Thanks for the advice uli. I was thinking along those lines with regards broccoli. I probably can eat it and I certainly have people who have been appreciating gifts of broccoli up to now so I'll just stick to the cauliflower.
Now that I have sauerkraut and fermented mixed vegetables mastered I am thinking that next season's glut (when vegetables are at their cheapest) I'm going to try making Korean kimchee. But only in small quantities for me to eat when my husband isn't home as he hates garlic and chilli. lol
Hi Buzzy, yes yes yes the real type of sauerkraut!I am really interested in fermented alive food - have been introduced to it by a fantastic lady here in Invercargill, Sherry Elton, and am just starting to get back into it. She had a natural health workshop on Monday night which reignited my interest.She actually does workshops in making sauerkraut, cheese, sourdough bread etc and can't wait to go to one.She also introduced me to raw milk too so that is great.Was wondering if anyone else on here was into it and glad I found someone!Was actually looking at the special sauerkraut pots on the internet yesterday, and she sells the cabbage shredder too but it was really pricey.
racheee,
Aug 12, 6:48am
You should look up Sherry's site, it is her name dot co dot nz.Have actually got my soaked nuts in the oven now to dry them out, and hoping to get a dehydrator soon.Found another interesting website today, thenourishinggourmet dot com.Interesting.I have two young boys though so don't have a great deal of time to browse the net, but there is a lot of interesting information out there.Have been reading your sourdough thread for a while and am really keen to try it.
uli,
Aug 12, 9:32am
Slice the cabbage into strips, I do this with a hand-held slicer (like you use for cucumbers, just bigger) or if the cabbage is already splitting (cause of the rain) I just quarter it, clean it up (remove especially the young earthworms in the leaf axils!) and slice it with a big knife. Doesn't take much longer. You don't want it too fine, but not too coarse either, maybe 3mm. And if possible all the same size. Don't use a food processor, it will not work. I tried it once and it was a desaster! Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it and sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls the juice out of the cabbage (through osmosis), and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour without rotting.
uli,
Aug 12, 9:33am
The salt also has the effectof keeping the cabbage crunchy, by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it. Use approx. 3 tablespoons of salt for 2kgs of cabbage. I never measure the salt, I just shake some on after I chop up each cabbage. I use more salt in summer, less in winter as the salt preserves it until it ferments. You can add garlic, bay leaf, caraway seeds, dill seeds, celery seeds, and juniper berries. I don't add anything, as I prefer to keep it simple, and I add whatever I feel like when I cook it.
lilyfield,
Aug 12, 10:05am
I make itthe same as Uli did you mention not to use ionised salt! Plain only, sometimes hard to find.
racheee,
Aug 12, 11:46pm
Thanks Uli, that is awesome.Can't wait to have a go!
buzzy110,
Aug 13, 3:42am
Yes. I make it exactly the same as uli as well. I haven't yet cooked my s/k, prefering to eat it 'raw'. I make a coleslaw type salad drizzled with olive oil and eat with sour dough bread. It is a match made in heaven. Currently my favourite recipe is home sprouted sunflower seeds (grown till the green starts to show or they taste horrid), avocado, tomato, fresh Italian parsley and canned salmon. Eat with sour dough bread and you have a match made in heaven. However my recipes change all the time.
racheee,
Aug 13, 8:13am
Wow, that is awesome, you were lucky to get one.One day I might be able to get one of my own - better at least make one batch before I get too professional though. Very nice thought.Hey, could you please do me a teensy favour, if you have time!Looking for a slicer as you suggested, and there are a few different ones here on TM - could you please suggest a good one!There are so many different ones and different prices, there might be a bargain in there somewhere!
uli,
Aug 13, 9:33am
Once you have cut up all the cabbage make fists and get into it. Beat it really hard (this is the time when you can let go of all the aggression you have bottled up somewhere deep inside). With the bashing and the salt you should soon get quite a bit of liquid coming out. It will be more if it is fresh cabbage, less if it is older. Now start packing the cabbage into the crock or bucket. Pack just a bit into the crock at a time and tamp it down hard using your fists or any (other) sturdy kitchen implement. The tamping packs the kraut tight in the crock and helps force more juice out of the cabbage. Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock. Place a clean weight on the cover. This weight is to keep the cabbage submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.
uli,
Aug 13, 9:34am
If scum appears on the surface, skim what you can off of the surface. It will break up and you will probably not be able to remove all of it. Don't worry about this. It's just a result of contact with the air. The kraut itself is under the anaerobic protection of the brine. Rinse off the plate and the weight. Taste the kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes. In the cool temperatures of a cellar in winter, kraut can keep improving for months and months. In the summer or in a heated room, its life cycle is more rapid. Eventually it becomes soft and the flavor turns less pleasant. So make sure if you do sauerkraut in summer to stop fermentation by refrigerating or bottling or freezing it before it gets too soft.
buzzy110,
Aug 14, 3:41am
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!
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).
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 :)
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.
uli,
Aug 16, 4:58am
In the fridge it will keep for months or years - or I freeze it for long term storage. The top layer will be going brown and I usually lift it off and compost it - best compost starter on earth by the way! - or if I want to be fancy then I cut some rounds out of the cabbage leaves and put those over the top of the sliced stuff so then it's easy to lift them out afterwards.
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.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.