Lacto-Fermenting anyone???

[Diesel4Life]

I thought some in the community-lifestyle might be interested, in a inexpensive, simple and fun way to improve and build your immune system and overall health. Want to make your own yogurt, soft cream cheese and kefir? How about lacto-fermented sauerkraut, or other vegetables and sourdough breads. I have been doing these things for longer then I care to remember. They are beyond simple inexpensive and require next to nothing. To start out you will need a culture i.e. scoby-symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. Now please don't panic, LoL. A scoby is your friend and will be your partner in health for life. Once you have one you need to care for him, and he'll care For you.

Want to start off real simple? let's make some home-made yogurt. You'll need a quart size mason jar with ring and lid, available everywhere. A small container of whole fat plain quality store bought yogurt, this will be the only yogurt you'll have to purchase to get started. And a quart of the best quality whole fat milk you can find. If your lucky to have raw whole milk available where you are, your blessed and should go hug your dairy farmer.

Now to assemble our concoction, off to our laboratory we go. Wash rinse and air dry your mason jar ring and lid as well, bring your milk to approximately 100-110 degree's. This can be done by placing the milk into the mason jar then placing that into a bigger container and adding some warm not hot water as to crack the mason jar and allowing it to warm.Take 1-2 generous tablespoons of that yogurt that you mixed up in it's container and gently mix into the warm milk that you have in the mason jar. Put the lid and jar ring over it leaving a little head space and lightly screw it down. Place in a warm dark area for anywhere from 8-12 hr. remove and stir, if you like it thicker then it is when you check it and stir it let it sit longer. Remove it from the mason jar after stirring it, but leave about a 1/4 cup for your next batch then simply repeat and enjoy. The batch you removed is of course refrigerated because we all know how yummy cold creamy yogurt is.

You can of course add things to you very own homemade yogurt i.e. concoction, like frozen or fresh fruit, raisins, nuts, honey etc. you get the idea. And hey it's your concoction right? So you get to decide. I'll continue to post the simple process for the other lacto-fermented items I mentioned in the preceding days.



Encourage & Empower others, and stop feeding the beast. I try to lift up my fellow man, so that he can see above the heard mentality and realize the real world that exist beyond.

 

[BradKW]

My bread was a bit moldy, but I toasted it and made PBJ sandwiches...does this count? Can I join the club?

 

[highdesertranger]

hey I want the sourdough recipe. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

the mother earth hippie chicks used to grow that stuff in green tea and brown sugar water and it would convert it into a vinegar like juice and make us kids drink it,i know people that swear by it

second on the sourdough recipe,please

 

[Diesel4Life]

Really nice to see other men interested in this topic, welcome gentlemen. And BradKW, as hot and humid as it's been here lately, I truly did appreciate the humor. LoL. But at some point we are going to have to discuss the difference between nasty moldy breads, and delicious home made bakery artisan style cultured sourdough breads that are actually good for you. And chemical and preservative free of course, and you make them for literally a very small fraction of bakery prices  per loaf.

My next post will be soft cultured cream cheese, wouldn't that be nice spread over your home made sourdough bread? And yes BradKW you can toast it too. LoL.




Encourage & Empower others, and stop feeding the beast. I try to lift up my fellow man, so that he can see above the heard mentality and realize the real world that exist beyond.

 

[Diesel4Life]

Gary68,

Yes what you are referring to is called Kombucha, and the organism that is growing floating near the surface is called a "Mother" it is a scoby i.e. Symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. These organism's feed off the natural sugars within the solution to sustain themselves, and in return continue to procreate probiotic nutrient rich miracle juice. "vinegar like juice and make us kids drink it." Sounds like you were raised by people who loved you and cared about your health.




Encourage & Empower others, and stop feeding the beast. I try to lift up my fellow man, so that he can see above the heard mentality and realize the real world that exist beyond

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

And, for the "prepper-types" and refrigerator-less travelers, both yogurt and 'farmers cheese" can be made with powdered milk.

 

[Gary68]

Gary68,

Yes what you are referring to is called Kombucha, and the organism that is growing floating near the surface is called a "Mother" it is a scoby i.e. Symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. These organism's feed off the natural sugars within the solution to sustain themselves, and in return continue to procreate probiotic nutrient rich miracle juice. "vinegar like juice and make us kids drink it." Sounds like you were raised by people who loved you and cared about your health.




Encourage & Empower others, and stop feeding the beast. I try to lift up my fellow man, so that he can see above the heard mentality and realize the real world that exist beyond

yea,we couldn't pronounce it so we called it kabuki juice, up in the mountains oregon hippie homesteading scene,was good times but 70's drugs turned to 80's drugs and that was that

i hit the Braggs every so often,is that close enough or do you think i should go back to giant mushroom in a bowl on the fridge juice?

 

[Diesel4Life]

Gary68,

You are right that Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar does in fact contain a Mother specimen. But unfortunately it's nowhere near the biological numbers of something like Kombucha. I like a couple of tablespoons of Braggs in some cold clean water maybe a pinch of stevia to sweeten slightly, really refreshing like a apple cider type drink. And very good for your digestion and kidneys. And great to help alkalize over developing stomach acids i.e. acid indigestion.


Encourage & Empower others, and stop feeding the beast. I try to lift up my fellow man, so that he can see above the heard mentality and realize the real world that exist beyond.

 

[Diesel4Life]

Ken in Anaheim,

I don't use or recommend powdered milk to people, powdered milk has to be made non fat to be able to be stored in the manner in which it is. Removing the fat from milk drastically denatures the structure of milk. Milk has always been intended to be consumed in it's whole form. Example a nursing mother does not produce non fat milk, I'm sure their are many that find and have purposes for it, but I have always preferred the real thing. Whole cultured milk does not require refrigeration either.


Encourage & Empower others, and stop feeding the beast. I try to lift up my fellow man, so that he can see above the heard mentality and realize the real world that exist beyond.

 

[ahh_me2]

I eat a lot of sauerkraut, Bubbies is my fave.
I get some really good Korean Kimchi from our local farmers market,
and I drink a store bought bottle of Kombucha once a week.
I also buy my sourdough bread from the Farmers market.

The only thing I have tried to make is sauerkraut and it was ok, not anywhere near as good as Bubbies though.

I think fermented foods are sorely lacking in our diets, and I would love to be able make more of them as opposed to buying them, oh well, one day!

Good of you to post this stuff D4L!

 

[highdesertranger]

is beer fermented? highdesertranger

 

[Diesel4Life]

ahh_me2,

I too have enjoyed Bubbie's brand sauerkraut in the past, two of the things I really do not like about it. The cost $8.00 dollars per quart in my area, and the fact that they must pasteurize it to make it shelf stable for retail. Pasteurization destroyed the Lactobacillus strain and the other species that live in the sauerkraut. In my opinion this is counter intuitive, and making sauerkraut is incredible "inexpensive and simple." It requires only three ingredients, cabbage, salt and purified water for a traditional style version like Bubbie's. The strains already exist on the raw cabbage itself.

KIm Chi also a spicy delicious version and simple to make, and Kombucha also very good for you and simple to make as well. Based on your regular intake of these type foods, I bet your immune system is quite active. And your more then likely a very healthy person i.e. do not get sick very often if ever. And I encourage you to continue doing these things into the future. You are far beyond most already doing what you do.  

And sourdough bread can also be good for you, the key is how it's prepared and what is NOT in it i.e. bromated flour, preservatives chemical additives etc.. It is actually very simple to make and inexpensive, and once you have done a few times becomes nearly effortless to make. Requiring only three ingredients to make a traditional artisan style loaf.


"I think fermented foods are sorely lacking in our diets, and I would love to be able make more of them as opposed to buying them, oh well, one day!"

I could not agree with you more, and very well said ahh_me2.

Do not worry you will be making them yourself, having fun doing it and saving lots of money and becoming even more self sufficient-reliant.

Thank you for the great post too.


Encourage & Empower others, and stop feeding the beast. I try to lift up my fellow man, so that he can see above the heard mentality and realize the real world that exist beyond.

 

[Diesel4Life]

Highdesertranger,

Yes beer is in fact fermented, but due to the modern ingredients not very good for you. Ever consider making your own medicinal beer with adaptogenic plants and other quality ingredients? And yes you read right " Medicinal Beer" LoL.




Encourage & Empower others, and stop feeding the beast. I try to lift up my fellow man, so that he can see above the heard mentality and realize the real world that exist beyond.

 

[ccbreder]

I buy Bubbie's at a major supermarket chain. The only product pasteurized are the 'bread and butter' pickles. Bubbie's dill pickles, relish, and sauerkraut are not pasteurized. They are in the refrigerated area. Who pasteurized Bubbie's product?
I do make some sauerkraut in 1/2 gallon jars. I get organic farmer market cabbage. Shred it using a large knife, or a small slicer. Toss the shredded cabbage with a guess-tament spoonful of sea salt. Push firmly into the jar. Use a couple of whole cabbage leaves to cover the surface. Then a zip lock bag is placed in the jar and filled with water, the bag, not the jar. This presses the cabbage to keep it under the liquid that forms. I sometimes toss a bit of non-chlorinated water into the cabbage to insure enough moisture. Set it on the shelf and let it bubble.
I have a 3 gallon water carboy. I clean it using Clorox water and rinsing well. Most of 3 gallons of apple juice is put into the jug with a 1/2 pack of white wine yeast. A fermentation trap is put into the opening of the carboy. I block the light with a blanket, and leave it until the bubbles stop. Then siphon into the empty juice bottles and refrigerate. Better than beer.
I haven't tried this while on the road, but it has been done by previous travelers.

 

[Diesel4Life]

ccbreder,

Good job perhaps fine tune a thing or two, but yes Bubbie's sauerkraut is flash heated to 130-140 degree's. They have to do that to prevent the off gassing of the colony activity. Now for some that might not be a issue, but in my opinion I prefer Not to prevent that incredible beneficial activity. Still a good product just not as good as yours and mine.


Here’s what Karon over at Bubbies had to say:

"The hottest of the jars reach 130-140 degrees – no higher; the result is an approximate 10% decrease in culture content vs. a raw sample; but a product that will not continue to give off gas once sealed in the jar.  Without the heating our Sauerkraut will continue to ferment in the refrigerator resulting in bulging lids, leaking jars and a big mess within the distribution to retailer to customer chain."

"(Without the heating our Sauerkraut will continue to ferment)" A simple game of semantics on their part, i.e. flash heating as apposed to pasteurization.

 

[towhee]

Sauerkraut is a staple food for me. I eat it just about everyday and make a new batch about once a month.

I have wondered if I can continue to make sauerkraut while traveling. What concerns me is the daily temperature swings in my van. I think the microorganisms prefer a relatively moderate and constant temperature around 68 degrees. While I am traveling my van could easily vary between 50 at night and over 100 (when closed up).

Has anybody experimented with fermentation on the road?

 

[ccbreder]

"The hottest of the jars reach 130-140 degrees – no higher; the result is an approximate 10% decrease in culture content vs. a raw sample"
"A simple game of semantics on their part, i.e. flash heating as apposed to pasteurization." Semantics; 90% live culture remaining, is not pasteurization.

 

[bLEEp]

130-140 is not pasteurization. I study Mycology as a hobby, hopefully a business one day, and must pasteurize my substrate to avoid contaminants so the mycelium is allowed to flourish.
My father before me was in the meat industry for over 30 years.
I say this because pasturizing, scientifically, is not reached until the desired product reaches 160-170 degrees for at least one hour, some prefer longer.
Flash heating is nessecary to create a shelf stable product. As mentioned, minimal losses would occur at these temperatures.
Best wishes all

 

[Diesel4Life]

towhee,

Good for you, that's fantastic that you've made fermented foods a staple in your diet. And yes you certainly can ferment on the road or as a dweller. I traveled for more then two decades in my vocation and I fermented and so can you. There is a sweet spot i.e. temperature range that these particular strains thrive in 65-75 degree's maximum but once your culture is well populated then they can handle some lower temperatures it will just slow them down suspend their activity a bit. Different cultures i.e. societies from all over the world and in various climates have been fermenting for thousands of years. When I write on sauerkraut I'll include some of the very simple methods I used for continued success over the years. And I encourage you to continue on your path in good health.