Kombucha

[Janne]

Do you think it will work to do fermented Limes just by cutting the stalk end so the inside of the wedges get exposed?
Then roll in salt, and pack in a jar? No 'needling' ?


My limes are about 5 cm in diameter, perfectly ripe now. Light green with about 1/3 of them yellow.
Wife takes a quarter, in a large tea cup and pours newly boiled water on top. Lime tea/infusion.
The Limes they sell in Europe are not ripe. Bright green and very acidic.
I only have 7 Lemons this year, the gardeners pruned the tree to much.

Almost ripe, maybe ready for Christmas. Those I reserve to stuff a Duck with. One per duck, needled. Two in a goose.
I write needled because I can not say ***** with a needle.

 

[Toddy]

I didn't needle the lemons, I just pressed them down very firmly indeed. I think the limes would work the same way, just cut down into the fruit in quarters but don't cut right through,. I pressed them cut side down into the jar, and stacked them up to fill it.

The jus is salty/sweet and tangy. It's very good

 

[Toddy]

Woody girl ? have you tried canned coleslaw ?
It is absolutely wonderful. Easy to make, keeps for ages, tastes great and it's good for you too
I know I've written it out somewhere on the forum, but I can't find it.
Here's chickens in the road's recipe.
Pretty much what I do, but I use soft brown sugar and I use Sarson's spiced pickling vinegar.

http://chickensintheroad.com/farm-bell-recipes/canned-coleslaw/

 

[Billy-o]

***** with a fork I have always loved that slight

 

[Woody girl]

Toddy what variety of cabbage should I use? I'm thinking of a white cabbage as I realy hate the smell and taste of the green leafy variety. I know I should eat my greens like a good girl but if your going to convert me let's take it slow! I like coleslaw in mayonnaise which is usually made with white cabbage. Will red cabbage work too?

 

[Janne]

All cabbage will do, but in Central Europe the White cabbage is the tradition.
Red cabbage is nice too, or even a mix.

The Koreans use Chinese cabbage. IMo a bit 'slimy' when well aged.

Sorry if I butted in, but with Cental European heritage I wanted to give you info from a Sauerkraut eatin' person...

 

[Janne]

Just to add: All cabbages, all veg can be ( and has been traditionally) fermented.
The nicest ones are the hard ones, they get a nice 'crunch'. Leafy veg, like Cavolo Nero, Savoy cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Broccolli leaves, they turn soft and kind of mushy.
Still nice flavours, but .....

One surprisingly nice veg to ferment is Cauliflower. Also Brussel sprouts are very interesting. But remove the outer green leaves, keep only the inside firm ones.

Those my mum used to do, but she interlayered them with white cabbage, as she wanted the juices from the cabbage to over everything.

She had a special ceramic container, around 25 liters with a special lid for the Sauerkraut,, plus around 10 liter glass jars for the 'exotics'.

If you discover that the liquid does not cover the veg you cam boil water, let go cool, add salt at an exact measure, then pour on top.
I do not recall the ratio water/salt, but internet knows.

Lactic Acid fermentation is one of the truly original preservation methods, together with smoking and drying.
Salting/ brining came much later, as salt used to be very expensive.

Fish can be lactic acid fermented too. Herring in Sweden, Trout in Norway.
Also Cod is sometimes kind of fermented in the Lofoten Islands, semi fermented and semi dried.
Called Bokna fisk. Hering used to be treated like this further south. Bokna sild.
But those foods are waaaayyyyy to exotic for your refined palates!

 

[Billy-o]

Yes,you can treat red cabbage differently. Get a big cast iron fait tout or a casserole of some kind.

Chop up a cabbage put it in the casserole. Chop an onion, an apple. In with that. Add 1/4 lb butter and a cup of sugar. Then dried fruit in a generous handful . tart cherries are good, sultanas, figs, apricots ... what ever you like really. Add 1/2 cup of cider vinegar and some salt. Stir the lot together and put it in a low oven with the lid on for a couple of hours. This is a flexible and approximate recipe which you really have to tune to your own taste. Oranges and lemons, pears, grated carrots, pomegranates are all possible additions ... spices too ... anise, mustard, fennel, cloves, mace, caraways ... sage ... even a bit of islay whisky. It is meant to feel warm and sweet and christmassy. I have tasted it with walnuts and chestnuts in it. It goes great with mash, greens and roast meat ... especially pork

There are many variations on the net which you can borrow ideas from

 

[Toddy]

Toddy what variety of cabbage should I use? I'm thinking of a white cabbage as I realy hate the smell and taste of the green leafy variety. I know I should eat my greens like a good girl but if your going to convert me let's take it slow! I like coleslaw in mayonnaise which is usually made with white cabbage. Will red cabbage work too?

I first used the tight white cabbage, and it's very good. It just needs rather a lot of pounding (I did it in a big plastic bowl, put it in the sink, and used the pestle from the big granite mortar) to help start the liquid seeping.
I admit I like my greens, I eat half the weeds I pull and I do like the curly cabbage mixed in, but it's not necessary for a decent result.
It's also easier I found to scrub the sink and then use that as the place to do the grating. Far less mess
Red cabbage is fine too, it goes a bit 'soft' coloured, but it works just like the white one.

@Billy-o that sounds interesting enough that I'm going to try it
I've been making cotignac today and it's drying off in a very low oven just now.

M

 

[Nice65]

The reason I'm wanting to make kombucha is that I suffer from ibs and other digestive tract problems due to years of heavy duty painkillers. I now have wheat intolerance too. So the idea and is to repopulate my gut system with lots of nice happy flora and fauna rather than medication. Kombucha has been recommended as a useful addition and as my local shops don't sell it the obvious solution is to make my own
Cheaper too. I've never made it so need tips on keeping it going once the scoby is hopefully made. I'm using green tea as a basis.

Kefir might be worth a go too. There’s a thread here somewhere.

Ah, here.

https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/help-kefir-grains.145485/

 

[Woody girl]

So I'm off to shops tomorrow to get the cabbage and bottle of kombucha so I can hopefully start making a scoby and try doing this cabbage thing. Incidentally the first jar of spiced pickled pumpkin was opened yesterday at my long suffering friends house and the verdict was ...definitely different but very tasty.

 

[Woody girl]

KefIr Yes I've heard about that on the archers( radio 4 soap for the uninitiated ) when I have some time it's one for the future.

 

[Janne]

For best result, follow the classic receipe ( amount of table salt per kilo cabbage).

I looked it up and it is between 12 - 15 grams per kilo cabbage.

The weak salt kills off unwanted micro organisms, to little and it can rot or go mouldy, too much kills everything and 'saltpicles' it.
( Which is another way, more modern way, to preserve veg. Swedish or Polish salt ghurkins for example)

Choose Organic cabbage.

Can you buy Kefir starter culture in UK?
Kefir is really nice, it is slightly efflorescent on the tongue. Use full fat pasteurized milk for thicker Kefir, less fat for thinner.

We make our own, as one liter Kefir costs USD 8-9 here.

 

[Janne]

Remember, you do not have to eat Sauerkraut raw. In central Europe it is usually cooked before eating.
If anybody want to know various ways just let me know.
But then you lose the beneficial micro organisms of course!

People there do not eat those veg for the health benefits, but because they like the taste.
Beer is drunk for the health benefits off course!

 

[Toddy]

Macaroon suggested Kefir a while back. Himself bought some grains, and I can't stop them growing. I have given away ten different batches to other folks and I have three starter size pieces frozen too.
It all gets rather too much. Himself and one of my neighbours drink the batch since it goes really thick if stored at all.
I can't drink milk, Son 2 has an occasional glass, and though I tried it with almond milk, I really wasn't very keen on it.

Woody girl ? if you want to try kefir, let me know and I'll post you some starter grains.

If anyone has a good way to use up the endlessly multiplying grains, make them into something edible, I'd like to hear it.

M

 

[Woody girl]

Thanks Toddy KefIr not on menu for now as I have quite enough in my fridge and shelves. There is no more room in freezer for even a packet of fish fingers! But I will bear it in mind if I decide to have a go.

 

[Toddy]

I know that feeling :blush:

Either we're in for a Baltic cold Winter, or we're going to end up like dormice! even my son's girlfriend has their pantry and cupboard's stuffed to the gunnels.

If you do take a notion to the kefir, let me know

M

 

[Billy-o]

Remember, you do not have to eat Sauerkraut raw. In central Europe it is usually cooked before eating.!

Just let the heat from the mash and sausages gently warm it up In terms of time, that takes about half a beer.

 

[Billy-o]

@Billy-o that sounds interesting enough that I'm going to try it
M

Caraways make it very lovely and interesting tasting

Cooking sauerkraut in stock with some sugar and bacon fat is nice ... again caraways I prefer the white wine sauerkraut ... I barbecued ribs for a family obligation yesterday and they scoffed up a huge jar of sauerkraut because I'd mixed in some of the BBQ sauce

Also, for tabouleh, the essentials are bulghar (I think I prefer the slow cook stuff as it is nuttier), a big glug of olive oil, the more you use the richer it tastes, spring onions, cucumber and tomatoes and mint, must remember the mint as it plays wonderfully with the dark sourness of the preserved lemon and the sweetness of the figs. For super rich, cook the bulghar in stock.

 

[Janne]

Toddy, nect time you start on a new batch of the s’kraut, try just to, with your clean hands, massage the salt mixture into the finely cut cabbage. It is the action of the salt that draws out the cabbage juice.

Once you get a bit of liquid out, pack the cabbage into the container.
You will get lots of liquid out, if the cabbage is juicy, enough to civer. If it hads dried out, you might need to add the brine.
12-15 gr of salt for one liter of water.

Billyo, caraway is an essential spice in central Europe. Bread, kraut, goulash, pörkölt.....
Essential!