Anyone ferment fruit & vegetables?
- Thread starter UnderOpenSky
- Start date
Chilli.s
mingling jets and statuettes
I just discovered that deep fried dill pickles are a thing (coz Iv never been to New Orleans) very keen to try them now.I am about to have a glut of cucumbers both cornichon types and typical uk ones. All organic grown from seed. Enough bragging. Am I in the right place to learn how to pickle them? I have jars. I have salt. I have fresh dill.
So what do I do?
Pickles are easy, loads of recipes on the web
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
Pickles (made with vinegar) are different from ferments (which are fermented with just salt to keep down the harmful bacteria). If you weren't aware.I am about to have a glut of cucumbers both cornichon types and typical uk ones. All organic grown from seed. Enough bragging. Am I in the right place to learn how to pickle them? I have jars. I have salt. I have fresh dill.
So what do I do?
Fermented cucs are very easy though, it's just getting the right ratio of salt. Cultured guru says 3.5% salt concentration. What I do is start with the jar I'm going to use, fill it with water and then weigh the water. A clip jar will usually be something standard like 500g or 750g. That's just to tell you how much the total contents of veg and liquid in your jar will be roughly.
Then you fill the jar with your veg, add enough water to cover, calculate how much 3.5% of your 500g (or whatever) is, then add that much salt. Then close the jar and wait. That's it.
Some people do dry brining but I've never done that.
strung out
💩 🤣 🍆 💦 🧐 👻 🐝 🐈⬛
Although confusingly, fermented cucumbers in America are still called pickles, as I found out when I was in New York earlier this year and had these minging salty things served alongside the pastrami sandwich I'd ordered.
Wolveryeti
Detty Pig
RubyTooGood has it right. 3-5% salt is the right ballpark. Slightly higher will give better storing properties but some folk like a less salty brine.
I would definitely chuck a few cloves of garlic and some dill if you have it into the fermenting vessel - improves the flavour tremendously. Also helps if you have something to push the pickles under the water to deter mould formation. You can get glass 'pickle pebbles' for this but some folk will use a water filled ziploc bag.
I would definitely chuck a few cloves of garlic and some dill if you have it into the fermenting vessel - improves the flavour tremendously. Also helps if you have something to push the pickles under the water to deter mould formation. You can get glass 'pickle pebbles' for this but some folk will use a water filled ziploc bag.
This recipe asks you to pour boiling water into a Kilner jar but the last time I did that, I fucking broke one.
Ideas? Shall I just let the boiled liquid cool a bit before pouring in?
www.kilnerjar.co.uk
Ideas? Shall I just let the boiled liquid cool a bit before pouring in?
Pickled Chillies | Kilner®
Make our delicious pickled chillies recipe in 30 minutes and store in your fridge for up to 4 months
www.kilnerjar.co.uk
Biscuitmonkey
Well-Known Member
Deffo. Leave for at least 10mins. It won't make any difference to the end product and you won't have any giant shards of angry glass to fight.This recipe asks you to pour boiling water into a Kilner jar but the last time I did that, I fucking broke one.
Ideas? Shall I just let the boiled liquid cool a bit before pouring in?
Pickled Chillies | Kilner®
Make our delicious pickled chillies recipe in 30 minutes and store in your fridge for up to 4 months
Thank you! Was so enraged last time
Biscuitmonkey
Well-Known Member
It's happened to me. About 8 years ago. I'm still upset and have kept the lid down the years.Thank you! Was so enraged last time
See, again I wasn't sure enough about even oven-sterilising them in case they cracked!
They're glass, I'm sure they'll be fine unless they're some incredibly dodgy mystery material knockoff you found online, or you leave them in for ages at too hot a temp. You could stick them in while the oven is still warming up, and/or while they're already warm from a wash in hot water if you're worried though - or another way is to sterilise in a water bath (submerge open jars in cold water, then bring it to the boil) but I prefer the oven method as they come out already dry.
Just obviously remove any rubber seals etc first if you're doing the oven method - you can use boiling water for them though.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
I can't smell mine at least until the jar is opened.
I'm doing some more red cabbage tomorrow. I'm proper belt and braces now with cleaning, they go through the dishwasher and then get sterilising tabs. Overkill I know, but I've had to chuck away a few batches, so take no chances now.
I'm doing some more red cabbage tomorrow. I'm proper belt and braces now with cleaning, they go through the dishwasher and then get sterilising tabs. Overkill I know, but I've had to chuck away a few batches, so take no chances now.
Wolveryeti
Detty Pig
Got back in the saddle this weekend. Used my patio chilis in a fermented hot sauce attempt - not very hot so pimped it with some dried chipotle chilis.
I also love kimchi but not tried it with broccoli so that's my other experiment...
I also love kimchi but not tried it with broccoli so that's my other experiment...
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Wolveryeti
Detty Pig
Whizzed up the fermented chilis and garlic, added a touch more salt and apple/spirit vinegar (to help it keep) and here is the end result decanted into some old sauce bottles.
Nice slow-build heat without being too overpowering. I would say on a par with Tabasco; perhaps a bit weaker. A bit smoky from the Chipotles and fruity. I could see it working well as a marinade or in a Bloody Mary or salsa.
I think I will keep one bottle virgin and add some extras to the other (onion powder, mustard powder) and see which I like best.
Nice slow-build heat without being too overpowering. I would say on a par with Tabasco; perhaps a bit weaker. A bit smoky from the Chipotles and fruity. I could see it working well as a marinade or in a Bloody Mary or salsa.
I think I will keep one bottle virgin and add some extras to the other (onion powder, mustard powder) and see which I like best.
I’m not sure if it’s the same for clip jars, but I sterilise bottles and jars by putting them into a cold oven, set temp to 140 c, once it reaches temperature set 10 minutes timer, when timer goes off, turn off oven and leave them in there. (This is just for jam or cordials, I’ve never done fermenting, I just look vicariously at and eat other peoples’)
Yeh, if you read back, you'll see that it was all sorted
Wolveryeti
Detty Pig
New Year New Brew!
50:50 red/white cabbage sauerkraut with garlic and caraway seeds.
50:50 red/white cabbage sauerkraut with garlic and caraway seeds.
Wolveryeti
Detty Pig
Recently got a good mandoline (Benriner) and I can say it makes a massive difference in keeping the kraut packed at the bottom under liquid vs. the finer grade slicing of the food processor or grater...
I always just use a sharp knife. I like it chunky though, rather than fine cut, and I use those heavy glass made-for-fermenting weights to keep it all under the liquid.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
I did for quite a while. The whole thing with scooby can look a bit minging. Mine was pretty potent. Needed quite a lot of suger, but didn't taste sweet at all. I should probably get round to doing again.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Was feeling pretty wiped at the weekend, but had sterilised the jars and got the cabbages and red cabbage has become a bit of a staple in our house. Tried using the food processor rather then hacking it up. Very quick blitz as I didn't want to small, but it's still a lot smaller then I cut it. I'm hoping it turns out ok as if is that that's a great time saver.
I'm absolutely not bothered by how things look tbh, only in how they taste and what they can do for me.
What kit did you use? Any kind of special fermenting jar, did it have a spout?
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
No, I just used a big Kilener jar type thing. A tap might make bottling more easy, but think it's better to properly clean it each time, but know continous brewing is a thing. Think I got the scooby from a Facebook group.
Ah okay, so you need bottles?
Wolveryeti
Detty Pig
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