Fermented Foods Update

The good news is our fermented vegetable medley (cauliflower, daikon radish, carrot, jalapeno and garlic) finally reached a good tasty point in the fermenting process, so we decided to put it in jars and stick it in the fridge.  It will keep fermenting some, but the cold temperature will really slow down the process.  This medley is so tasty and refreshing, with just the right amount of spice.  In fact, all three kids have been able to eat it because it has a more lingering spiciness to it that the kids seem to tolerate pretty well.  We only jarred it up Sunday and already we have polished off one of the three jars!

The bad news is that our fermented pickles turned to mush.  So that makes our fermented foods track record 2 for 2.  We lost a batch of sauerkraut due to mold and now it seems our pickles over-fermented.  But we have enjoyed a batch of sauerkraut and are really, really enjoying our spicy vegetable medley.  And we pretty much have our yogurt making process down pat, which we enjoy about a gallon of that each week.  Its a learning process.  I am sure we will continue to make lots more mistakes, but as always in life, you often learn more from your failures than your victories!

I am happy to have my counters free from ferments for the time being.  I told Nate no more ferments until after the baby comes because I don't want to be laboring and smelling vegetables fermenting on the counter, lol!  Nate has found a recipe for a "teje", which is a beer/wine made from honey that he wants to make soon.  We will continue to share our experiments with you, both good and bad.  I hope you are enjoying our unusual journey as much as we are!

Naturally Fermented Vegetable Medley

As we continue our journey deeper in the world of fermented foods, Nate and I decided we were ready for a little spice.  Our first batch of sauerkraut was a dud.  It got moldy because we didn't watch the liquid levels close enough.  So that batch had to go in the trash.  The second batch of kraut turned out and we have already eaten it all gone.  We are anxiously awaiting a batch of fermented garlic-dill pickles.  They should be ready any day now.  Because it is winter and the house is colder, the pickles are taking closer to four weeks to ferment fully.  I made a batch in the summer in only two weeks, thanks to the warmer temps.  Nate and I threw together this beautiful vegetable mix to get another batch of something fermenting since it is taking so much more time.  We mixed cauliflower, daikon radish, carrots, jalapenos and garlic.  Looking back I probably should have added onion, too, but there will be more vegetable crocks in the future.  While we wait anxiously for our pickles, we have been feeding our fermented food needs with Topor's pickles from the store.  I love them because they are naturally fermented and they are less than half the price of Bubbie's pickles.  I will try and keep you updated on all of our fermented adventures!

Other posts on naturally fermented foods:

Naturally Fermented Sauerkraut
Boost Your Immune System Naturally