First thing: forget vinegar. We're talking here about fermentation.
There are recipes for making sauerkraut. Here's one. Here's another. You don't really need anything other than this:
Cut vegetables up. Sprinkle with salt. Bash around a bit (or not, if you can't be bothered). Shove into a jar. Top up with water if necessary. Use a jar or similar to keep the vegetables below the water level. Leave. Top up with water if the level goes down. Make sure the vegetables stay under water. Try it every few days. Put in the fridge when it's to your satisfaction.
That's it. An easy way to keep your vegetable intake up. Tangy, nice with some meat. Lasts forever. Great! But the real gift is in how it changes your world.
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| Some Sauerkraut |
- You know the world isn't just a collection of visible objects, but you don't quite believe it, not really. Watching something change through the interaction of millions of bacteria who are making something to eat: that's a trip.
- It subtly undermines an internalised worldview that something's value comes from its price, and that legitimacy is conferred through capitalism and exchange, i.e. it is good because it comes from a shop.
- You have to rely on your senses. It is ready when you think it tastes nice. Not when Giles Coren says it tastes nice.
- It is not a recipe but a process. You're not making something, you're allowing something. Or watching something. The world is not a collection of static objects moved around by people with agency.
- The recognition that you may not be who you think you are. You are not a single voiced "soul" housed in a flesh robot. You are a system and collection of cells, many of whom (bacteria) do not share "your" DNA. You are a community. Embracing that, and looking after the little guys, can have a huge effect on your health, immunity and mood.
I can say these things, and you may find them plausible, but it is only in doing that we internalise the ancient wisdom of the veg picklers.
Just make some sauerkraut already.
Yeah, this is really good. I endorse this. I say that because my question risks undercutting your life lessons which are pithy, persuasive and humbling.
ReplyDeleteThat said, have you ever accidently got yourself pissed fermenting sugary veg?
Don't think so, though I have experimented with gherkins. Jar was too small. That book I mentioned does have a "recipe" for T'ej, Ethiopian honey wine. Ingredients: honey, water. That's got to be the next step.
ReplyDeleteExcited.
ReplyDeleteOK - again, at risk of ruining the simplicity of this - I'm probably going to have to go buy a jar or something to do this, my other jars are in use. What is your feeling on buying specialist fermentation jars. Is it the equivalent of spending £200 on gym gear for a weekly Zumba class. Repeat, I'm going to be buying a new jar anyway.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry about getting a specialist fermentation jar. If you're going to branch out past kraut you can get some gear then - e.g. pipes and that for booze. A thermos for yoghurt. The ones I use I've picked up from ASDA/Tesco. Good if it's got a seal on for when the fermentation over, but there's really no need to spend more than a fiver (probably less).
DeleteDelighted you're giving it a go. Take a picture of it when you get started!
PS If you're going to spend money just pick up the book. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Fermentation-Flavor-Nutrition-Live-Culture/dp/1931498237/ref=pd_cp_b_1) Think he's done another, actually, so maybe give that a whirl. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Art-Fermentation-Exploration-Essential/dp/160358286X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399124675&sr=8-1&keywords=sandor+katz)
DeletePPS Spending a lot of money up front seems against the spirit of the thing. Also, as a guide, my latest batch is in a 1 litre jar. There's about 1 3/4 - 2 cabbages in there.
DeleteYeah it feels that way - if it was the difference between £5 and £10 I'd probably think fuck it, but I think I'll just stick to a one-litre jar.
DeleteSorry (not sorry) to keep pestering you on this. Anyway we found a litre jar at the back of the cupboard. It's one of those ones with a rubber airlock and a hinge:
ReplyDeletehttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31vtBhLzbML.jpg
Airlock is bad right? Should we go cheesecloth?
You're overthinking it. The top does't matter during the fermentation process as it's off/hanging down. You'll need something to keep the vegetables beneath the water level (another jar? can be full. Don't stick in a can as the acid will react with the metal), but other than that, you're good. When it's done, stick a lid on and put it in the fridge. You don't want any more fermentation at this stage.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to making sauerkraut cheesecloth neither use nor ornament.
OK! I was worried about pressure building up if it is totally airlocked. Like in Breaking Bad when Hank's beer bottles explode in the night.
ReplyDeleteI will now "just make some sauerkraut already".
Excellent. Problem after your 5 minutes activity nothing happens for days. These lessons take time.
DeletePS The bacterial activity is related to temperature. It takes longer in winter, and it doesn't do much in the fridge.