What are you fermenting today?

[freemotion]

Yes, I would pasteurize it when I just started, because I was not confident about the cleanliness of my milking and equipment and even the health of my goat....just a nervous "new mom!" Now I do everything raw.

Yes, too, the problem is that you are creating an incubator, and you can culture bad beasties as well as good ones. I think re-pasteurizing is not a bad idea in this day and age. At the very least, do a thorough sniff test of the end product, and maybe not feed it to anyone who is fragile, just in case.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I've usually just been heating the milk to the right temperature and adding the culture. I don't boil the milk. So far I've had no problems with it.

 

[ORChick]

I checked on my fermented beets this afternoon. Thanks free for mentioning that the ginger carrots from NT were very salty, That prompted me to cut the salt in the beets, and I am glad I did. Even with half the salt they are still more salty than is pleasing to me. But, that aside, they seem to be fine. I rather like the vinegar-y taste of pickled beets, and that is missing here. Also the spiciness, but I could put in more spice next time. These are just salty beets with a very slight sourness to them. I could imagine serving them as fresh, leaving out any additional salt, maybe with a dollop of sourcream, or yogurt. I think that I will continue to make a few jars of vinegar pickled beets in future though, as well. DH doesn't like them, so I won't need many.

 

[freemotion]

If you like the taste of beets, consider making beet kvass....the health benefits are enormous. I wish I could choke it down. I hate beets. Taste like dirt. And I like dirt!

 

[freemotion]

Oh, and I am lacto-fermenting a five gallon bucket of raw in-shell peanuts for canning tomorrow! Gotta love that kefir whey!

 

[Dace]

I tasted my much anticipated first ferment yeasterday.(another funny typo!) I did the carrots which were yummy when I first assembled the ingredients but blech!

How am I gonna choke this down? Please tell me it will mellow a bit in the fridge. I was hoping to add them to salads and veggie wraps, but they are really pungent!

 

[freemotion]

That was my reaction to my first batch of ginger carrots. What is the blech? Salt? Sour? Like many new foods, it is an aquired taste. Or the carrots may not be the right choice for you. Also, the taste is different from batch to batch, and in the hotter weather, it ferments more strongly and quickly, think 72 degrees for the ideal room temp phase.

Many items do mellow in cold storage. Sauerkraut is very different six months later. Still not my favorite eats, but since the health benefits are so great, I do eat a bit "medicinally," like a quarter to half a cup. I think about how bad many meds taste, and consider myself fortunate to be eating sauerkraut instead!

Not to worry, though. Stick it in the way back of the fridge and try another recipe. You will find something you like. Eventually. Keep reading up on how wonderful it is, that can change your mindset, too.....sort of.....

 

[Dace]

okey doke.

To the back of the firdge!

Still need to make the kimchi...maybe the kick of the chile will be more to my liking

 

[freemotion]

I just noticed your "yeasterday" typo! Very apropos for fermenting!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I'm still working my soughdought starter. The bread I made came out very well, but I decided not to use whole wheat kernels in the sour dough starter. After using all the starter in my bread, I saved back a dollop of the finished product and put it back in the crock. I added a large spoonfull of white flour and today I added a cup of warm potato water. Saving the remaining potato water for future baking and stock. The starter looks and smell great.