Anyone ferment fruit & vegetables?

[UnderOpenSky]

I was listening the food programme in the car and apparently this is making a come back. A good way of preserving seasonal produce as well as being rather good for you.

Things like Sourkrout & Kimichi are well known about, but it seems you can do just about anything. They even spoke about fermented watermelon! I think I'm going to wonder over to ebay and buy some jars.

My girlfriend has quite a lot of kale and beetroot at the moment.

Ferment, Food Programme - BBC Radio 4

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Hmm. Jars are more expensive then I thought. Can anyone recommend some cheap ones?

 

[Cid]

Sandor Katz is the go-to authority on this kind of fermentation. Wild fermentation is his classic text, I see he's also just published a new one. Wild fermentation meaning using yeasts/bacteria picked up from the air rather than introduced cultures.

 

[Cid]

Hmm. Jars are more expensive then I thought. Can anyone recommend some cheap ones?

Get a flatmate who eats lots of things that come in jars.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Sandor Katz is the go-to authority on this kind of fermentation. Wild fermentation is his classic text, I see he's also just published a new one. Wild fermentation meaning using yeasts/bacteria picked up from the air rather than introduced cultures.

Yeah for simplicities sake, just using brine seems to easiest way, but am still reading. Will add that site to the list.

Get a flatmate who eats lots of things that come in jars.

I have a housemate who buys loads of jars and then leaves them half finished in the fridge.

 

[Cid]

Yeah for simplicities sake, just using brine seems to easiest way, but am still reading. Will add that site to the list.



I have a housemate who buys loads of jars and then leaves them half finished in the fridge.

Just noticed it was a food programme, they did Katz last time fermentation was experiencing a revival...

 

[Rebelda]

I like waresofknutsford.co.uk for jars.

 

[8115]

I went to a workshop on it a couple of years ago, we made sauerkraut. It's a bit labour intensive, I decided to stick to pickling.

 

[bi0boy]

I like the idea but it seems a bit too risky to me.

 

[UrbaneFox]

I have a housemate who buys loads of jars and then leaves them half finished in the fridge.

I do that. My neighbour had a go at me recently, "You've had those chutneys for years", so I chucked them out and added the jars to my massive collection.

 

[8115]

I like the idea but it seems a bit too risky to me.

I don't think fermenting a bit of cabbage exactly qualifies as living on the edge.

 

[mrs quoad]

The Sneeze - Half zine. Half blog. Half not good with fractions.

^^^ utterly worth a read

 

[polly]

The Sneeze - Half zine. Half blog. Half not good with fractions.

^^^ utterly worth a read

That made me laugh so much

Wilkos are good for cheap jars, as long as you don't sterilise them in the oven because it melts their crappy seals.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

So I'm still unsure about weather to go wild (just salt) or to add something to start the fermentation. Would Brewers Yeast work?

Thanka for the jar suggestions. I've got 4 of these on order.

Kilner Square Clip Top Jar 1ltr | Preservation, Storage, Jam Jar

 

[Cid]

So I'm still unsure about weather to go wild (just salt) or to add something to start the fermentation. Would Brewers Yeast work?

Thanka for the jar suggestions. I've got 4 of these on order.

Kilner Square Clip Top Jar 1ltr | Preservation, Storage, Jam Jar

Go wild. Manufactured yeasts are designed (well, selected) for specific purposes. E.g brewers yeast optimally works at a fairly narrow temperature range, favours the types of sugar extracted from grain and may impart certain flavours (obviously highly dependent on the yeast strain).

 

[a_chap]

I was listening the food programme in the car and...

I was listening to the very same programme and, in a fit of poor judgement and zero-planning, by the end of the day had created these...

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

I've pickled fruit in alcohol, but I doubt if that's what your talking about. I found this recipes to be very nice in the winter:

Brandied Pears

I've also made Kimchi and zucchini pickles, but I wasn't thrilled with it.

 

[Fez909]

Sandor Katz is the go-to authority on this kind of fermentation. Wild fermentation is his classic text, I see he's also just published a new one. Wild fermentation meaning using yeasts/bacteria picked up from the air rather than introduced cultures.

It's a common misconception that the yeasts are just floating about and land in your sourdough (or your fruit) - they're already present when you get it. Admittedly, they might have got there by floating about in the wind while the plant was growing.

Apologies if you already know this.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I was listening to the very same programme and, in a fit of poor judgement and zero-planning, by the end of the day had created these...

I'd have done the same if I can the stuff lying round.

I've pickled fruit in alcohol, but I doubt if that's what your talking about. I found this recipes to be very nice in the winter:

Brandied Pears

I've also made Kimchi and zucchini pickles, but I wasn't thrilled with it.

It's all good. I've done home preserving at all.

My girlfriend has a glut of carrots at the moment and this sounds interesting.

Gajar ka Achaar - NDTV

 

[a_chap]

I'd have done the same if I can the stuff lying round.

I didn't have the stuff lying around; it entailed a quick trip to the local supermarket. Three glass jars for a tenner, some sea salt, some juniper berries (mentioned in the radio programme) and a random collection of veg.

The wife thinks I'm insane/suicidal.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Let's here back when they have done fermenting! Did you follow receives or make your own up.

 

[skyscraper101]

. ((wrong thread))

 

[UnderOpenSky]

So how did people's experiments turn out? I got as far as buying the jars and no further. I've got my own kitchen now though so no excuses and just ordered the book Cid suggested.

 

[nogojones]

Anyone got any experience of making ramson kimchi?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Anyone got any experience of making ramson kimchi?

I think I'm going to try this one and just a plane one with salt. Just ordered 5kg of Himalayan salt from Amazon quite cheaply.

Wild Garlic Kimchi - energya

 

[a_chap]

So how did people's experiments turn out?

I have to confess it has been a mixed set of results.

I opened a jar of dill pickles (from the 2016 batch) which tasted sort of ok but had the consistency of porridge. Baffles me how shop-bought pickles are so crunchy.

I have a jar of pickled cauliflower which keeps challenging me to open it ("You coward, come over hear and lift this lid if you're man enough") but I haven't plucked up the courage so far.

 

[J Ed]

Great fan of branston pickle, probably my fave food ever. Love piccalilli with pies and I really like sauerkraut, not tried kimchi but spicy sauerkraut sounds good to me, but what are the advantages of doing it yourself rather than just buying it?

 

[TruXta]

Pickling and fermenting are not the same. I guess diy allows you to fine tune stuff to taste exactly how you want it to taste? Pretty fucking cheap and easy to do as well, all you need is a vessel, water, salt and the main course.

And vinegar if you're pickling.

 

[J Ed]

Pickling and fermenting are not the same. I guess diy allows you to fine tune stuff to taste exactly how you want it to taste? Pretty fucking cheap and easy to do as well, all you need is a vessel, water, salt and the main course.

And vinegar if you're pickling.

Yea and ofc if you have an allotment it makes even more sense

 

[TruXta]

Yea and ofc if you have an allotment it makes even more sense

I reckon just buying the raw ingredients are magnitudes cheaper and quicker