Wild Fermentation

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I wanted to start up a thread in case any of you like making your own ferments, canning, drying, even guerilla gardening, sewing your own clothes, knitting, or hunting is ok on this thread.

Here. I'll start:

I am guessing some of you like to drink kombucha. I wanted to give you a recipe on how to make it yourself without buying a mother (scoby).

If you buy a bottle of kombucha in the store, look for one that has little "chunks" in the bottom. These are yeast and bacteria (good stuff).

Brew 2 black tea bags in 4 cups of water, and then stir in 1/4 cup sugar until it dissolves. Let it cool completely. Next get a large jar or other wide mouth container like a crock or food grade bucket. Pour the tea in, and then the bottle of commercial kombucha.

Cover it with a cheese cloth, coffee filter, or paper towels, and secure it with rubber bands or string to let air in but keep bugs and dirt out.

Put it in a shady place on your countertop. Check it after about a week. A thin film should form on the top. That is your mother (scoby). Once it's sour enough to your liking, go ahead and put it in jars.

Make sure and store it in the fridge because more than one person has had kombucha bottles explode in the cabinets. Plus, it stops the fermentation, so it won't get too sour. Enjoy!

...Also, be sure and save 1 cup of the finished kombucha and the mother for your next batch. I use an iced tea pitcher with a little spout at the bottom. That way I have a continuous brew.

So when it's done, I just dispense what I want into mason jars and put it in the fridge. And the mother and starter liquid stays in the pitcher. Then I make a new batch of tea and sugar and pour it on top.

 

[Aspychata]

My younger daughter loved drinking this. So easy to make, reminds of sour dough starter.

 

[Bellacat]

I like this thread! Reminds me I need to get my kombucha going again. Poor thing has been neglected for a while now.

I started mine from storebought kombucha as well. I had never bought kombucha before so when I asked the lady in the health food store for advice she tried to convince me that I had to buy the pasteurized (dead) one if I want to grow my own scoby. Luckily I knew better and bought the live culture one and had great success with it.

Do you flavour yours? We have a cherry tree that produces cherries a little too sour for eating, but incredibly delicious in kombucha!

I also make sauerkraut and fermented carrots, and have experimented with sourdough, mead, and ginger beer. I gave up on sourdough because I lack the bread making skills to make use of it and kept making stone frisbees. It's a shame because the parts of the bread that were edible tasted fantastic, but as a whole it was no good.

My favourite book on this subject is The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz.

I once put a piece of kombucha scoby under the microscope. This is how it looked:

 

[Kalinychta]

I like this thread! Reminds me I need to get my kombucha going again. Poor thing has been neglected for a while now.

I started mine from storebought kombucha as well. I had never bought kombucha before so when I asked the lady in the health food store for advice she tried to convince me that I had to buy the pasteurized (dead) one if I want to grow my own scoby. Luckily I knew better and bought the live culture one and had great success with it.

Do you flavour yours? We have a cherry tree that produces cherries a little too sour for eating, but incredibly delicious in kombucha!

I also make sauerkraut and fermented carrots, and have experimented with sourdough, mead, and ginger beer. I gave up on sourdough because I lack the bread making skills to make use of it and kept making stone frisbees. It's a shame because the parts of the bread that were edible tasted fantastic, but as a whole it was no good.

My favourite book on this subject is The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz.

I once put a piece of kombucha scoby under the microscope. This is how it looked:

It looks like the moon.

 

[UberScout]

......I'm sorry but.....what the shack-shingled blue bounty bouncing HECK did I just read?!?!

 

[Aeolienne]

I once made pickled celeriac.

 

[tree]

@UberScout
Are you not familiar with fermentation or the idea that wild yeast can be harvested?

"Hundreds of years ago, before there was packaged yeast, bakers used sourdough starter to keep a supply of yeast alive and handy. They kept a pot of live culture in a flour/water medium, and "fed" it daily or weekly so that the yeast remained alive and active....

To start a culture, mix two cups of flour and two cups of water in a glass or pottery bowl (in the old days, a baker probably had a special clay crock for starter). Lay a cloth over the top and let it sit on the kitchen counter. It turns out that there is yeast floating in the air all around us all the time, and some of this yeast will make its way to your flour/water mixture. It will then start growing and dividing."
How Sourdough Bread Works

Some areas have more yeast in the air than others.
I have made bread from sourdough using this technique.

 

[Mary Terry]

I made my own sourdough starter for many years but no longer do it. Too lazy, I guess. I do make a lot of bread from scratch - white, whole wheat, and rye breads. When I have too many eggs, I make brioche and shape it into buns for hamburgers. I freeze the baked buns and use them as needed.

I love to pickle things and make lots of pickles every summer when my garden is producing - jalapenos, serranos, banana peppers, onions, carrots, celery, cauliflower, etc.

 

[Mary Terry]

I always have Yucatan-styled pickled red onions in the 'frig. They are delicious on sandwiches, on top of rice, alongside tacos, quesdaillas, enchiladas, and scrambled eggs, and refreshing on top of refried beans. They take only 10 minutes to make and keep for weeks in the 'frig. They will be crunchy and turn a beautiful shade of pink/red.

Recipe:

Combine 1/4 cup EACH of grapefruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, and distilled white vinegar.
Add 1/4 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and two whole bay leaves. Mix everything well.

Char or broil a banana pepper, jalapeno or serrano pepper under the broiler or on a dry cast iron skillet, turning once or twice, until the skin is lightly charred, about 3 - 6 minutes. Don't remove the skin.

Thinly slice a red onion (about 2 cups).

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Let marinate at room temp for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours, before serving. I put it in a large mouthed canning jar with a screw on lid. Store in the refrigerator.

 

[UberScout]

So basically it's growing a farm in reverse?

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Have ya'll tried Kevita? It's really called Water Kefir, or Tibicos in Spanish. I used to make it years ago. I want to start brewing it again. It's so tasty and good for you.

I wish I could find some Water Kefir Grains locally. I live in Portland, so I know there's like 1000 people who have some. But I don't know them. I'm a mom in the far suburbs, not a hipster downtown. lol

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I always have Yucatan-styled pickled red onions in the 'frig. They are delicious on sandwiches, on top of rice, alongside tacos, quesdaillas, enchiladas, and scrambled eggs, and refreshing on top of refried beans. They take only 10 minutes to make and keep for weeks in the 'frig. They will be crunchy and turn a beautiful shade of pink/red.

Recipe:

Combine 1/4 cup EACH of grapefruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, and distilled white vinegar.
Add 1/4 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and two whole bay leaves. Mix everything well.

Char or broil a banana pepper, jalapeno or serrano pepper under the broiler or on a dry cast iron skillet, turning once or twice, until the skin is lightly charred, about 3 - 6 minutes. Don't remove the skin.

Thinly slice a red onion (about 2 cups).

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Let marinate at room temp for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours, before serving. I put it in a large mouthed canning jar with a screw on lid. Store in the refrigerator.

Oh yum, that sounds so good! I make bread and butter pickles, and I want to branch out into spicy pickles. I think I'll try this recipe! <3 I wish I knew the recipe for those yummy spicy pickled carrots they have as condiments at Mexican Restaurants.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

So basically it's growing a farm in reverse?

Sort of, lol!

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I once made pickled celeriac.

What can you do with Celeriac? That's the root, right?

 

[Kalinychta]

I love homemade pickled beets. I could eat them until I turned purple. No joke.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I love homemade pickled beets. I could eat them until I turned purple. No joke.

It is possible.....

When I was pregnant, I craved baby carrots, and I literally turned orange from them!

 

[Mary Terry]

Oh yum, that sounds so good! I make bread and butter pickles, and I want to branch out into spicy pickles. I think I'll try this recipe! <3 I wish I knew the recipe for those yummy spicy pickled carrots they have as condiments at Mexican Restaurants.

Here's how I pickle hot, spicy carrots:

1 pound jalapeno chiles, halved and seeded (or use serrano chiles if you want more heat)
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1/4 inch slices
2 Tablespoons kosher or course sea salt
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
10 bay leaves
2 tsp. dried oregano, preferably Mexican but Italian works fine, too
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
l tsp. whole black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1 tsp. dark brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
8 ounces pearl onions, peeled, or large scallions, trimmed to the white and light green parts
4 garlic cloves

Place the chiles and carrots in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss to coat. Let sit for 30 minutes to macerate and release some of their juices. Drain, reserving the juices.

in a blender or food processor, combine the vinegars, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, and brown sugar. Blend until smooth, at least one minute.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, or until it barely begins to color. Add the carrots and jalapenos and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, giving them a couple of stirs. Pour in their reserved juices, along with the vinegar mixture, and simmer briskly for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables soften. Let cool.

Pack the mixture into glass containers with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate. Let the vegetables pickle for at least 4 hours before serving.

If you're really brave, leave the chiles whole, seeds intact, and just snap off the stems.

These will last for many weeks in the refrigerator.

 

[Mary Terry]

I love homemade pickled beets. I could eat them until I turned purple. No joke.

I love them, too! I don't think I've ever met a pickle that I didn't like.

 

[TheSaltyStray]

I grew up gardening, canning and pickling. I would like to eventually have a small sustainable farm again but that seems like a pipe dream currently. I would love to raise quail, rabbit and chickens along with a produce garden, small orchard and berry patch. My travels have diversified my palate and I would love to make my own kimchi soon. I am quite fond of pickled okra now too, something the northern US states did not grow.

 

[Aeolienne]

What can you do with celeriac? That's the root, right?

"It can be roasted, boiled and mashed, steamed, made into soup or used to flavour stocks. Grate celeriac, blanch for a few minutes in boiling water, then cool and serve as a salad with a vinaigrette, or grate and serve raw with a rémoulade sauce (mayonnaise with Dijon mustard, capers, gherkins, anchovies and herbs)."
BBC Food > Celeriac