Try, try, again

Okay so it's time to give you an update on the ferments.

Lets say it wasn't a success. I think I know what I did to make such a mess of things, so I'm willing to try again and try not to make such a hash of it. 

I set up my jars and did a little tatse testing mid-way through the process. Things looked good, but I'd done too much reading that said I needed to wait for a week or more. Once a week had passed I put the jars in the fridge and waited till the weekend for the reveal.

First up zucchini pickles. They were soft, super mushy, and really pungent but not in a nice way. Definitely not rotted, but just too much for me to eat comfortaby. I think my first problem was the garlic. I used a commercially prepared bottled garlic (because we didn't have fresh on hand). Then I just left it too long. (I guess I was too "slo" on this one).

As I suspected the sour kraut was really salty. It definitely retained some crunchiness and surprisingly enough it was actually a little "squeaky".

Next on the list is another try at pickled vegetables, maybe something less "soft" than zucchini and I have my eye on an "American" kimchee recipe that uses sriracha and no fish sauce.

The definite success recently has been Switchel. It's an old country recipe for a thirst quencher using apple cider vinegar, swetener (molasses, sugar, &/or honey), and ginger. It's sounds kind of off-putting, but it's really quite yummy.

I'll write again soon, as ever,

Slowly,  D 

Experimental food

Okay, last weekend I decided I'd try lacto fermentation. When I saw that word, all I could think of was sour milk or cheese. Well It has nothing to do with milk. It's a fermentation method that uses vegetables salt and water to make pickled foods (think saurkraut).

I happened to have some cabbage and zucchini that I felt should be used, so they were my first victims.

The cabbage became sauerkraut, and the zucchini went in a jar with onions and garlic to become pickles.

Tonight will be the taste test.

I've been checking on them daily and I'm really afraid that they may be very salty, epecially the kraut, because the recipe called for 2-3 Lbs of cabbage and 2 Tbsp of salt. I don't think I had that much cabbage and it has really broken down a lot, 2 TBSP of salt in just over a pint of veg may just be to much. The Zucchini smells really garlicky.

We'll see at the great reveal tonight.

 

Slowly,

D

 

Journey's begining

I have decided to go on a journey of sorts. 

I need to explore things in my life and around me. I aleady like to cook and knit and i'll definitely be continuing with those but I may try to write as a new way to experience them. 

I've also let my exercise drop to the wayside and my health is not as vibrant as it has been in the past. Maybe this could be a way to change things. 

I don't plan on putting my whole life out here, thats what a personal journal is for, but I'll be putting some of the experiences out here where maybe others can share.

So today is the first day of the written journey... Join me?

Slowly, D