Do you ferment any of your foods?

[Foodie14]

I make my own yogurt, sourdough breads, and fermented drinks, and I'd like to dabble with fermenting even further. I would like to make things like sauerkraut and kimchi, and any other fermenting projects that might interest me.

I got started with fermenting when I had some digestive problems and was advised not to eat bread (amongst other things). But when I learned about sourdough and how healthy it is, I started on the road to fermenting. I've felt much better for adding these foods to my diet.

Does anyone here ferment anything, and if so, do you have any recipes to share?

 

[OhioTom76]

I attempted to make my own sauerkraut, but it failed miserably. I didn't have one of those crock pot devices specifically for making it, so I tried another recipe that used mason jars instead. I forget the exact steps that I took after chopping down the cabbage, but I believe I salted it and placed it in a colander and kept draining it and squashing it down further, until finally jarring it. Then I added some oil to the top, per the recommendation of others, to help form a "seal" so oxygen could not get in. Within a few days, I realized what I had done wrong - I did not leave enough room inside the jar for the cabbage to expand while fermenting. I was under the impression it was only going to shrink down further as it gave off more water - not grow as the fermentation begins. So the cabbage not only pushed its way above the liquid and the oil seal, which it's not supposed to do otherwise mold will form, but it caused the oil on top to start leaking through the lid. I pretty much gave up on it at this point, knowing that after a few months of fermenting there would most certainly be mold in there. So I opened the jars just to give them a taste of what they got to at that point, and it wasn't bad, but I would definitely skip the whole oil thing next time because it made the kraut all slimy.

 

[Foodie14]

I attempted to make my own sauerkraut, but it failed miserably. I didn't have one of those crock pot devices specifically for making it, so I tried another recipe that used mason jars instead. I forget the exact steps that I took after chopping down the cabbage, but I believe I salted it and placed it in a colander and kept draining it and squashing it down further, until finally jarring it. Then I added some oil to the top, per the recommendation of others, to help form a "seal" so oxygen could not get in. Within a few days, I realized what I had done wrong - I did not leave enough room inside the jar for the cabbage to expand while fermenting. I was under the impression it was only going to shrink down further as it gave off more water - not grow as the fermentation begins. So the cabbage not only pushed its way above the liquid and the oil seal, which it's not supposed to do otherwise mold will form, but it caused the oil on top to start leaking through the lid. I pretty much gave up on it at this point, knowing that after a few months of fermenting there would most certainly be mold in there. So I opened the jars just to give them a taste of what they got to at that point, and it wasn't bad, but I would definitely skip the whole oil thing next time because it made the kraut all slimy.

That's a shame - I haven't heard of putting oil at the top like that, but the space at the top of the jar for expansion is crucial.

The best instruction I came across for making krauts was a video on YouTube by a guy named Sandor Katz; he has some good books on the topic of fermentation too. He spent a long time squeezing out as much water from the vegetables as he could, before putting them into mason jars - he didn't use a crock. He also said that a little bit of mold at the top of the jar is 'acceptable' and apparently it's the norm; you just scoop it off and discard it. The high acid content of the vinegar prevents anything harmful from growing, such as botulism.

I hope you have better luck next time. I'm definitely going to take the plunge and make some kimchi.