Kimchi And Fermented Vegetables How To And Why

I just tasted my second batch of cider made from fresh pressed apples, using only the natural yeast on the apples. The first batch didn't go long enough. This batch went an extra two days... nice and fizzy with just a slight hint of alcohol.
In the fridge it goes! Well, maybe one more cup first, lol

 

Is it non-pasturized juice, the organic apple cider? I was into making naturally carbonated drinks for a while. I just wanted them fizzy without too much alcohol. I used lager yeast I bought from a brewery supply, it didn't seem to come out as yeasty tasting as just using regular fast rising yeast, like red star or Fleischmanns. Pasturized fruit juices don't work well unless you use a pectin enzyme to break down the pectin thats activated by the heat of pasturization.

 

The label doesn't say that it's pasteurized, so I assume it's not.

I've got ginger bugs started for fizzy drinks. I haven't gotten them bubbling or foamy yet, but they should start in a couple of days. I'll just add some of the starter bug to different juices and let 'em go. It changes the flavor, and adds some fizz as it ferments.

 

What kinds of drinks did you make with red star and Fleischmanns?

 

I tried it in some of my early experiments with fruit juice, but most of what I made were malt based. One of the best ones I made was a sarsaparilla flavored, malt based 'beer' I guess you could call it, but very low alcohol. I used only moravian malt syrup and sarsaparilla root from southern Mexico. The first batch I made was amazing but I was never able to get as fragrent of sarsaparilla as that first shipment, subsequent packages shipped from the same company were never up to nearly the same quality, and I eventually gave up the search for " the good stuff"

 

I'm thinking of trying to make ginger beer pretty soon. It will probably be low alcohol.

 

How did your butternut squash turn out?

I tasted mine last night before putting it in the refrigerator. It tastes pretty good. I like the squash taste. I'll probably add garlic and a little more hot pepper next time.

 

Well the nukadoko didn't turn out right. It was going well and had started to pickle things, and then my mom said that one day it started to smell. By the next day the whole house stank apparently and they were forced to compost it. She will be trying again after she figures out what she did wrong.

 

Not sure if it's the case here, but I had a batch of kimchi that did the same thing once. I deduced that the veggies must have had something on them that caused it. I didn't rinse the veggies that one time and it's the only time it happened. Now I always give them a good rinse before putting them in the jars.

 

I weenied out and roasted it instead. lol But now that you've reported a success, I will try it. I'll pick up another one next week. Actually it will be the farmers stand's last week, so I'll be getting a couple of other squashes too, maybe I'll try fermenting some of those as well. I'll be getting lots of cussing practice!

 

I finished off two more jars of (1L) veggies, so I took another jar (2L) off the shelf yesterday, the one where I mixed the cauliflower with the beets. It is SO good. The cauliflower is a deep red of course and it picked up the taste from the beet juice. Very yummy, you'll have to try it. All I put in this one was garlic. Maybe next time I'll put a bit of chili pepper in too. I don't have room for the 2L jars in my fridgem they're too tall for the space I have left, so I divided the contents into two 1L jars. Now I have another 2L jar to fill! I actually have two of them empty. Guess I'll fill them with squash this weekend after I go to the farmer's stand on Friday.

I forgot to mention a jar of sauerkraut I took off the shelf the other day that was a dud. It was the first head of cabbage that I shredded and it soaked up all the liquid so there was barely any in the jar! It tasted very dry and the smell was a bit off so I chucked it. I think I shredded it too thin, the other sauerkrauts I made were shredded thicker.

 

I love Kimchi, but never made it on my own.

 

hmmm, I have a cabbage in the fridge and couldn't think of anything to do with it, so maybe I will try fermenting it. now to read through the whole thread to figure out how!

 

Is fermenting difficult? I'd try if it is not.

 

If I can make it, anyone can. If you don't want to go through the whole thread, you can just look up a recipe on line. You'll find some really good ideas and advice in the thread though - a lot of information in one place.

 

It's super easy, Jane. Easier than cooking! Nature does it for you. There a are a few details to pay attention to, but for the most part you just chop up some veggies, put them in a jar with water and salt ( garlic, chili, ginger, herbs, or whatever flavoring you might want) and let it ferment till it tastes how you like it. You can look up some recipes on the web, but if you read through this thread, you'll see some of the experiments and get some idea of whats worked and what hasn't for some of us. That should give you a big leg up on the subject. Happy fermenting!

 

Thank you. It seems to be much easier than I thought. I think I should try.

 

Not tap water.

Bottled water.

 

You can use tap water, but I would boil it first, to not only drive off any residual chlorine but give it that extra bit of sterilization. My brewing literature said if you do boil your water, you need to re-oxygenate it by pouring it back and forth between containers after its cooled. I'm not sure how important this is for making kimchi but thats what I do if I don't have access to bottled water.

 

That's good to know because I keep forgetting to buy that and I have a head of cabbage waiting to be fermented. I suppose you could leave it sitting for a few days to let the chlorine evaporate. That's what we use to do for the aquarium.