Kimchi And Fermented Vegetables How To And Why

sauerkraut ;p

 

Thats right, Sauerkraut is a fermented vegetable. Good job r00lin'! :daisy:

 

I've been making kimchi since I saw others on hf making it. I made up a batch of pickles,and miscellaneous leftover veggies, after reading this thread today.

The recipe that I was using said to cut the blossom end of the cucumbers off - I remembered to do that right after I finished putting all of the veggies, brine, and pickle seasoning in, and and tightening the lid :/

I'm using 2 quart jars for pickles and other veggies, and 1 quart jars for kimchi.

 

That's going to be yummy, Ex!


I hope I feel like working on my new batch tomorrow. I got all my new jars cleaned.

 

I hope so. I'm going to be trying some other things too. I got a book on fermenting.

 

Oooh...You'll have to share what you are learning!

 

I definitely will.
Here's the book. It's very interesting:

 

It's interesting to read about the different recipes and techniques from around the world.

 

Hubby wants to do a jar of fermented onions.

Has anyone else done those?

 

I've been wanting to try them too! I just have to find a smaller jar that will fit my lids first, I don't want to make a big jar. Here's a page of recipes for the lids I bought, but you can use regular lids too. Onions are down the page a bit. You can adjust for volume if you want to use a bigger jar. I would recommend fermenting them longer than other veggies, but I prefer softer onions. I didn't ferment my salsa starter very long and found the onions too crunchy.

Note: Do NOT use the 1 Tbsp of salt to 1 cup of water ratio that they specify, that is way too salty. I use about about 1 Tbsp per 6 cups, sometimes less, like when making green beans which are more porous than other veggies. (I use pink Himalayan sea salt, you might be able to use more of another salt).

http://www.farmcurious.com/lacto-fermentation-recipes/

My experience with green beans -- Since they're more porous than the other veggies I used, I would put a lot less of everything in the jar. In one batch I had used a new salt and put too much of it. The other veggies survived the error, but I had to throw the green beans out. They absorbed too much of the salt. They seemed okay at first but were inedible after sitting for a while in the fridge. The garlic was also too strong for the beans. So go light on the seasonings with string beans.

 

A good portion of the public has candida overgrowth and don't even know it. They have allergies, arthritis, a slew of other ailments and it stems from a bad gut.

 

That looks nice, Expanse! I find I've started throwing together available veggies too. Though I've always kept my cukes separate because I like them fermented lightly compared to other veggies. Those I like to leave longer, especially cauliflower.

Ah, Sandor's book. He was mentioned often in my reading. I like your 2-quart jars. All I've got is the 1-litre. It would be nice to have the 2L so I could ferment more at one time with each lid. Especially the giardiniera mixed veggies, they go so fast. Anything bigger I couldn't fit in my allotted space on the shelf or fridge. But I can't seem to find them here. It's 1-litre, then up to the gallon size. I'd like some of the 500 ml (pint) sized too for experimental things, like the onions I want to try.

 

I couldn't find anything in my book about fermenting onions by themselves, but I found this on line:

"Ingredients:2 tablespoons sea salt4 cups water3-4 cups pearl onions, peeled or 2-3 onions, thinly sliced
Instructions:
To prepare brine, dissolve salt in water.Place the onions in the jar and pour brine over onions, leaving 1-2 inches headspace. If necessary, weigh onions down under the brine to keep them submerged.Cover the jar with a tight lid, airlock lid, or coffee filter secured with a rubber band.Culture at room temperature (60-70°F is preferred) until desired flavor and texture are achieved. If a tight lid, burp daily to release excess pressure.Once the onions are finished, put a tight lid on the jar and move to cold storage.

Makes 1 quart"

From here:http://www.culturesforhealth.com/lacto-fermented-pickled-onion-recipe

Another site i found had about the procedure except it called for 3 tbsp. pickled garlic brine or whey too.

I think I will try to make some, but I will add garlic cloves and some ginger.

 

Thanks, Ex. We bought some onions and other things just a little while ago. I guess I'll have a cup of coffee and turn the kitchen into a fermentation zone again.

 

What else can candida overgrowth cause? Can it cause a dry mouth? my mouth has been dry for like 6 months now for whatever reason.

 

^ thrush.

 

Dr said it wasnt thrush

 

It's not so much that it causes any one particular thing as much as it makes you unhealthy. Quickie explanation -- Candida overgrowth hardens and sticks to your intestinal lining, and nutrients can't pass through the lining like they're supposed to. To make things worse, the overgrowth often breaks off in chunks (you may have heard of "leaky gut syndrome") and damages the lining and instead of the toxins eliminating through your system in fecal matter, the toxins seep through the damaged lining into your bloodstream instead.

I don't know much about dry mouth but I do know that diabetes can cause dry mouth. I'm sure there are other reasons.

 

Ha, we've created a monster!

 

Yep, just finished putting stuff in jars. Taking a break before I brine them.