Fabulous site uli. Wish I'd known about it earlier. It is now firmly book marked because I am thinking that a smaller one would be ideal for other sorts of fermented and pickled vegetables. Preferably something hot and garlicky that I can eat when my ever loving, but rather precious husband, doesn't have to be assaulted by stinky, hot smells!!!
racheee,
Aug 14, 7:34am
What size do you have Buzzy, and do you think a smaller one would be better?
buzzy110,
Aug 15, 3:50am
I got a 10litre crock. I definitely think that it is better to get smaller, rather than larger. You have to bear in mind that they can get heavy when full and you may wish to move it about. Also the 10litre one did just enough. No point in getting a huge one when you only want to put down 2 or three big cabbages and what a waste of money and space to get bigger. Also I think a number of smaller ones for different foods gives you the opportunity for a greater variety. Mind you I only have one at present, but best to walk before I start running.
uli,
Aug 15, 4:57am
as posted above - if you just want to make a small quantity then make it in glass jars. If you can get those jars which come with a glass lid and a wire closing mechanism and a rubber ring - they are the best to use. You slice your cabbage and bash it with salt then stuff it hard into the jars, leaving about 3 cm air on top. Snap the jars closed and the developing CO2 will have pressure enough to push most of the air out of the glass jar between glass and rubber.
uli,
Aug 15, 4:58am
You will see the entire contents come up to the top of the jar as it starts fermenting and bubbling and if you didn't leave enough space you have to put the jar onto a plate, as it will start pushing some juice out. You will notice how it changes from green to yellow and after a few days I put it into the fridge (our cellar up here is far too warm and the stuff goes soft and terrible).
buzzy110,
Aug 15, 10:31am
uli. That is almost identical to what I do when I make fermented vegetables using whey and water as opposed to salt. I use regular Agee jars with lids and rings. I have found it is best to leave them on a towel in my never used bath tub which is on the cold side of my very warm house. For the first two weeks they will over flow but then settle down and create a tight seal. I then refrigerate.
uli,
Aug 15, 9:22pm
which veges do you ferment buzzy? I have done cucumbers once and they were so fizzy that only myself ate them, everybody else couldn't standthe fizz on the tongue LOL :)
buzzy110,
Aug 15, 9:49pm
That is so funny uli. Yes, the veges do fizz. They also have a sour taste. The fizzy juice makes just as excellent a tonic as sauerkraut juice. I followed the instructions from this site: http://wholesomegoodness.net/2008/06/10/cultured-veggie-tutorial-with-step-by-step-photos/ . The first few instructions instructive but irrelevant to an experienced cook. I used a simple whey and boiled water starter but otherwise the process was similar. There are a range of vegetable choices mentioned. I do grated beetroot and julienne carrots individually in smaller jars but also add carrot to my vegetable mix as well because in season, carrots are cheap as chips.
uli,
Aug 15, 10:09pm
that site is so funny buzzy :) It says that you will need an apron LOL :) I don't think I even have one ... and then it says"... For a modern American, leaving food out on the counter for a week is pretty scary .... Actively promoting bacterial growth?Even more frightening .... " :) AAAWWWW!
buzzy110,
Aug 16, 2:42am
Yes. She was rather pedantic in the beginning. I have to agree. Mind you American kitchens are there for show, so it is necessary to start from the very beginning when explaining how to cook or make something to Americans. To the average city bred American the term 'made from scratch' means going out to buy pre-prepared packages and following the instructions on the pkt - something like buying a pizza from the freezer section of the supermarket and reheating it. That is the height of home cooking in their minds.
buzzy110,
Aug 16, 2:45am
Sadly we are following suit. I'll never forget a thread called, How to Make Tomato Sauce from Scratch and one poster thought that meant using two pkts of Maggi tomato soup mix and adding onions or something. I nearly cried laughing but it is telling.
davidt4,
Aug 16, 6:32am
Tomato sauce from Maggi Packets It breaks my heart to see how uninformed and gullible people are when it comes to food.I suppose the schools don't teach domestic science any more, but they could at least educate the kids about the marketing strategies of food manufacturers, because it's outfits like Maggi and Nestle that are to blame with their ghastly recipes devised solely to increase the sales of their ghastly products.Okay, that's my rant for the week.
uli,
Aug 16, 6:45am
And they are very clever in marketing those packets. Even 30 years ago there was cookbook with recipes from maggi - and it was free. Every recipe was based on some maggi soup or sachet LOL. And did you see the very excited thread a couple of days ago - about the "personalized Nestle cookbook" which is so wonderful - every poster was more excited than the last ... I was able not to post in it too LOL :) (was hard though)
davidt4,
Aug 16, 6:50am
"Personalised" Nestle books It's horrifying, isn't it.Why can't these parents and grandparents make up atruly personalised book of proper recipes to give to their offspring?Decades ago it would have ended up as a family treasure.
buzzy110,
Aug 16, 7:47am
I have been studiously ignoring that thread because I know I'd make even more enemies.
davidt4,
Aug 16, 9:45am
Just while we're making enemies... Have you noticed how often it is that the people who recommend cooking with packet soup, marshmallows, lollies etc are also using the expression "to die for"?
uli,
Aug 16, 10:00am
haha davidt4 - what a laugh never occured to me. However buzzy join the club - I have been witch-hunted out of here several times, hence my reluctance to come back and continue to provide recipes and insights. Especially the soy debate makes me cringe. Most vegetarians have so no idea about what they do to their bodies - all based on some obscure mind games why we shouldn't eat meat....
buzzy110,
Aug 18, 2:40am
bump. Just to find out how rachee is progressing.
buzzy110,
Aug 18, 2:43am
rachee. I know uli and I can be a bit hard on posters sometimes. I am often told off for being too direct and yet when people are too direct to me I just shrug my shoulder's and take it on the chin. I never think any less of people because they have expressed an opinion that may differ from mine. I think the same probably applies to uli and maybe david. Heck, I think I may have locked horns with david on one occassion but the respect is still there.
buzzy110,
Aug 18, 2:47am
Anyway. Putting all that aside I am still really interested in how your thoughts on making sauerkraut are firming up. I do hope you haven't completely discarded the idea as too hard. I know the instructions seem complicated because it is a process that is completely outside the average NZer's experience, but once you start, it is really quite simple. To start with I broke it down in my mind to steps and completed each step as if it was the only step and everything became very easy.
buzzy110,
Aug 18, 2:50am
Actually, now is a good time to start thinking about making sauerkraut. At present, cabbages are more expensive than in summer so there is no need for you to rush around gathering together your equipment. This is a time when you can be getting a list of instructions (I dread to call them recipes for this procedure) that you think you could follow easily and looking about for the things you need or could adapt to suit your pocket.
racheee,
Aug 18, 5:04am
Hey, sorry, have just been flat out the last few days.I think I have managed to kill my sourdough starter, my yoghurt did not set, and now I am getting scared to make whey in case I muck that up too!In the Nourishing Traditions book she says to use 2 quarts (almost 2 litres) of raw milk, however for a start I would like to do half that just in case I end up wasting it.That could still work ok?And do I just leave it on the bench in a glass bowl covered in gladwrap for a few days?
racheee,
Aug 18, 5:07am
Also, Uli, those glass jars you were talking about are on sale at Briscoes so will go get a good amount of those tomorrow as want to start fermenting some veges.
davidt4,
Aug 18, 6:00am
Quart measure rachee I don't know if your recipe is American or not, but bear in mind that American volume measurements are different from UK and Australasian ones.A US quart is much smaller.There was a thread about this a while ago.It would pay to look up US measurements on Google and check.
vailima1,
Aug 18, 7:28am
temperature We have temeratures of between 22 - 30 degrees celcius most of the time, will this affect making saurkraut?
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