What are you fermenting today?

[freemotion]

Great idea ORChick! I have plenty of herbs in the garden.

Freemotion, I am draining my yogurt right now, and I will be saving the whey, but I don't have my book yet. How long will that whey keep?

And as for ginger ale....how does this recipe sound to you?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Lacto-fermented-Ginger-Ale/

Put the whey in the back of the fridge where it is coldest and it should be good for several days. I've had whey keep over two weeks, it varies from batch to batch. You never know what bad beastie may float in while you are working with it. I wonder if kefir whey is the same, or with all that good flora, if it keeps longer? Hmmm....

That recipe is similar to the one I used, but far less salt. I wonder if NT recipes use more salt to "cover the butt" liability-wise, kinda like books removing raw egg recipes, as Carla Emery was required to do in later editions of her wonderful book. I did notice a notation that hadn't really sunk in before that said you can use less or no salt if you are using whey. I will do that when my kitchen is reliably 70-is and won't get too hot for the three days of fermenting. I can't wait! That salty gingerale is SOOO good behind the salt!

 

[big brown horse]

I bought some beautiful small cukes and I am attempting to ferment them. I sorta followed freemotion's idea with salt water brine (non iodized sea salt) fresh dill, fresh garlic smashed, and hot pepper flakes.

Wish me luck on those, I really hope they work!! At least they look pretty in that swing top jar. (Right now it is covered with a cotton dish towel and in the closet.)

I also have my kombucha starting too.

 

[Wifezilla]

Free: Can I freeze the whey in to cubes like you do for yogurt culture?

ORChick: I just noticed the article i linked to mention salt. Did you add salt to your yocheese?

 

[ORChick]

Great idea ORChick! I have plenty of herbs in the garden.

Freemotion, I am draining my yogurt right now, and I will be saving the whey, but I don't have my book yet. How long will that whey keep?

And as for ginger ale....how does this recipe sound to you?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Lacto-fermented-Ginger-Ale/

Put the whey in the back of the fridge where it is coldest and it should be good for several days. I've had whey keep over two weeks, it varies from batch to batch. You never know what bad beastie may float in while you are working with it. I wonder if kefir whey is the same, or with all that good flora, if it keeps longer? Hmmm....

That recipe is similar to the one I used, but far less salt. I wonder if NT recipes use more salt to "cover the butt" liability-wise, kinda like books removing raw egg recipes, as Carla Emery was required to do in later editions of her wonderful book. I did notice a notation that hadn't really sunk in before that said you can use less or no salt if you are using whey. I will do that when my kitchen is reliably 70-is and won't get too hot for the three days of fermenting. I can't wait! That salty gingerale is SOOO good behind the salt!

Freemotion, I still don't know where you got the salt in your ginger beer. Do you have a different edition of NT than I do, as mine doesn't mention salt at all - nor whey, for that matter - in the ginger beer recipe.
As for keeping qualities of whey - on page 87 Fallon states that stored in a covered mason jar i the 'fridge the whey should stay good for about 6 months.

 

[BeccaOH]

Well, I drank about 3 ounces of my beet kvass last night. It tastes somewhat salty and sour and just a very bit fizzy. It is good for digestion, but I've been in the bathroom this morning more often than usual. :/ Not sure what I think of this stuff yet.

 

[ORChick]

Free: Can I freeze the whey in to cubes like you do for yogurt culture?

ORChick: I just noticed the article i linked to mention salt. Did you add salt to your yocheese?

Wifezilla - I have always had a really low tolerance for salt (comes from always living near the ocean I believe; I get what I need through the air I breathe ), so I rarely put salt in anything I make. But I would think that for some people a sprinkle of salt would not come at all amiss in the yo-cheese. However, with the herbs you may not find you need salt.

 

[Morning Dove]

It's yogurt day! I make yogurt every Friday in my crock pot.

 

[big brown horse]

It's yogurt day! I make yogurt every Friday in my crock pot.

I'm the pokey pot queen!! So you must go into detail!!

 

[Wifezilla]

Yes...details. My crock pot gets too hot for yogurt. I DO, however, use and old Hamilton Beach crock pot base as my heating source when I make yogurt. The top is long gone, but the base still works.

I put it on 1, put it in a cooler with my yogurt mix, and cover the cooler with a thick towel. This holds a perfect 110

 

[freemotion]

WZ, I don't see why not, freezing the whey, since cheese cultures can be frozen and still remain viable for at least 2 months, some longer, depending on the culture.

ORChick, it was ginger ale I made, not ginger beer. Since learning about the connection between certain migraines and lack of salt, I decided to have a little of that salty version every morning rather than sticking my finger in the sea salt bowl as a preventative measure. It is working great, btw! Just goes to show that salt is not evil, it is a necessary nutrient. Loads of processed, lab-produced salt is bad, but pure sea salt with no additives is good.

I had an aha! moment a couple of weeks ago and started buying unsalted butter. One more source of "bad" salt gone from our household. I can add the good salt to my food myself.

BBH, my pickles came out great! I was hoping they would be just-picked crisp, but they are still good. I am leaving them to strengthen and intensify in flavor. I may have one tonight if we have burgers on the grill.