, which are more zingy than shop-bought ones.

Then there’s Doris. Doris is my sourdough starter, and all sourdough starters should have a name. She is three years old in October, and (modesty aside) helps me make the most fantastic bread - so I look after her well and feed her regularly.

 

[steveclarkus]

I have a fermentation device called a still. It is amazing what a high quality product that can be created in ones garage!