What are you fermenting today?

[ORChick]

You might choose to double bag, as well. Put brine into one bag, and then put that bag into another ... just for insurance.

 

[me&thegals]

I have to admit to not searching through 103 pages, but does anyone have a great way to ferment beets and kale? I have beets, kale, spinach and chard still going strong in the garden, but with the temp steadily dropping in the next 10 days I'm going to need to do a final harvest... Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[ORChick]

I have to admit to not searching through 103 pages, but does anyone have a great way to ferment beets and kale? I have beets, kale, spinach and chard still going strong in the garden, but with the temp steadily dropping in the next 10 days I'm going to need to do a final harvest... Thanks in advance for any help!

Do have. or have access to, the book "Nourishing Traditions"? I think there are recipes in there for what you want. I'll hunt them up later for you, if you like; don't have the book nearby at present.

 

[me&thegals]

I do, but a fermenting friend of mine said she didn't like Sally Fallon's recipes using beets. She felt they were way too salty. I wonder if I could just cut down on the salt, or would that affect the safety of the ferment?

I don't want you to go to bother, but if anyone has a fast, simple beet/kale/spinach/etc. fermentation recipe, I'd love to try it

My fermented cabbage got tossed today, as it had maggots in it! Apparently the fruit flies found a crack in, and I think that's where the eggs were coming from. Gak!

 

[FarmerChick]

fruit flies. man. they can find a way to thrive in any situation.
they just appear. like magic lol

 

[ORChick]

I do, but a fermenting friend of mine said she didn't like Sally Fallon's recipes using beets. She felt they were way too salty. I wonder if I could just cut down on the salt, or would that affect the safety of the ferment?

I don't want you to go to bother, but if anyone has a fast, simple beet/kale/spinach/etc. fermentation recipe, I'd love to try it

My fermented cabbage got tossed today, as it had maggots in it! Apparently the fruit flies found a crack in, and I think that's where the eggs were coming from. Gak!

I have to agree about the saltiness. I've only tried one or two of her fermenting recipes, and thought they were very salty also. I'll look to see if I can find something else for you, but it may take awhile. This afternoon, probably.

 

[FarmerChick]

OR if you find alternates by 'just this afternoon' then YOU are fast gal!! cool

 

[me&thegals]

ORchick--that's so sweet of you. If you're just looking in NT, though, please let me do that and not waste your time. If you have other recipes, though, that would be awesome! I love my kombucha, and I like the idea of fermented veggies a few weeks from now to make the most of the last of the garden. Thanks!

 

[ORChick]

Though I had high hopes I fear that I haven't found much. My 3 best sources for fermented veggies - NT, Wild Fermentation, and the Joy of Pickling - are not terribly helpful in this case. Joy of Pickling, by Linda Ziedrich, was completely unhelpful, having nothing on either beets or greens in the fermentation chapter. (Otherwise a good book - lots of vinegar pickles, but a complete chapter on ferments - worth finding in the library) Wild Fermentation, by Sandor Katz (an interesting book, and one that encourages trying new things; highly recommended) has a recipe for beets, but it sounds, possibly, even more salty that NT. But, for what its worth, here are the 2 recipes - Wild Fermentation and NT.

Sour Beets - Wild Fermentation

5# beets
3 Tbls. sea salt
! Tbls, caraway seed (optional, I would imagine)

Grate the beets coarsely. Sprinkle with salt as you go (author states that less salt will also work, so salt to taste - but, my tip, don't cut back too far as salt also inhibits bad bacteria until the the good lacto bacilla gain a foothold). Cover and weight, as for sauerkraut. Make sure the brine stays above the veg. - use some added brine as needed (1 Tbls. per 1 cup water). Check after a few days; wipe away any surface mold, and rinse the cover and weight. As time passes the flavor will get stronger.

Pickled Beets - NT

12 medium beets
seeds from 2 cardamom pods (optional)
1 Tbls. sea salt
4 Tbls whey (if not available use an additional 1 Tbls. salt)
1 cup filtered water

Prick beets in several places, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 300* F for about 3 hours, or until soft. Peel and cut into 1/4" julienne (Do not grate or cut the beets with a food processor - this releases too much juice and the fermentation process will proceed too quickly, so that it favors formation of alcohol rather than lactic acid) Place beets in a quart sized, wide mouth mason jar and press down lightly with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over beets, adding more water if necessary to cover beets. The top of the beets should be at least 1" below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

I'm not quite sure how many beets constitutes the 5# called for by Katz, so can't judge the saltiness. The NT recipe calls for whey, which I think is a good idea, as it adds the good bacteria, so that the fermentation can get started faster, needing, theoretically, less salt than if not using whey. On the other hand, I like Katz's book, because he encourages experimentation, and that may be what you need for your kale, as I found nothing at all for greens .

So, all in all, not a huge amount of help. Sorry about that. But I hope that if you find a useful way to do what you want that you will let us all know how it turned out - to the better knowledge of all

 

[me&thegals]

That is extremely helpful--so thank you! I have a market scale, so getting an accurate 5# will be no problem. Thanks again! When I get around to trying this out, I will report back