Fermented foods?

Aside from kimchee and sauerkraut, does anybody else do fermented foods?

I love them, and Bob has recently done some research into the health benefits. So we're going to start fermenting veggies. I've done some research, but I was wondering if anybody else had practical experience with getting a ferment started in a cool house?

I've done sauerkraut (mixed results), but was actually thinking of maybe introducing a culture (like a mesothilic cheese culture) into a new veggie jar instead of relying on wild lacto. Any tips or advice?

i have a sauerkraut jar that i just keep adding stuff to. never added a culture, just carrying on one from the 1st batch of cabbage. i make the usual cabbage of various sorts, but also add in carrots, beets, whatever. i guess i should clean it out at some point.... naah
i like to pull out things like carrots when they're still a little crunchy, but i like the cabbage all the way gone. i also make lacto pickles, but separately, since i don't spice the cabbage, but some caraway seed would probably be great in there. at some point i'll try some japanese veg like daikon
the pellicle in my jar is always amazing, with the anthocyanin from red cabbage:

i should have added, i keep this in the cool stairs which in the winter in around 15 deg C. i think that's perfect. fermentation always takes right off, stinks like microwaved sport socks for 2 weeks, then it's grand

I have started making my own yogurt, which is pretty easy. You have to keep the milk pretty warm though for about 8 hours. What I do is just put the container right up next next to the heater and turn up the heat in the room. I'm sure there are many ways though to do it.

dinnerstick, is that one of them fancy airlock crocks??

yeah i splurged. it's a 'harsch'. i love it. it came with a german instruction manual, with photos of the mad kraut (ahem) potter. hilarious
it's great though, 7.5 liter capacity (smallest one!) with two semi-circular stones to weight the stuff down, and the airlock trough

My wife has had a sourdough bread starter going at various phases in our life together. Nothing like coming home and smelling fresh sourdough wafting out of the oven...I've often wondered why sourdough doesn't catch on more--I grew up in the SF bay area and it's in every single store you go into, but in most other places in the country it seems like a specialty item...y'all don't know what you're missing out on!

Wow, that harsch crock looks amazing. It's a shame I didn't know about that in time for Christmas.

I pretty much stick to sauerkraut and Kim Chi, but I would love to try fermenting other foods.

Oh, I've already done yogurt, cheese, sourdough, vinegar. I don't like dairy, and I no longer eat wheat or grains.

So now I just want veggies.

I'm worried though, because my last couple of vinegars had a distinctive, well, feet smell and I think it's something in my house that I don't want to keep culturing! Then I read dinnersticks' description of "microwaved socks", and that's exactly it!

That's why I was thinking of introducting a cheese culture- it's lactobacillus. Or is that way out of left field?

I don't think it's way out in left field. I'm not sure how you would do it, but there is nothing wrong with wanting a specific strain, as opposed to whatever is floating around.

I can tell you that the sauerkraut that I make myself is distinctly different from the stuff at the store. Each time I make it I think I did something wrong, but by the time I get it heated up with some kielbasa, it's great.

Those Karsch crocks are Da BOMB! pretty pricey, so I might have to learn to turn my own pottery and make my own..

Yooper said:

Aside from kimchee and sauerkraut, does anybody else do fermented foods?

I love them, and Bob has recently done some research into the health benefits. So we're going to start fermenting veggies. I've done some research, but I was wondering if anybody else had practical experience with getting a ferment started in a cool house?

I've done sauerkraut (mixed results), but was actually thinking of maybe introducing a culture (like a mesothilic cheese culture) into a new veggie jar instead of relying on wild lacto. Any tips or advice?

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Pick up a copy of Wild Fermentations, that should keep you busy. Miso sounds like fun.

I ended up using a lactococcus culture to ensure fermentation would start, as my house is very cool.

I sampled today. It's really good! I supposed it could be considered "done", but I think I'd like to go a couple more days and have it even a bit more sour.

I used chopped cabbage, sliced carrots, broccoli, green onions (sliced), a few garlic cloves, habanero, red pepper, and I think a few other misc veggies (leftover cucumber) in a small crock. I used sea salt, and packed it down tightly with a pounder to release the juice. I ended up adding about 1 cup of RO water to make sure it was covered, and dissolved 1/16 teaspoon of the lactococcus culture in that. It's been at about 64 degrees (warmest place I can find!) since then. I covered it with cabbage leaves, and then weighed down a plate with a bowl and a rock to keep the veggies submerged.

It's really good, but I really miss the very spicy "kimchee" flavor that I love so much. I think I can put the veggies in a glass jar in the fridge, and then spice them up whenever and however I want.