fermentation experimentation #1
After spending long enough perusing fermentation guides, and initially experimenting with lacto-fermenting in vacuum-sealed bags, it was time to preserve the best of late spring before the summer heat hit. With the exception of the Ginger Bug, all are lacto-fermented using produce mostly from our veggie patch in little old Brunswick, using a 3% brine, glass weights and additional sealed bags of brine to hold it all down.
Because of the array of produce used, each ferment was tested every second day until they reached the texture, flavour & fizz levels desired.
This took anywhere between 10 days to 21 days, with the ever-changing Melbourne weather.
Ferments from November 2019, updated as they’re tasted, tested and used.
Green beans, lemon thyme & garlic //
Radishes, caraway seed & celery seed //
Kohlrabi, coriander seed & mustard seed //
Cauliflower, turmeric, aleppo pepper, bay leaves & coriander seed //
Notes:
Green beans were the quickest to ferment (ten days) - if left too long, they very quickly lost their crunch. The addition of garlic here could probably have been dialled back too, as it was a little overpowering.
While waiting for the right fizz and flavour penetration levels to develop, the radishes and kohlrabi emerged from their brine (16 days) with a tough, chewy exterior skin that needed to be discarded.
Cauliflower was left for the full 21 days, and was perfectly crunchy, crispy and fizzy. Great flavour combination too!
Button mushrooms, lemon thyme, garlic, caraway & oregano //
Red cabbage, peppercorn, garlic, mustard seed & fennel seed //
Green cabbage, garlic, lemon thyme //
Thai long green chillies, red birds eye chilli, kimchi, kimchi juice, grated carrot & garlic //
Notes:
I pre-froze the button mushrooms (as recommended in The Noma Guide to Fermentation), to help keep their structure during the fermentation process. These fermented pretty quickly (ten days), retaining the silky but firm texture you tend to associate with buttery mushrooms, while acting as a salty, absorbent sponge for flavour.
Both cabbage ferments took fourteen days, with the occasional bit of squelchy muddling to aid it along. Delicious spice & herb additions to an otherwise mundane sauerkraut experiment.
The chilli ferment had a kickstart with some leftover (and very well-fermented) kimchi and kimchi juice from a previous ferment. The entire process was accelerated, with the mix showing bubbles within two days. I left this one for 18 days for that extra level of fizz, before blending and straining it into a pourable hot sauce. 10/10, would recommend.
Baby beetroots, fennel seed & lemon //
Ginger bug //
Red seedless grapes //
Blueberries
Notes:
I was expecting crisp baby beet quarters, but in all honesty, after 17 days, these came out the consistency of tinned beets. The pithy bitterness of the lemon (whole horizontal slices were added on top, rind and pith and all, to help weigh the ferment down), was overpowering, and the oils that had seeped from the lemon peel left an unwelcome odd, greasy, but drying mouthfeel toward the end.
Our standard ginger bug, topped up daily with 24g organic ginger (old ginger works better than young), and 28g sugar. Puts the boom boom into my heart, and sends my soul sky high when the fizzing starts.
The grapes were a real treat, and a great addition to salads and sauces. After 15 days, they were crispy, briny morsels of deliciousness that popped in your mouth.
I blended the blueberries with some of the brine, strained it out, and dehydrated the solids. The liquid was reduced, caramelised and served with a hibachi-grilled flank steak, surprising adding more meatiness to an already meaty cut of beefs. The dehydrated solids were used as a crispy ornament on a kefir cream panna cotta. One of my favourite and most versatile ferments!
