Lacto Fermentation For Preserving Foods

[forsailbyowner]

Im reading a book "Cultured Food for Life". Now Im wondering why I havent been preparing naturally pickled foods for all my cruises. Theres a growing consensus affirming the importance of eating probiotic foods. With the only needed components being a jar, some water , cloth, salt and veggies this could done by anyone. I just tried my first batch of pickled carrot broccoli and cauliflower and its quite good, with nothing added. Im trying some garlic, peppercorn carrots next. do not use table salt. Has anti-caking agents that dont go well with pickling.

Simple instructions are>

Cut and wash veggies,
Make brine from ratio= 4-5tbps salt/qt distilled water
place veggies in jar, cover with brine . cover jar opening with fine cloth or filter paper or....
let sit out of sun for 6-9 days
refrigerate or consume

Keeps while refrigerated 9 months.

[StuM]

I've been making Kimchee for years

[shorebird]

Probiotics can survive the highly acidic environment of a pickle jar?

[Mt2Salt]

StuM:

Would you mind sharing your Recipe for Kinche?

I had some in the Army at Ft Bragg and loved it. It was good a spicy, something to keep you awake on guard duty.....

[Bluemansailor]

I brought 2 pickle-it quarts jars, one always has kimchi in it and the other sauerkraut!
Great stuff!
Here's my recipe for kimchi-

How to Make Cabbage Kimchi
1 (2-pound) head napa cabbage
1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt (see Recipe Notes)
Water (see Recipe Notes)
1 tablespoon grated garlic (about 5-6 cloves)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons seafood flavor or water
1-5 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
8 ounces Korean radish or daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Makes 1 quart

1. Cut the cabbage. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each quarter crosswise
into 2-inch-wide strips.
2. Salt the cabbage. Place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands (gloves optional), massage the
salt into the cabbage until it starts to soften a bit, then add water to cover the cabbage. Put a plate on top and
weigh it down with something heavy, like a jar or can of beans. Let stand for 1-2 hours.
3. Rinse and drain the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage under cold water 3 times and drain in a colander for 15-20
minutes. Rinse and dry the bowl you used for salting, and set it aside to use in step 5.
4. Make the paste. Meanwhile, combine the garlic, ginger, sugar, and seafood flavor (or 3 tablespoons water) in a
small bowl and mix to form a smooth paste. Mix in the gochugaru, using 1 tablespoon for mild and up to 5
tablespoons for spicy (I like about 3 1/2 tablespoons).
5. Combine the vegetables and paste. Gently squeeze any remaining water from the cabbage and return it to the
bowl along with the radish, scallions, and seasoning paste.
6. Mix thoroughly. Using your hands, gently work the paste into the vegetables until they are thoroughly coated.
The gloves are optional here but highly recommended to protect your hands from stings, stains, and smells!
7. Pack the kimchi into the jar. Pack the kimchi into the jar, pressing down on it until the brine rises to cover the
vegetables. Leave at least 1-inch of headspace. Seal the jar with te lid.
8. Let it ferment. Let the jar stand at room temperature for 1-5 days. You may see bubbles inside the jar and brine
may seep out of the lid; place a bowl or plate under the jar to help catch any overflow.
9. Check it daily and refrigerate when ready. Check the kimchi once a day, pressing down on the vegetables with a
clean finger or spoon to keep them submerged under the brine. (This also releases gases produced during
fermentation.) Taste a little at this point, too! When the kimchi tastes ripe enough for your liking, transfer the
jar to the refrigerator. You may eat it right away, but it's best after another week or two.

[bill352]

Originally Posted by Bluemansailor

I brought 2 pickle-it quarts jars, one always has kimchi in it and the other sauerkraut!
Great stuff!
Here's my recipe for kimchi-

That sounds really good. Two questions - what is "seafood flavor"? Fish sauce? And, in Step 7, do you literally seal the lid? I know you're opening it everyday, but isn't the pressure a problem?

I'll be trying this one.

[Bluemansailor]

Seafood flavor is fish sauce, oyster sauce...

There's no pressure because those jars come with air traps - just like when you make beer or wine. Gas can get out but no oxygen can get in. Once the sauerkraut or kimchi is done, I replace the air trap with a stopper and starting eating it and then putting the jar in the refrig.

Here are the jars I use- have 2 of them onboard my boat
Pickl-It

[bill352]

Thanks for the reply. Fish sauce I have, and, as an old home brewer, I have a drawer full of airlocks. Let's see - I could drill a hole in a regular Mason jar seal, epoxy in an airlock...IOW, do a hundred dollars worth of work to avoid buying a twenty-dollar part. Sounds about right. Or I could do what I did in my pre-airlock days and use a sandbag.

Anyway, thanks again, and I'll be trying that recipe. I always make them exactly as written the first time around, but I can see carrot sticks in future batches.

[bornyesterday]

Er... misread the recipe as "let sit out in sun for 6-9 days" and now I need some advice.

Will the microwave kill it or do I have to shoot it?

[Bluemansailor]

Originally Posted by bornyesterday

Er... misread the recipe as "let sit out in sun for 6-9 days" and now I need some advice.

Will the microwave kill it or do I have to shoot it?

??? Sit in the sun??? No, I leave it sitting in a dark spot on the boat, also I only use 1/2 the amount of Korean pepper. That's hot enough for me.

Don't microwave it...

[SVTatia]

I have to watch my sodium intake. Is the salt absolutely required? Seems that the salt is what "preserves", is this right? Can the amounts be reduced?

[Bluemansailor]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

I have to watch my sodium intake. Is the salt absolutely required? Seems that the salt is what "preserves", is this right? Can the amounts be reduced?

I don't think you can, and yes it is the salt start starts the process of fermentation. but not 100% sure. There are a couple of really good books out there on the process, they might have more information.

My family has been making homemade sauerkraut for a long time in big crocks, nothing like it and I;m glad I found the quart jars, makes making it on the boat easy.

[virginia boy]

What a crazy coincidence! I just finished cutting the ingredients for a cucumber, tomato, red onion and garlic ferment! In a pickl-it jar with an air lock of course. Pickl-It

I tried sauerkraut using just a Fido jar (blue lid) with no airlock and ended up with a bad ferment. Fido Jars with Clamp Lids in Outlet Kitchen | Crate and Barrel
From now on Fido jars will be used for dry storage only.

Delicious sauerkraut takes about 2-3 weeks in a 1 1/2 quart pickl-it jar.
2-3 days for most other veggies.
I hear pruno (jailhouse wine) takes about 5 days. I quit drinking so someone will have to let me know if it's true.

[bill352]

Well, my local Publix (grocery store) is out of daikon, although they normally carry it. I'm using parsnips instead (I've done that before - works good). Will start cutting veggies in the AM, since I try very hard never to mix sharp knives and Happy Hour.

Since vb mentioned it, I just had to look up "pruno". Wikipedia tells me, among other things, that "...flavor is often not the primary objective". Shocking, really.

[StuM]

My lazy man's recipe for Kimchee:
Take one chinese cabbage (wombok/napa - not any of the bok choi, pak choi etc types).
Roughly chop it.
Place in a bowl, cover it with sea water and leave overnight.
Drain it and squeeze out the excess liquid.
Take jars of chilli paste, minced ginger and minced garlic out of the storage locker (there are always plenty of each on hand ), add generous dollops of each to taste and mix thoroughly.
Pack in jars and leave for at least 5 days.