What are you fermenting today?

[sylvie]

I made up my bean paste and it is sitting on the counter fermenting now, until Monday.

I used three cups of black beans and a large onion and a bunch of garlic, soaked the beans in whey for a day before cooking. After cooking and draining them, I ran them through the food processor with a Tablespoon of celtic salt and 2 oz of whey per four cups of the bean mix. It made two quart jars and one pint. I use my glass-top bale-type canning jars for this stuff, they make it twice as pretty!

It was amazingly easy, and this way I can make up a lot without fear of it spoiling before I use it up. And it is easy to digest.

Thanks for being so generous in sharing your techniques and procedures! That really makes this forum rich and substantial.

How are you using the black bean paste?

 

[Henrietta23]

Hmmm, after my first attempt at making kimchee I went back to buying it. Maybe I should give it another try this summer.

 

[freemotion]

I have a recipe for kombucha tea.. it says I have to get a starter from the health food store. Is that true, or can I make one myself? Please explain the continuous brew method.

Thanks for the bean paste recipe!! (Oh, so much to learn!!)

Check at your local health food store, if they sell the mother or scoby or mushroom, whatever they call it there, for a few dollars, it is worth it. If it is more than postage would be, I can send you one for the postage of a priority box, something like $10.50.

When you get your Nourishing Traditions book, you will see the "regular" method in their recipe. Just remember that it can take longer to brew in colder weather, and it is not an exact science. I often let it go two weeks, three in winter, I smell it until it smells right to me. I think the recipe says 8 days.

For continuous brew, you use a crock with a spigot, and siphon some off and add to the top regularly, rather than waiting for the entire batch to be ready. I am seriously out of fridge space until we can get a second fridge here. When I bottled my kombucha, I would have six quart bottles in my fridge. I often have 4-5 gallons of milk and a gallon or two of yogurt, various cheeses aging, jars of fermenting veggies and various doughs, plus whatever we have that is perishable.....fruit and salad veggies, condiments, whatever. Serious issue here! Sometimes I have to look things over, and decide what can sit out of the fridge for a day without spoiling, until I can get things back under control!

 

[freemotion]

How are you using the black bean paste?

My favorite is nachos....just typical corn tortilla chips with cheese melted on them, and dips....bean paste or refried beans, salsa or just chopped tomatoes, mashed avacado or guacamole, and sour cream. That is a nice lunch or dinner for me.

Or they make a good burrito with any of the above, and a bit of cooked spicy sausage on a flour tortilla.

My SIL is half Puerto Rican and has shared some nice recipes from her grandmother with me.

 

[freemotion]

Hmmm, after my first attempt at making kimchee I went back to buying it. Maybe I should give it another try this summer.

Did you ferment it? I recently read that the real flavor doesn't develop for at least six months! I want to try this next.

 

[big brown horse]

I have mastered sauerkraut...yea!!

Tonite I have a lb of almonds soaking in h2o. Tomorrow they go into "R2D2" to dehydrate for the said 12-24 hours at 130-150.

I made sourdough bread about a month ago, but it (starter) was ruined in the oven when my daughter preheated the oven for her dinner. She didn't know that I kept it in there with the oven light on during the initial stages.

It is so hot and dry here that I am going to try again on the bread this Sunday.

I love this site!!

 

[freemotion]

Yay for the sauerkraut!

I have my sprouted wheat in the oven right now.

When you put something in the oven....put some tape or a sticky note right over the knob to turn the oven on. That's what I do here. I also have to put notes on things that say, "Don't throw this out!" since dh tends to not recognize a project from a failure!

 

[Henrietta23]

Hmmm, after my first attempt at making kimchee I went back to buying it. Maybe I should give it another try this summer.

Did you ferment it? I recently read that the real flavor doesn't develop for at least six months! I want to try this next.

I tried. I had some starter. I don't think it worked right. It didn't taste anything like the store bought kind.
I want to try sauerkraut next. Mmmm!

 

[freemotion]

Well, let me warn you now....the sauerkraut doesn't taste anything like the storebought kind, either! Just like pretty much anything homemade or homegrown doesn't resemble storebought. So expect a very different, fresher and crispier taste and texture. If you don't like it, don't give up too soon, put it in the back of the fridge and check it in a few months. You might like it better then.

 

[big brown horse]

Yay for the sauerkraut!

I have my sprouted wheat in the oven right now.

When you put something in the oven....put some tape or a sticky note right over the knob to turn the oven on. That's what I do here. I also have to put notes on things that say, "Don't throw this out!" since dh tends to not recognize a project from a failure!

The sauerkraut I made is wonderful! We eat it everynight. My friend who hates sauerkraut actually asks for it when she comes over. Waay better than storbought. It has crunch!!

Good idea on the sticky note on the oven. I'm going to do that next time. (I was actually the one who told her to preheat the oven, but don't tell.)

Good luck on the kimchee!!!