I’ve noticed a few members are fermenting something or another. So what science experiments does everybody have going? I’m always looking for some new ideas.
my starter and kombucha
my starter and kombucha
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I have 2 sourdough starters, and I dry age my own meat, as well as make my own bacon, ham, corned beef, and such. I make and can pickles, but they are not fermented, just pickled. -
I could not even guess how many projects I have going on starters. No beer going now, but I like playing with fermentation there as well, but that is still commercial yeasts of course, still fun to play with. I would like to take on dry aging at some point, but I have too many projects going right now,Comment
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I need to get some sauerkraut going in my fermenting pot. Been too long since I made that, as well as kim chi. Need to make that as well.
I do have my bread starter in the fridge….it is so neglected since I rarely make bread. May need to just let that go…in fact I’ll check on that tonight
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Do I need a crock to start? I was thinking about adding carroway seeds with the juniper berries, but I AM a chili head. -
Nope you don't need a crock nor a fermentation lock. If you want to start small, you can make kraut in a 1 quart jar. This website is a good place to get started -- https://www.makesauerkraut.com/sure-...raut-in-a-jar/ -
as IowaGirl mentions, no need for a crock. Although I have only used a crock for my kraut. But, plenty of other ways to go about it. And as you mentioned texastweeter - I did forget to mention caraway seeds in my recipe as well! That’s it! You should be set to go!
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in the fridge I have some kraut and some kimchi. In the bread proofer, I've got some sourdough starter. Kombucha scares me.
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Beer, wine, mead, sourdough, no sauerkraut or kimchi yet this year but usually in the rotation.Comment
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jhapka - you can spend a lot on gear for making beer but the basics will set you back maybe $100. It's not hard but does demand cleanliness and a relatively cool space for fermentation to take place. Time-wise, figure 4-8 weeks for a basic beer. -
Agreed rickgregory . I use buckets from the home brew supply. They stack together for storage. Most recipes and brewers recommend glass carboys - I brewed for over 20 years before a friend gave me some, I still haven't used them - they take up a lot of space and don't stack for storage.
Youtube is your friend here, as are the employees at your local home brew supply store and local home brew clubs.
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Any recommendations on a fermenting crock? It’s been awhile since I bought anything, and I like kraut, so what the heck.Comment
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I use wide mouth mason jars, along with fermentation weights (round glass pucks) and lids designed for fermentation.
Weights - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Lids - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I do krauts, kimchi, hot sauces, dill pickles (fermented), dilly beans (fermented), grapes (fermented), kombucha. For everything but the kombucha I use a combination of wide mouth mason jars with weights and fermentation lids (see my comment #8.2 for links to the lids and weights). For the kombucha, I'm currently using batch brewing but I've ordered a 2 gallon jug with a spigot so I can switch over to a continuous brew system.
Love this hobby!Last edited by pkadare; March 21, 2022, 05:40 AM.Comment
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good place to start. I do like using ball jars with the one way lids. Crocks with a water seal are ok also but you have to check the seal since it can evaporate. Has has to get out and mold has to not get in. Otherwise it’s super easy.Comment
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Recently bought a kit that contains the lids/weights similar to what pkadare linked to. You use them in combination with wide mouth mason jars. So far I've made a few hot sauces but haven't gone beyond that. I do plan on doing sour pickles and more varieties of hot sauce this spring/summer.
Thanks for this topic - want some new ideas as well.Comment
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I've been making sauerkraut in wide-mouth quart jars, as well.I start one every couple weeks, because it takes me that long to consume a jar. This batch has cabbage and carrots, and lots of garlic.That, and 2.5% salt, and you're off to the races! I'm going to try juniper berries, I'm liking that idea.
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I brew beer, and am well overdue in getting the next batch in the fermenter. It's been hard to justify an entire evening or afternoon devoted to brewing a batch of beer while in the middle of a major home remodel (DIY), as that 5 hours could be spent on doing stuff to the house. I'm gonna have to do it though, as otherwise, summer will be here and I'll still have a bunch of empty beer kegs sitting around the garage!Comment
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jhapka I tore down 5 walls, one of which was load bearing, to open up our kitchen and den area into an addition we built off the back of the house 20 years ago, and brought in a 24 foot steel beam to support the opening in the original back wall of the house. It's down to some minor framing around the opening, finishing insulation in a ceiling that was sloped (shed style roof on the addition) and is now dropped to match the house at 8', and then sheetrock work. -
jhapka once I am done with drywall work and painting, floors will happen. Due to the knocked down wall, the area is about 1300 sq feet of contiguous flooring that has gaps due to walls that are now missing, and part of it is carpeted, and of course Home Depot no longer carries the laminate flooring color I used 5 years ago, and apparently the pattern and color was a Home Depot exclusive... I so wish they still had this flooring as just finishing it out to match would be so much cheaper.
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texastweeter and klflowers - here is the crock that I have. It’s pretty big, but I like to make a good size batch of kraut when I go about this. I’ve also used this for pickles a number of times. As long as you ensure there is enough liquid covering whatever it is you are fermenting, you can have some air space in the pot with no issues in my experience. Weights or zip bags with brined liquid work to keep things covered. As Polarbear mentions, this does have a water lock seal around the edge, I live in the high desert so I check it daily since it’s out near my coffee machine and add as needed. Very easy to maintain when in use.
When done fermenting, I remove the contents from the crock and store in mason jars (wide mouth) and hold in the fridge. I have not truly canned anything that I have fermented, as I usually will go through the batch quickly between my family and what I give to friends. So, that’s where a big fermenting crock is nice. I think I usually buy 6-8 heads of cabbage when I ferment for kraut and this thing is full to start and starts to move down a few days later.
I’ve really enjoyed this crock and it’s a nice conversational piece on the counter where we have it stored. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Last edited by barelfly; March 21, 2022, 02:27 PM.Comment
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I use Mason jars with airlock lids for smaller batches of things like hot sauce, but for big batches I really like these Crazy Korean dealies. They're not that expensive and they're great for both fermenting and storage.
I'm not sure what size this one is, but it's big enough to make kimchi out of two very large heads of Napa cabbage.Comment
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