Pickling And Fermenting
As I mentioned in Eat Volkish, we should be trying to eat more food that is natural and ancestral. We should also be trying to create small ‘cottage industries’ of some kind in our homes. Fermenting vegetables (especially cabbage to make sauerkraut) fits both those bills.
I had always thought veggies were pickled in a vinegar solution, but the “brine” we use is actually just salt water. I purchased this box set recently and have had some success.
My sauerkraut came out best. I flavored one jar the traditional way with caraway seeds and the other with clove powder. My spicy beans were less successful. A web of white mold had grown on the surface when I opened it up after the two weeks. I still tried it, but was less enthusiastic.
The box set has recipes, a masher, and most crucially, the nipple top lids for the mason jars. I recommends getting the box set if you are totally new this kind of thing, however, all the necessary materials to start fermenting can be bought anywhere.
Very cool. And it lasts damn near forever.
I’d also like to mrntion that moonshine is quite legal for personal use and leaves no hangover.
Good deal. I have been fermenting vegetables for a few years. I just started out with some salt and some vegetables and some instructions. I found quickly that some things are great, sauerkraut and believe it or not pickled radish. Some things kind of turned me off; pickled carrots. I am still experimenting and learning but this is one of the best skills to learn and one of the healthiest.