Kimchi And Fermented Vegetables How To And Why

In this article they also add whey, which they apparently got by straining yogurt. I don't know if they realize this but they are essentially inoculating their stuff with yogurt culture.

 

I had only two jars that weren't bubbly happy so I left them out of the fridge. I'll have to see what they do.

 

I took two more jars off the fermenting shelf today. One jar of carrots that are absolutely delicious, and one jar of green beans which are good but the carrots are better. I think I'll put a chili pepper in the next batch of green beans. So I made another batch today with the lids I now had available, another 5 jars. I'm trying rutabaga, they were out of white turnips. I put a Thai chili pepper and garlic in with it. A jar of carrots, plain this time (I put garlic and dill in last time), and 3 jars of green cabbage, one plain and two with Thai chili pepper and garlic.




I said I'd report on how the baby jars are working out. I'm finding they're not the best for my application. I use 1 litre (1 quart) jars and the baby jars are a tad too tall and not quite wide enough. I can get more cabbage in if I put a cabbage or horseradish leaf on top to keep the contents under water. You can see in the clear jar of cabbage how much wasted space there is at the top. They may work better in larger jars. I put cabbage leaves in the other two cabbage jars. And I poked holes in the cabbage! Per Heat's suggestion.

 

I'm going to do a carrot and ginger when I get some more jars. I ran out of time today.

I've still got the two turnips too. I'll probably get more cabbage to put with them.

I forgot to check the two slow jars. I need to go look at them.

 

I'm enjoying the fermented veggies. They seem to be digesting much better without causing me to have Irritable Bowel, which salad or other raw vegetables would give me.

I don't like accidentally biting into a hunk of ginger. I cut most of it big so I could pull it out when eating.

 

Kimchi will take care of IBS. It may take a while, but if you keep on the regiment and eat your kimchi everyday soon you'll be able to enjoy fresh salad and raw veggies again.

 

That would be amazing! I miss them alot...Wow, I'll be able to eat a grapefruit!

 

The jar I topped off with the apple pulp, left from making brine, never got the active bubble party going on. It was a small jar anyway so I go rid of it this morning.

 

Oh no! Just because it's not bubbling doesn't mean it's not building bacteria. Mine don't bubble because I keep them at a cooler temperature. It just takes longer. But apparently you get more probiotics with a slower cooler ferment. Next time just let it sit longer. You should see it getting cloudier, that's another sign it's fermenting well. Your other jars probably got more of the sugar from the apple so they got the fast bubble.

I actually came on here to tell you to try cauliflower! It's my favourite to date. And cauliflower is cheap now. I picked up a big head of cauliflower today and made another 3 jars, with a bit of carrot and zucchini added, and garlic and a Thai Chili pepper. The mixed veggie jars go the fastest because you can't pack as much in with the hard cauliflower florets.

 

Oh cool!

I'm going to the store in just a little while. I'll pick up some cauliflower.

 

What did you pay for cauliflower? It was $1.98 a head at my store.

 

Well I'm in Canada so it might not be a fair comparison considering our dollar. It was $1.40 for a huge head. What's that in USD, about $1.05? In the winter here we pay $5 for a small head.

 

Wow. I'll start paying attention to produce prices, I'm sure.

Anyway, I bought some more jars. I also got some cucumber and some green beans.

 

question - has anyone hear ever heard about the high rates of stomach cancer in Korea and the possible link to kimchi consumption?

a few months ago I was getting into the habit of eating kimchi every day but I've scaled it back a bit after reading that. Koreans often eat kimchi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I assume in moderation the benefits outweigh the risks.

 

Here is a link to the study that is being referred to:

http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/11/3175.pdf


What's interesting to me is finding out what role genetics play.


I won't have time to read it until tonight.

 

thanks for posting the link, I posted that from my phone and it can be difficult to post links

 

They actually think it's from a too salty of diet in general. I don't know how salty a normal Korean diet, but most traditional kimchi does have a lot of salt. It makes it tasty, but also retards the fermentation. There are some benefits to using a good bit of salt beyond just the taste, but you really don't have to use any, especially if you are planning to eat it right away (after it's finished fermenting to your taste).

 

I've had a splitting headache since mid-afternoon.

I'm blaming Candida Die Off.

Yay!

 

How come you think you have an overgrowth of candida? Usually people get in in their mouths. People with lowered immune systems I think.

 

I have IBS.

In Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Candida causes problems. The solutions recommended are fermented foods and silica fiber.

If you do a search for IBS and fermented foods you'll see.