Kimchi And Fermented Vegetables How To And Why

I'm so happy. I took a jar of the first no-salt cabbage off the shelf today and it was crunchy! I was afraid it would be soft like the kohlrabi. It's been fermenting for 3 weeks. So I guess with the kohlrabi I'll have to cut it thicker and ferment it for about a week to 1-1/2. I let it go 2-1/2 weeks because the cukes didn't seem done yet, but obviously the kohlrabi needs less time. The cabbage tastes good. This is the jar with fresh tarragon. A bit too strong, I'll put less tarragon in next time. I forgot how strong the herb is. But it's still good, and the flavour goes well with the lemony taste the no-salt ferments give the veggies.

 

I need to experiment with some different herbs.

 

I find dill and basil work well. Tarragon is a little strong, and I'm wondering how the cabbage with thyme will turn out. That's the herb I used in the other cabbage jar that's still on the shelf. I'll have to try a few other herbs.

 

I just wanted to mention that now that the cabbage has sat in the fridge for a while, the tarragon flavour has mellowed out and the lemon flavour has intensified and it tastes better than ever.

 

My Wintertime fermented cabbage is soooooooo good!

I'm eating some on top of cornbread and beans, and it is way better than chow chow.

 

I'm trying a new thing with fermenting. Since I can't use salt, I bought a product called Pickle Crisp, initially meant to use when pickling cucumbers to keep them crisp. It's calcium chloride, you see it in canned goods mostly to keep the contents from going mushy. It's also salty, so maybe it will give it more taste. I'm trying with just three small jars of green cabbage and only put a Fresno hot pepper in each. And 1/2 cup of liquid from a previous ferment as a starter. If it turns out well, I'll make more then. I think I'll try kohlrabi and mini cukes too later this week when I pick some up.

 

I was sick for 10 days with stomach pain. Do you think fermented cabbage could do that to me?

I had pain and nausea, no vomiting or diarrhea, for about 36 hours then terrible, abdominal pain on just the right side for 10 days.

I had eaten about 2 or 3 tablespoons of a different batch. It was soft. None of my ferments have ever been soft.

Now, I'm kind of concerned.


I'm adding this here to help allay my fears: http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/can-cultured-foods-hurt-you/

 

Here's another article relating to the last cabbage I made. http://www.nourishingtreasures.com/index.php/2012/05/15/the-science-behind-sauerkraut-fermentation/

I'm throwing it out. I may be really sensitive to the mold; or not, but I'm not going to risk it. There are only a few jars.

These jars were made with brine I save from previous jars, plus the cabbage wasn't the freshest.

Not worth it just in case it did cause my tummy problem.

 

I haven't looked at the links yet but I don't think it would be the brine but maybe mold did form in the jar. One sign of softness is produce that's not fresh enough. I had that happen with cukes once. Probably good that you discarded it. How are you feeling now?

 

I'm keeping an eye on the calcium chloride jars. I haven't seen any bubbles yet so I hope it's not hindering the fermenting. Calcium is alkaline so I hope it doesn't stop the acidity that's needed to kill the bad bacteria until the good get going. I did put in liquid from another batch as a starter so hopefully it will be okay.

 

I'm pretty much over it but it did last 10 days. I'm so glad to be able to bend over again.

 

I don't think food poisoning lasts that long. It sounds like you got the plague...er... flu that was going around this year. But who knows for sure, better to be safe. Especially if it was soft and not very palatable. I ended up throwing out the soft kohlrabi too.

 

I started more veggies today. I'm using salt again, I calculated out a small amount I can use, 1/2 teaspoon per litre. In the cabbage, I used only salt and in the hot peppers and dill cukes I used both salt and Pickle Crisp. And herbs and spices in the cukes (fresh dill, fresh garlic, mustard seed, black peppercorns, whole cloves, coriander, bay leaf and a cinnamon stick). I made two jars of dill kohlrabi. In one I put only the salt, in the other salt and Pickle Crisp. I want to see how they'll differ. I put 1/2 cup of liquid from a previous batch in each jar as a starter.

 

I made a few more jars today. One of hot yellow peppers, and a 2 litre and 1 litre jar of cabbage. I put the Pickle Crisp and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the peppers but only the salt in the cabbage. Cabbage seems to retain its crispness better. I could feel the heat of the peppers as I was slicing them on the mandoline. Should be a nice spicy batch!

 

I've been missing a lot on this thread. It must get pushed back a page or 2 on the site before I log in.

Oh no! Are you feeling all better now Aeri?

 

I can't wait to see how that all turns out!

I definitely can't wait for the results of your previous post with the kohlrabi. Fermented kohlrabi is now a favorite snack of mine. I'll be fermenting a lot of that this year.

I'll be attempting a batch of traditional kimchi, with 1/4 the normal amount of salt, some starter culture from a previous batch, and some Pickle Crisp soon.

I get inspired every time I visit this thread, but then I get sidetracked and put off my fermenting for a while. I'm off a couple of days after I get night shift. Hopefully I can get some ferments started.

 

Yes! Thank You!

 

I took the dill kohlrabi and dill cukes off the shelf yesterday, the kohlrabi with the bit of salt only. It was nice and crisp. So fermenting it for a week and a half to two weeks seems to work best. One week and it's not flavourful enough, three weeks and it ends up too soft. I'll leave the kohlrabi that has the Pickle Crisp in it for a few more weeks, I'll report on that jar then.

The cukes had the salt and Pickle Crisp. It does keep them crisper. These are the thin mini cukes that tend to go soft but they're crisper this time than they usually are.

Also, the combo of fresh dill and mustard seed for the kohlrabi is delicious! It's better than the full pickling spice I put together and used for the kohlrabi last time. That spice is better for the cukes but for the kohlrabi it's too much. So I'll stick to the dill and mustard seed for kohlrabi from now on.

 

I'm going to take a couple of hours one day and pour out some old stuff that I haven't liked/eaten; pour out the stuff that might have made me sick; and boil all my jars clean so I can start some new stuff that I know I will eat.

 

We've probably all found that with our fermenting. Things we liked, things we didn't care for, things that worked and those didn't come out very well, trying new things (except for the absent-minded that can't remember to buy certain veggies to try {{whistles}} ).

It's been fun. And frustrating, especially when you can't pinpoint what went wrong. I think you made a good point, Aeri, when you said that one batch probably turned out bad (soft) because the vegetable was old. I think that happened to a couple of my batches, when I procrastinated too long and the veggies sat around until they were past their prime.

I'm mostly sticking to what I know I like now, but that part of me that likes experimenting is already thinking of what I can try next.