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Farm Kitchen:  Time to Ferment  |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 08:41:33 AM
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Wow, Catherine. What a mess. I will be saying a prayer for her. Hopefully she'll be able to get back home soon. I would just fall apart if that happened to me. My mom is having surgery today on her wrist. She has melanoma.
Thanks for all your help with the kambucha. Remember the little scoby that formed by itself out on the porch in a little bit of tea? It has grown some more. So I am making some tea and have put it in a qt jar and I'm just going to see what happens. I can't remember if it was you that said it won't work. But I will try anyway. I just love this stuff.
I was eating some of my kimchi and got a few bites of ginger. Wow, that stuff is strong. I love ginger, but when I get a mouthful, it's strong and spicy. But good.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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LindaAlbert
Farmgirl in Training
31 Posts
Linda
Belgrade
Montana
USA
31 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2010 : 08:20:52 AM
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Here's the fermentation bucket. Can be bought at some wine/beer/liquor stores.
Linda
"There is no faith which has never yet been broken except that of a truly faithful dog."
Konrad Lorenz |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2010 : 4:07:54 PM
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Kristin, did your mom do OK with her surgery? Seems like everyone I know is having health issues of one sort or another......hope all is well on your end. My aunt is doing good given everything, her spirits are better than mine would be in her situation! Surgery went well and she just has to give it all time to heal. They are more concerned right now with her fever and blood pressure, which they are having a hard time keeping down.
As for the SCOBY that formed in the set aside kombucha, it should brew just fine if it was kept moist. If it dried out it may still work, some folk dry them I have read but I have no personal experience with that. I think the biggest danger in them drying out is that they may be more affected by airborne molds and such during the drying out. If dry, just be sure to use a good amount of starter. But I think it will work just fine.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2010 : 07:25:16 AM
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Linda, thanks for the picture. What is in the bucket now? And can you make kraut in that too?
Catherine, my mom is doing great. She is amazing. Sounds really good too. They will be back up Thursday. So I guess your aunt will have to stay awhile? I bet she's ready to get back home. But does she have anyone there to help her?
The mystery scoby is not at the top floating. It's kind of at the top but sideways. Also this morning I noticed a little black moldy looking stuff on the top. So I took it off. It tastes ok but I am really thinking it's not going to make it. I have plenty more so it's not a bad thing. Just a little experiment. I'll see what it does in the next few days.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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LindaAlbert
Farmgirl in Training
31 Posts
Linda
Belgrade
Montana
USA
31 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2010 : 4:06:58 PM
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Apple juice on its way to being hard cider.
Linda
"There is no faith which has never yet been broken except that of a truly faithful dog."
Konrad Lorenz |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2010 : 7:09:23 PM
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Glad to hear your mom is doing so good! The emotional side of all this stuff is all so important.
They want my aunt to stay in-hospital for physical therapy for a few weeks, tomorrow we will find out more on that front. Apparently, pt folk don't do weekends, not even for consultations and the like. Her son starts his job tomorrow, too, so it will be rough. Dad is retired and can visit the most, but it's a long ride into the city for him and I wonder how fast he'll tire out. So far he's gone every day except today (we had theater tickets for months for today) and we're going tomorrow. But days I work, I can't go. So every day I'm off, I will visit. Not sure what will happen when they release her....she seems to still think she is flying to TX to visit another son in early July. We'll see about that. I am just glad that the fever has finally subsided and her blood pressure has gone down, there's no worries about those complications anymore.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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DvilleMama
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Lyn
Small Town
MI
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 7:44:08 PM
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I'm glad to have found the thread & that's a new one. I haven't read all the posts yet but will in a minute. Kris, I just want to let you know about a website that I have started visiting lately. It's www.culturedfoodlife.com There's lots of cultured food info here. I'm looking to start making kefir again. I have the word out to my locals for some kefir grains. I've been making kombucha for awhile now. Love it! I've made saurkraut and sourdough bread in the past but fell away when life took over. I'd love to get back into all of this and try some new things also. Hopefully, this summer while I'm only working 1-2 days a week. Now to read all these posts & glean some knowledge....
Lyn
Rural Mid-Michigan
Farmgirl Sister #1574
http://simplelifeseeker.blogspot.com |
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DvilleMama
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Lyn
Small Town
MI
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 8:19:38 PM
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I never knew the SCOBY's should be kept room temp. I'm guilty of storing mine in a jar, covered w/ kombucha. I had one stored for 6 months when I fell away from making any tea. Used it 6 months later and it still made a good batch. ???
Linda, is making hard cider just a matter of letting apple cider sit @ room temp? I like hard cider & can get raw organic apple cider from a local @ the farmer's market in the fall. More info, please!! I'm intrigued!
Ladies, thanks for the ideas on the Harsch crock & beer bucket. Never would have thought of those. Never even heard of the crock before. Like the idea of the bucket since it's much cheaper, I'm sure. We have a brewing supply store nearby in Lansing that's handy. Need to go anyway to see about wine making supplies. Anybody make their own wine? Will attempt my first batch this fall. Found a local ( well, over an hour away) u-pick vineyard that caters to home wine makers. I'll try anything once. If it's a success, I'll try it again.
Lyn
Rural Mid-Michigan
Farmgirl Sister #1574
http://simplelifeseeker.blogspot.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2010 : 06:48:41 AM
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Hi Lyn. I have some kefir grains and they are really growing good now. I have already divided them once and they are still growing. I don't know how well they travel or how to do it but I would be glad to sell you some. Maybe Catherine will know.
I want to start some more sour dough again. I can keep the starter in the laundry room. It's warm back there.
Linda, have you made apple cider vinegar yet? We did apple cider in the fall and I tried to make some but it didn't work. I want to try again.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2010 : 10:34:40 AM
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Lyn, if it worker for you to store it in the frig, I wouldn't worry about it! Some others have not been as lucky, is why I advise against it. But I am glad to hear yours was OK. I think most of these probiotic cultures are pretty sturdy, once they are well established. Who knows, maybe it wasn't the frig that hurt those others, maybe something else? I dunno!
I got my original kefir grains pretty much the same way I got my kombucha SCOBY - a few grains in some milk to keep them moist, triple ziplock bagged through the us mail. They got here fine. I have read that sometimes the first batch or two will not taste so good after the longer time between feedings, but mine tasted fine that first batch. I think I would use fresh milk, not kefir, so the grains have some food to sustain them on their journey. Some folk also dehydrate the grains to ship and that is supposed to last a few months. I dried some myself and shipped them to someone, but I haven't heard back yet to know if they worked. Actually, she might not have tried using them yet, as she was going to be doing some traveling. So I don't know how well that will work.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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DvilleMama
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Lyn
Small Town
MI
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2010 : 12:49:38 PM
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Catherine, thanks for the shipping tips.
Kris, let me get back with you on this. I'm checking with my local contacts right now. I'm part of a couple of co-ops. One co-op has farmers and other folks who eat the same way I do. My other co-op is a raw milk co-op. I need to call on them to see if anybody makes kefir w/ their raw milk. I also have a call into my dairy farmer who used to sell kefir grains but don't know if she still does. If these avenues get exhausted, I'll get back with you on this. Thank you so much for your willingness to do this.
Lyn
Rural Mid-Michigan
Farmgirl Sister #1574
http://simplelifeseeker.blogspot.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2010 : 3:05:12 PM
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I should let you know I use raw goat milk. I did give some to a friend who has Jerseys and she has switched to that milk. But I tasted some the other day and it has lots of little creamy buttery bits in it. Mine is really smooth and creamy but not grainy like hers. I thought that was strange. And she uses the same kind of strainer I use.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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DvilleMama
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Lyn
Small Town
MI
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2010 : 8:04:29 PM
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My dairy farmer is going to get me some, hopefully by Saturday. I don't know enough to know if using the different milks would affect the process. The ones I hope to get will have been cultured in the same raw milk that I already get. Perfect!
Does anybody make kefir water? I just learned about this today. Not going to worry about starting too many new habits at once but I definately am curious about it now. Somebody in my milk co-op makes ginger ale with her kefir water. I love ginger ale especially when it's in a tall glass with real vanilla ice cream floating in it!!
Lyn
Rural Mid-Michigan
Farmgirl Sister #1574
http://simplelifeseeker.blogspot.com |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2010 : 09:29:45 AM
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I have read folk say that different milks give different kefir results, but that any raw milk is great for the grains. Just up to you what's available, and what you like. I am forced to use store bought pasteurized, but it still works good. The grains just grow much slower. Mine went into complete hibernation this past winter, still kefirizing my milk but not growing. I thought I had damaged them but the bounced back and started growing again in the spring.
I make the water type kefir from the clear grains, I call it tibicos to distinguish it from regular milk kefir made with the gummy opaque grains. Sometimes it is called Japanese water crystals as well. Like kefir, you need to regularly change out the water to keep it fed, so it is more involved than kombucha has to be. But it's another great probiotic, good for digestion, and so much better than soda pop! I switch off what fruits I use to ferment it, but I almost always include ginger as well. The one important thing to know with tibicos is that you want to use dried fruit that isn't sulfured. The sulfur isn't good for you really, and will intensify with fermentation.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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DvilleMama
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Lyn
Small Town
MI
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2010 : 8:36:38 PM
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Catherine, I may call on you to share a recipe, if you don't mind, in the future if I do decide to make the water. Thanks for the great tips!
Lyn
Rural Mid-Michigan
Farmgirl Sister #1574
http://simplelifeseeker.blogspot.com |
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Primitive DIVA
Farmgirl in Training
36 Posts
Melissa
Montgomery
Texas
USA
36 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2012 : 12:06:44 PM
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I realize this topic is almost 2 years old.....but its my first time on the forum. I did a quick search to find some sisters who ferment. I love it and would love to share recipes and ideas. I am making some kefir cheese, hibiscus/lavender kombucha, and some spicy kimchi this week. Looking forward to getting to know some of you.
~Melissa
New Sister #4088
Threw off my high heels to move to our dream 10acre Texas homestead. Goats, Chickens, Garden and Orchard and more!My current LOVE is making fermented and cultured foods/beverages.
www.healthylivingwithmelissa.blogspot.com
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2012 : 8:32:03 PM
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Hi Melissa~ I am still fermenting away.....welcome to the forum! I took a quick look at your blog and
i need to go back when I have more time. Looks interesting! My fantasy is to live on a real farm.....
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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KathleenL
True Blue Farmgirl
84 Posts
Kathleen
Littleton
Colorado
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 11:04:06 AM
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I've been brewing kombucha for over a year now. I'm pretty sure I got the SCOBY from Catherine. I fermented some kimchi a while back but didn't like the way they tasted. Right now I have a beet, brocolli, cauliflower, and dill mixture going. It should be ready to try tomorrow.
Kathy |
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Farm Kitchen: Time to Ferment |
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Time to Ferment
