What are you fermenting today?

[unaspenser]

Thanks for the tips, guys. After some googling and digging around online yesterday I think I'm going to start with sauerkraut and see how it goes. I've never really thought of pickles as fermented though... I mean, brine + veg then into the canner is how I've always done it. Is there more to it than that?

Also, has anybody here had good success with making hard cider sans added yeast/sugar? I'd love to try that.

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks for the tips, guys. After some googling and digging around online yesterday I think I'm going to start with sauerkraut and see how it goes. I've never really thought of pickles as fermented though... I mean, brine + veg then into the canner is how I've always done it. Is there more to it than that?

Also, has anybody here had good success with making hard cider sans added yeast/sugar? I'd love to try that.

The reason we ferment them and then NOT can them is to get the beneficial probiotics that canning would kill. They last about 3 months in the fridge after the original ferment.

(One thing I would tell you about sauerkraut (and pickles) is make sure the cabbage is below the brine line or you could get mold like I did when I made a big batch that was too dry.)

 

[freemotion]

They will often last much longer. I have sauerkraut that is coming up on a year old in October and is still fresh and good!

 

[big brown horse]

Wow!! I'm glad to know that freemotion!

 

[Hen_House_Rocks!]

Boy am I getting hungry reading this!! I should have waited until after supper to check in!!!

 

[FarmerDenise]

As teens we used to make hard cider by just letting the jug of sweet apple cider sit open for an hour or so and then reclosing it and letting it sit out for a few days. The longer it was left out, the stronger it got. We usually couldn't wait too long though.

 

[Blackbird]

Monique, I wanted to tell you about an 'expiriment' I've accidently tried!

Yesterday when I made yogurt, I used two cups of week old heavy heavy goat milk cream, and two cups fresh goat milk. Made it like I usualy do, but this time for the culture I used half cup of 'Old Home All Natural Yogurt' containing 'Live Active Cultures, including Acidophilus and Bifidus'. Big deal right? Well after I got it all mixed up and in the yogurt maker I went to lick the spoon I used to scoop the yogurt. VANILLA!

When I picked the yogurt up I made sure it didn't have pectin or anything, but I didn't even noticed the word 'vanilla' in large letters on the front. I think I read somewhere your only supposed to use plain yogurt for culture, and this has sugar in it to begin with. I didn't think it would work at all. So I left it in the yogurt maker ten hours. When I stuck the spoon in, about one inch on the top was thick! Not quite as thick as normal storebought yogurt, but almost.

This morning after I came in from milking I checked on it, the top half is thick, and the bottom half is basically whey. I stuck the spoon it, pretty thick. Tasted it, and it wasn't all that bad. I'm not sure if you could actually call it yogurt but its fairly thick. I suppose a person could try to make another batch using this as culture and have even less sugar in it to make it better for a person. Although I suppose it might be runnier.

Anyway, thought I'd let you know. I'm just happy because its thick, and I don't like my yogurt runny. Maybe I'll have to try making some yocheese. I'm going to leave it a couple more hours and see if it gets thicker first.

 

[freemotion]

Sounds interesting! Vanilla has alcohol, I wonder if that changed the fermenting process at all. The cream probably rose, too. Let me know how it works, I may have to use your recipe! I missed drained yogurt. I have a cup of cream in the fridge right now, I was going to shake it into butter, but I think I will wait for your results.

 

[me&thegals]

I'm fermenting kombucha, but that's pretty much a daily windowsill process around here

 

[freemotion]

(me&, kombucha prefers it dark.....)