Lacto-Fermentation: Anyone else preserve foods this way?

Am now listening to this book on Audible.com: The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from around the World:Amazon:Books

 

reborn, I Just love bringing up old threads, maybe someone else will find it useful.

 

Excellent idea! Fermentation is more fun than a person ought to have. I've now experimented with a few sauerkraut and salsa recipes, and several kombucha mixes. My coworkers raved over my L-F pickles, but my wife abhorred them. Next project is some type chutney. Lacto fermentation needs to be on every SM's radar; the benefits go way, way beyond preservation of food.

 

we accidentally fermented pickles a couple of years ago and have just recently figured out why those pickles tasted funny!! They fermented!! on the path to try and duplicate.

 

This is one of my favorite receipes for kim chi. It's almost fool proof as long as you sterize the jars. Oven is very easy


Kimchi
Ingredients: The slaw
6# Napa cabbage
1 Large Daikon radish about 1 1/2 #
2 Bunches of scallions chopped
1 Green apple sliced
8 Oz. Carrots
1 Cup Kosher salt
Non chlorinated water

Procedure:
1. First sterilize the mason jar you are working with by placing it in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Make sure that the temperature does not exceed this as the jar can't withstand higher temperatures.
2. Chop the cabbage and place it in a large bowl.
3. Add all the salt and massage int the cabbage. Add a touch of water as well about a cup. Make sure all the cabbage is covered.
4. Allow the cabbage to sit for an hour. Intermittently toss the cabbage around.
5. After an hour, strain the cabbage and rinse 3 times to get the salt out.


Spicy Kim chi paste ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups hot Korean red pepper flakes
1 Head garlic peeled
4 Oz. Peeled sliced ginger
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp. Milled crushed red pepper
Non chlorinated water

Procedure:
1. Food process the garlic and ginger till minced.
2. In a bowl, combine the mince, pepper flakes and milled pepper.
3. Add water to form a paste

The finale!!
1. Combine the slaw( including the apple, radish and scallions) and paste. Really get that cabbage good and coated.
2. Place the mixture in the mason jar(s) you are using.
3.Allow the product to ferment in a dark area.The process varies according to temperature. Ideally you want it to be between 65-2 degrees. The process can take between 2-4 days.
4.Use an air lock if you have one. This way you do not have to burp the jar.If you do not have one, it is important to release the gas from the jar about every 12 hours as the gas build up could cause the jar to explode and kim chi will be everywhere not good!
5. If using an air lock make sure to have a plate of some sort under the jar as liquid
will come through the lock and stain your pretty floors.
6. Taste test once it is a little fizzy your pretty much done.
7. At this point place the jars in the refrigerator and enjoy.
8. The Kim chi will still ferment in the refrigerator but at a much slower time frame. The longer you leave it in there the stronger and more intense it will become.




I dont really care for the carrots done in a 3% solution but I have a friend who lovest them
I make and reuse the lids for fermenting lids as well.


This is ready for refrigerator

 

Ganado - where do you get the lids? Or do you make them? I've been using Pickl-it equipment; it's really, really nice but a bit expensive...

 

I make them. Use a standard canning lid and 1/2 " punch amazon for $10. And food grade rubber grommets. You have to have wine or beer airlock for this method. You can make 6 jars at a time for under $20. Well if you have to buy the punch it's more like $30.

 

Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables
from White On Rice Couple

1/4 lb. cucumber, julienned
1 lb. daikon, peeled and julienned
1 lb. carrots, peeled and julienned
2 tsps kosher or sea salt
1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Make sure the vegetables are fairly dry (pat them dry) so they don’t dilute the pickling liquid with excess water. Combine the vinegar, salt, sugar, and water together until the sugar dissolves. Place the vegetables in a jar large enough to fit them all and pour the pickling liquid into the jar so that all of the vegetables are submerged. Store them sealed in the jar in the refrigerator for 5 days for best flavor. (I was too impatient and cracked them open after an hour – they were great).


Now I'm looking at rice bran fermenting beds for my next experiment.

 

My father in law makes some very good mustard pickles. Next time I see him, I will try to remember to ask for the recipe.

 

@kellory mustard pickle recipe? did you get a chance to get it from your father in law?

 

Not yet.

 

I just spoke with him. He has no objection to passing out the recipe, and will prepare a copy of it for me.

 

scientific paper on the topic of old methods of food preservation. Here is a paragraph concerning the above post and here is the link aseanbiotechnology.info - This website is for sale! - aseanbiotechnology Resources and Information.
Pit fermentations
Lactic acid fermentations include the “pit” fermentations in the South Pacific Islands. They have been used for centuries by the Polynesians to store and preserve breadfruit, taro, banana and
cassava tubers (Steinkraus 1986; Aalbersberg and others 198.

The fermented pastes or whole fruits, sometimes punctured, are placed in leaf-lined pits. The pits are covered with leaves and the pits are sealed. It has recently been found that pit fermentations are lactic acid fermentations (Aalbersberg and others 198 The low pH and anaerobic conditions account for the stability of the foods. An abandoned pit estimated to be about 300 years old contained breadfruit still in edible condition.

In Ethiopia, pulp of the false banana (Ensete ventricosum) is also fermented in pits (Steinkraus 1983a). It undergoes lactic acid fermentation and is preserved until the pit is opened. Then the
mash is used to prepare a flat bread kocho-a staple in the diet of millions of Ethiopians.;

So did you read that part, 300 year old edible food!!! Ensete takes quite a bit of work to process, than the other foods mentions. But it can tolerate cooler tempertures. Could be grown outside in zone 9, and in colder regions in pots and brought in the house or greenhouse for a year or two before being processed and put in the pit.
This is a living food.
Most of these foods mentioned in the paper contain good kind bacteria for proper gut flora that can help with immune system and other health benefits. Great for preppers, long term food storage system along with health benefits.

300 years defineitly wins the long term food storage contest!



.Breadfruit fermentation in micronesia

 

I have been searching for good stoneware crocks at a reasonable price. If you can't get them locally shipping almost doubles the cost. I did find you could get one gallon and gallon crocks by ordering online e from Ace Hardware

And havingbthem ship to your local store for free
Ace Hardware Stores | Browse for Hardware, Home Improvement, and Tools.

 

I was looking for how to culture yogurt and ran across this use for chili stems. I have not tried it ..... yet =)

Yogurt cultured by Chili peppers | Wild Fermentation :: Wild Fermentation

.....favorite fermentations is yogurt making, and I’ve been making my own since 2005. For years I have been using commercial yogurt cultures as starters, and have had to replenish them every few generations. In your book you mentioned the heirloom yogurt cultures, which intrigued me. Unfortunately, the commercial sources of heirloom yogurt cultures do not ship to Israel, where I live. Nor do I know anyone who has an heirloom yogurt culture here in Israel. Therefore, it was with great interest that I read the chapter [in The Art of Fermentation] about plant origins of yogurt.
You mentioned a great deal of possible natural sources for yogurt cultures, some of which, like ant eggs, I was not keen on trying. However, you did mention that in India chili-pepper stems may be used as a source for yogurt cultures. This was something I was willing to try. So, I bought a package of red chili peppers from the store. I heated one liter of whole milk to 180F, and let it cool gradually to 110F (I let it cool slowly, over 2-3 hours). I briefly rinsed the chili peppers, and cut the stems off a dozen. I place the stems in a container, and added the milk. I placed that in my yogurt incubator. After 10 hours, nothing had happened. I decided to let it continue fermenting. After about 13 hours, the magic happened, and the milk had gelled! In fact, it had over-fermented a bit, and split. I had a layer of whey at the bottom, on top of which floated a very thick curd. I cooled it in the fridge, and it tasted like spicy, chili-flavored yogurt. I used one teaspoon of this yogurt to inoculate a fresh batch of milk.
Again, I repeated the same process: heat to 180F, cool to 110F, incubate at 110F-115F. The yogurt set beautifully after about three hours. This is a really fast-setting yogurt culture. The result was a very thick yogurt (this time I stopped the heat on time, so it did not split). I should probably say that it is a yogurt-like product as I don’t actually know what’s in it. Flavor-wise, it tasted very good. It is quite sweet and not very acidic, even thought its pH level does go down to 3.5-4 (I used a pH strip to test).
This yogurt culture so far has reliably made 5 generations of yogurt. My routine now begin at about 6:00 PM, where I heat up my yogurt. I then let it cool gradually over three hours. If, at 9:00 PM, it has cooled too much, I will heat it a little to raise the temperature to 110F. I add a teaspoon of yogurt culture from the previous batch (this I remove after the initial cooling of the yogurt and set aside). I incubate at 110F-115F for three hours, until midnight. By this time, the yogurt has begun to gel, although the gel is quite fragile. I kill the heat from my incubator at this point, and keep it insulated until the morning. By morning time, the yogurt will have beautifully set into a firm curd, and be just slightly warmer than room temperature. I then refrigerate it for several hours, where it continues to firm.
I am very excited about this. Naturally, I was very doubtful that this would even work. I have been sharing it with whomever would listen. I have also given some culture to a friend. I wanted to share this with you, so you could share it with more people than I can. It also makes me wonder what other sources of plants are used to make yogurt. Perhaps different plants can make different flavors and consistencies of yogurt? If you know of some information on the matter, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share it with me.
Thank you again for writing your fabulous new book. It is indeed a fantastic source, possibly the best source, of information about fermentation. It has been the source for many fermentation experiments at my hom

 

Rice bran fermentation going well so far. Had to drain it and re salt this morning as it had too much moisture
but oh so tasty


teh little white tails sticking out are radishes

Radishes after 3 days fermentation



One taste test, yum so crispy slightly sour and slightly salty goodness!

 

Corona Virus and Kefir grains
The Microbiota and Health Promoting Characteristics of the Fermented Beverage Kefir
Kefir VS Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Probiotic pills have 50billion live critters
Kefir grains have 500 billion
How many probiotics (or CFU) does kefir really have?

I have purchased from this mom and pop shop both water kefir grains and yogurt strain and had great results.

I'm not a huge yogurt fan but i do use some in dressings and in cooking.
I have to say this strain of yogurt is delicious by itself. Slightly sweet and ropy in texture. Easy to make, add 2 tablespoons to 8 oz milk leave on the counter for 8-12 hr and refrigeration.. Yogurt for gut health.
use whole milk for best flavor, i have used full fat powdered milk with no loss in taste. I did have to add some minerals in the form of sea salt or himalyan salt.
Finnish Viili Culture

Water kefir grains are awesome. It tastes like a light ginger beer, light fermentation. Hearty. I've left on the counter up to 5 days still has good flavor.
Water Kefir Grains