Anyone ferment fruit & vegetables?

[Des Kinvig]

Red onions are quite cheap at the moment and I love them, but don't use them enough. It's a waste just to cook with them like brown. Definitely going to try a small jar or this.

I got some big red onions today to start a batch tomorrow. I also got two celeriacs which I’m going to shred and try making celeriac sauerkraut. I’m in two minds whether to add some apple. I’ve found some recipes online but plan to do it the same way I do cabbage, just clean it up and shred it, the right amount of salt then massage it till I get liquid. No water added. I’ll see how it turns out.

 

[8115]

I figure there might be a crossover between fermenters and picklers. Is anything in season to pickle at the moment? Or shall I take a leap and make some sauerkraut?

 

[8115]

What kind of cabbage should you use for sauerkraut? Going to make some tomorrow.

 

[Schmetterling]

What kind of cabbage should you use for sauerkraut? Going to make some tomorrow.

White; always white.

 

[RubyToogood]

White; always white.

Or red, sometimes red.

 

[Schmetterling]

Or red, sometimes red.

You, Sir/Madam, are off my Christmas card list.

 

[iona]

What kind of cabbage should you use for sauerkraut? Going to make some tomorrow.

Any kind, but something more fleshy than leafy textured if you want the sauerkraut to have a bit of crunch

 

[8115]

Any hints for keeping the cabbage under the brining liquid? I have jars and bowls i can use. What's best?

 

[Chilli.s]

Well my jar o stuff is sat there, not bubbling as much as I expected, is it coz the kitchen is cold like in a traditional victorian hovel? It doesn't smell bad and has gone a bit cloudy.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Any hints for keeping the cabbage under the brining liquid? I have jars and bowls i can use. What's best?

I find GU pots best as they fit most jars nicy. Pop in top of jar and also put some liquid in the pot to help keep it down, but don't forget a small air gap around it. When chopping try to remove any super fine bits.

 

[Des Kinvig]

Any hints for keeping the cabbage under the brining liquid? I have jars and bowls i can use. What's best?

i use a freezer bag. put your hand inside to pack the cabbage in well, then carefully fill water into the bag up to the top of the jar. then seal the bag. it works very well.

using a smaller jar can work, but it varies on the size of the opening of your fermenting jar.

as for cabbages, i use the standard ones, white or red work equally well. i sometimes stick some grated carrots in with the white ones.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I thought I might get back into this after thinking about buying some umeboshi, seeing that they are stupidly expensive, and a friend suggesting maybe I could make my own.

They're often called "pickled plums" in English but apparently an ume fruit is more similar to an apricot, and I know there are apricots sold in the UK, though post-Brexit who knows what they'll cost. And you just put them in a container with a load of salt and leave them for a couple of weeks, pretty normal sort of procedure it seems. So all I need now is some apricots.

 

[iona]

I thought I might get back into this after thinking about buying some umeboshi, seeing that they are stupidly expensive, and a friend suggesting maybe I could make my own.

They're often called "pickled plums" in English but apparently an ume fruit is more similar to an apricot, and I know there are apricots sold in the UK, though post-Brexit who knows what they'll cost. And you just put them in a container with a load of salt and leave them for a couple of weeks, pretty normal sort of procedure it seems. So all I need now is some apricots.

The traditional way is much more complicated and involves things like leaving them out on the porch in certain weather conditions iirc. I was thinking about making umeboshi a while back and got as far as some blog where a woman was trying to use her Japanese granny's old family recipe before I decided the whole thing seemed like too much work

 

[iona]

Just been clearing all the old nearly-finished ferments out of the back of the cupboard coz I need the jars, and reminded myself of a recent conversation with someone who was shocked and horrified to find out I don't bother refrigerating stuff or eating it within a certain time. (Just tried some cabbage from last summer and it's still fine.) The person I was talking to runs both a blog and an actual business about "gut-friendly" foods

 

[FridgeMagnet]

The traditional way is much more complicated and involves things like leaving them out on the porch in certain weather conditions iirc. I was thinking about making umeboshi a while back and got as far as some blog where a woman was trying to use her Japanese granny's old family recipe before I decided the whole thing seemed like too much work

you say this now I have twenty kilos from Dave the Apricot, no questions asked

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Just been clearing all the old nearly-finished ferments out of the back of the cupboard coz I need the jars, and reminded myself of a recent conversation with someone who was shocked and horrified to find out I don't bother refrigerating stuff or eating it within a certain time. (Just tried some cabbage from last summer and it's still fine.) The person I was talking to runs both a blog and an actual business about "gut-friendly" foods

I always morn the last jar of Kimchi from the cupboard. It's certainly the best.

 

[8115]

My sauerkraut is gone a bit pink. Google says to throw it away but I've had shop bought sauerkraut that was pink and not died. What do you say?

Also do you put extra brine in? My cabbage did not produce enough brine to totally cover it.

Thanks.

 

[iona]

My sauerkraut is gone a bit pink. Google says to throw it away but I've had shop bought sauerkraut that was pink and not died. What do you say?

Also do you put extra brine in? My cabbage did not produce enough brine to totally cover it.

Thanks.

Squidge it right down so it's properly submerged, and keep pressing the air bubbles out as it ferments if nec. Add more brine if you need to but squish it more next time, should get enough liquid out of something like cabbage. Chuck the bit that hasn't been submerged if it's gone mouldy. Keep the rest unless it smells or tastes proper wrong.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I've just lost 4 jars of red cabbage.

One had mold, the others just tasted a bit wrong. Probably safe, but not worth persevering. I did use sterilisation tablets, although possibley for not long enough. Also reduced the salt, but it was still at 2%.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I've started eating the above now as it's stopped bubbling. It's not bad although I think my fennel based creations are better. Apples would be nice in it. The star anise was a slight mistake as it's a bit medicinal, but it hasn't permeated the whole thing. The juniper berries don't seem to do anything and the ginger when you hit a slice is a flavour explosion.

It has that sulphurous cabbage thing, slightly, also has a bit more fizz than I've experienced before. Not sure if that's ok but it hasn't poisoned me yet.

I'm wondering whether to try some brussels sprouts for Xmas.

Best way to use juniper berries in a pickle, is to whack them with the side of a knife (or a pestle, or even a hammer!) after tying them up in a little muslin spice parcel. Whole berries only work if you're using fresh ones. Most of what we get are dried.

 

[ViolentPanda]

White; always white.

Typical staid central Europeans!

 

[ViolentPanda]

One thing about making 'kraut: My nan used to whack the salted cabbage with a meat tenderiser, rather than "massaging" it. It almost always produced enough brine. She also always added 2 tspns of carraway seeds and a mashed clove of garlic per 2pt jar. Always worked, & she always had sauerkraut (& soup!) on the go.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I've just lost 4 jars of red cabbage.

One had mold, the others just tasted a bit wrong. Probably safe, but not worth persevering. I did use sterilisation tablets, although possibley for not long enough. Also reduced the salt, but it was still at 2%.

I tend to use a solution of Milton Fluid to sterilise. It's food-safe (mostly used for baby's bottles etc), & you don't need to rinse.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I tend to use a solution of Milton Fluid to sterilise. It's food-safe (mostly used for baby's bottles etc), & you don't need to rinse.

Thanks. I've been using Milton tablets. Maybe I wasn't on it enough this time, but it generally has made a difference.

 

[RubyToogood]

I've opened the sauersprouts and they're delicious. Great appetiser, like olives or something.
(Pic pre-fermentation)

 

[ViolentPanda]

I've opened the sauersprouts and they're delicious. Great appetiser, like olives or something.
(Pic pre-fermentation)

View attachment 245507

Thank you for the inspiration!

I bought 6 red cabbages (14p each!) from Lidl on Christmas Eve, I'll pick up some decent Granny Smiths & some fresh garlic tomorrow, & ferment myself some red cabbage. I'll also pick up some sprouts, & give them a try!

 

[RubyToogood]

Thank you for the inspiration!

I bought 6 red cabbages (14p each!) from Lidl on Christmas Eve, I'll pick up some decent Granny Smiths & some fresh garlic tomorrow, & ferment myself some red cabbage. I'll also pick up some sprouts, & give them a try!

They aren't obviously as crunchy as white or red cabbage, but still good. I added orange zest and fresh cranberries.

 

[Wolveryeti]

This evening's efforts- my first (slightly bootleg) kimchi. I couldn't find napa cabbage so I used bok choy. Now we play the waiting game...

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I have been fermenting chickpeas - soaking then boiling chickpeas as normal, then putting them in brine.

Pro: chickpeas sink in brine so you don't need a weight, cabbage leaf etc to keep them down.
Con: boiled chickpeas don't have the lacto bacteria to ferment, so you need to add some brine from something that has fermented. I put in a couple of tablespoons of brine from some chillies I'd pickled earlier and now the chickpeas smell properly pickly.

also, is it me or is it just not red cabbage season? I can't find any anywhere.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I have been fermenting chickpeas - soaking then boiling chickpeas as normal, then putting them in brine.

Pro: chickpeas sink in brine so you don't need a weight, cabbage leaf etc to keep them down.
Con: boiled chickpeas don't have the lacto bacteria to ferment, so you need to add some brine from something that has fermented. I put in a couple of tablespoons of brine from some chillies I'd pickled earlier and now the chickpeas smell properly pickly.

also, is it me or is it just not red cabbage season? I can't find any anywhere.

More importantly what do they taste like?

Definetly not the season for red cabbage. In fact no many UK crops are at the moment. Everything is in the ground or being planted, but little is ready. This time of year is traditionally known as the hungry gap. Obviously we import so much stuff these days, I guess given their weight to value, it's probably not worth doing this with red cabbage.