The Fermentary

Sunday, December 15, 2013

KRAUT PARTY!!

Use different spices, veggies or fruits, and make deliciously unique Krauts!

Try these combos:

Cabbage, burdock root and shiitake mushrooms

Cabbage, orange, and habenero

Cabbage, cauliflower, ginger, turmeric

Cabbage, leeks, horseradish

Friday, July 27, 2012

No Kitchen? Try a Campfire Kitchen

All you need is some fresh produce, foil, and a fire. Take a look...

Potatoes, celery, orange pepper, jalepeno, and onion

Add bay leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and some beer or white wine

And then some spinach, parsley, basil, olive oil, lemon, and white fish

Then wrap in foil, add another layer around the middle

Lastly, throw them on the fire for 20 minutes or so

Alas, you can eat and be merry

Best part...not much to clean up!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Make Whey for Cheese Please

Many fermenting recipes call for whey. I prefer to strain it out of organic yogurt. I could use home made yogurt, but store bought just never tastes as good to me, so I buy it for this purpose and save the good stuff for snacking. The best part of this process is the spreadable yogurt that you have left after you strain the yogurt. It has the consistency of whipped cream cheese, but is healthier!

Start with a very clean container.

Put in a very clean cheesecloth or kitchen towel. I used a kitchen towel because I wanted the pattern on my cheese.

Carefully spoon in yogurt.

Let it strain for at least 12 hours.

Once it is firm and the dripping has ceased, serve or refrigerate.

You can roll the yogurt cheese in herbs, salt it, pour honey on it, roll it in sesame seeds or berries and serve with warm bread or cucumbers. Much like cream or goat cheese, this cheese is versatile.

The whey can be kept in the fridge for a month or so. Use a few teaspoons when you are starting a new ferment. The whey will kickstart lacto-fermentation.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Miso Making

Miso: Fermented Bean Paste used for making Miso, Sake, Rice Vinegar and Mirin

Soak, then boil your beans, I used a Garbanzo/Navy mix

While your bean are cooling, melt your salt 1:1 salt to water

Grind up your 1/3 of your beans

*The grinder is also a great tool for making hummus

Combine the remainder of the beans, your salt mixture, and a sack of Koji

Salt your container

Smash down and get rid of any air pockets

Cover in salt! It keeps the uninvited guest out!

Place rocks or a heavy plate on the cloth covered bean mixture, wait at least 6 months and up to 3 years for miso

***Koji (a Japanese term for cultred grain) is made by inoculating steamed grain with the spores of Aspergillus oryzae, a mold that transforms the grain into sweet, fragrant koji, or cultured grain, during a two-day fermentation process***

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Sour Beer 101: Yeast vs. Bacteria

Sour Beer Bugs

Move over Winos....There is a new beer in town! I need to state that I am not a fan of hoppy, bitter beers. Wine has always been my drink of choice, until recently. Last fall, I visited The Jolly Pumpkin Brewery in MI, known for their sour beers. I took my first sip of the sour deliciousness and am forever converted to a beer drinker! I am such a lover of sour beers, I want the world to all learn about it! I organized the first of many, sour beer tasting last week. We sampled a "Brett" and a "Lacto" with a brewer who walked us through the difference. We had a mixed group of wine enthusiasts, non-drinkers, and beer lovers who sampled.

Here are the cliff notes...

Yeast vs. Bacteria:the microbes that make the flavor difference

Brettanomyces, "Brett" is the most common yeast to sour a beer. It is unique because it can ferment any type of sugar. Wine makers and beer brewers are often afraid of this yeast because it is so invasive it can take over a brew house or winery with unintended results. When properly contained the beer results with aromas and flavors of: barn-yard, sour, earth, & leather. Very light and refreshing,good for the beginner sour beer drinker.

Lactobacillus, "Lacto" is a bacteria, and yes, it is the same stuff that is in your yogurt! Like yeast, bacteria can also convert sugar into alcohol. The sour flavors come from the lactic acid that are also a product of the fermentation. Beer brewed with Lacto has tartness, oak-i-ness, and some funk. It is much more sour than Brett beers.

Pouring a Brett. Light in color, refreshing flavor.