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[~esposita~]

Yeah, so 'Impatient Me' didn't even wait for an answer    Here is what I did this morning:

Mixed Radishes
1/2 bulb garlic
1/2 onion
2 tsp mustard seeds
Brine (2T Coarse Sea Salt: 1 qt water)

Also,

Celery
1/2 onion
1 tsp caraway
Brine

We'll see how they turn out!  I tasted the raw radishes and could not BELIEVE how SPICY they were - hence, the garlic, onion and mustard seeds (maybe it will add a little flavour to the bite!)

Oh!  I've lots of bottles (and more to come!) of swiss chard and beet ribs - soon we'll be able to taste the first batch.  I'll try and remember to let you all know what turns out and what doesn't (hopefully it all will!!!)

[boysmama]

I couldn't believe how spicy the radishes turned out either.
We do love LF pickled turnips though, and when Beka first posted about them I couldn't imagine that they would even be edible.   

Picked my first cucumber this week. I can't wait to get some LF cucumber pickles going. I'm going to fill up my cheese cave (aka extra fridge with external thermostat) with as many lacto fermented veggies as will fit around the cheese.

If we had a suitable place on this acre we'd be building a root cellar for all the goodies!

[Beth]

I pick my first cucumber yesterday too! There are some small ones soon to be picked. I am hoping to try them whole (small) I have done brine pickles before and the whole cucs stay crisper.
What are the measurements per qt.?
2T coarse sea salt
1T whey
1 qt water or do you just cover with water?

thanks, I'm hoping to pick a batch soon!

[Beth]

I pick my first cucumber yesterday too! There are some small ones soon to be picked. I am hoping to try them whole (small) I have done brine pickles before and the whole cucs stay crisper.
What are the measurements per qt.?
2T coarse sea salt
1T whey
1 qt water or do you just cover with water?

thanks, I'm hoping to pick a batch soon!

made a jar of my first lf pickles this year.... followed the above recipe and they are a week old and already taste like pickles. I added 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon mustard seed and1 bunch fresh dill weed. That's my regular kosher dill recipe. I just put them all in with the whey and salt and covered with water. It's warm here so they started to bubble  a little within 24 hrs. I left them at room temp for 3 days and then refridgerated. I intend to do most of my pickles this way, this year. I'll put them in my cellar to keep cool.
I agree with the title of this thread....Lacto-fermenting is SO easy, I wish everyone knew...

[denim&lace]

I really wish we could do whey around here...  I'm using saurkraut juice as a starter in most of my lacto ferments, and so far so good.     I don't know what the difference will be in keeping time and such.   

[Beth]

I really wish we could do whey around here...  I'm using saurkraut juice as a starter in most of my lacto ferments, and so far so good.     I don't know what the difference will be in keeping time and such.   

I think it will work. What I am using is a starter from my natural soda's I'm making. That started from whey off the top of storebought yogurt....It all works, I think!

I just realized you can't do dairy... well the saurkraut juice is still full of lactic acid. I have made brine pickles before. All that is, is salt, spices, water and cucs. It works the same way as kraut. It makes it's own lactic bacteria. The addition of a starter in my opinion just hurries it along and therefore the veggies are crisper. So, I don't see why the kraut juice wouldn't speed the process up in the same way.

[Beth]

I pick my first cucumber yesterday too! There are some small ones soon to be picked. I am hoping to try them whole (small) I have done brine pickles before and the whole cucs stay crisper.
What are the measurements per qt.?
2T coarse sea salt
1T whey
1 qt water or do you just cover with water?

thanks, I'm hoping to pick a batch soon!

This too much salt...NT calls for 1 tbls. per quart and I believe that to be plenty. They are just too salty. Other than that the pickles are turning out great!

[boysmama]

Yes, sorry Beth. I didn't see that sooner. I use a scant tbsp. to a full tablespoon of salt per quart depending on the veggie/brine ratio. For the most part I prefer slicing in such a way that I can pack the jar full with as little "brine" as possible.

[Beth]

Yes, sorry Beth. I didn't see that sooner. I use a scant tbsp. to a full tablespoon of salt per quart depending on the veggie/brine ratio. For the most part I prefer slicing in such a way that I can pack the jar full with as little "brine" as possible.

yeah, I made a couple gallon jars full the first way and when I discovered it was too salty I looked it up in NT and she only recommends 1 Table. per qt.    So for those two jars I think I'll pour out half the liquid and replace with pure water to tone down the salt. They really are working good though.

[~esposita~]

We tried our first batch of LF - Swiss Chard Ribs tonight!  By themselves, they were very mild - more so than i had expected.  They were mild but pleasant. I put them in a big stir-fry I made - tossed them in once everything else was done cooking.  They were a nice addition!  All my kiddos ate them without complaint - even the 1 yo.    I'll keep making them as the summer progresses, for sure!

[~esposita~]

Ok - question for everyone:

I've been LF LOTS of cukes and what is your opinion - should I crank down the tops really hard and let them ferment away, building up lots of pressure or should I keep the lids loose so that the juices can escape?  And then what?  With the first batch, I let the juices escape.  After 4 days or so I opened the jars and pushed the cukes down.  I had to add a bit more water so that they were all covered.  This time I cranked the rings down HARD and watched the lids dome up with the pressure.  They STILL leaked juices, so last night DH and I loosened the rings; you should have seen the juices shoot out of some of them!

Any opinions or experiences?  Does it really matter that SO MUCH of the juices escape (with the other things I've done it hasn't been nearly so much!); is it ok to just add a bit more after the initial ferment is done?

Thanks!

[Beth]

I haven't done this a great deal, a few years. I wonder about the same thing....the only thing I would worry about would be can the glass explode? I know with wine or some other fermented beverages  it can and if you're not careful does! I've been letting the gases excape. My friend had a good crop of cabbage this year and I did not. So she offered to make me a few jars of saurkraut while she was doing hers. I noticed when she brought them over that the tops were bulging. I released the pressure and you're right....whew! so much came out along with some of the kraut that I had to remove some of the kraut and add some more liquid....so that didn't seem to work too good.   
I don't know...anyone else have opinions? I'd be curious too.

[boysdaddy]

I let the rings lightly screwed  for 3 days or so at warmer temps, then tighten and  move  to cool storage. One thing I've found is that a slow ferment will not leak as much juice, and also finishes in a product that is crispier, more tangy than soured, and stores longer without getting off flavors or slime.
Since my kitchen temp is high 80*-90*s this time of year I've had quite a few ferments that just didn't turn out well, until I changed technique. 

You might try keeping the initial room temp for fermenting at 68-72* and then move to 55*-60* for storage.  It takes 3-4 weeks for the ferment to be "done" that way, but the results are worth it.
If I want to use something right away, I'll leave it at 70*ish degrees for 5-7 days up to 2 weeks for saurkraut.

I STILL want to try airlocks on some ferments. Seems like a good way to solve some of these issues.

[Beth]

yep I'd love to try airlocks too! I think it just makes sense.  Thanks for the info.

I let the rings lightly screwed  for 3 days or so at warmer temps, then tighten and  move  to cool storage. One thing I've found is that a slow ferment will not leak as much juice, and also finishes in a product that is crispier, more tangy than soured, and stores longer without getting off flavors or slime.
Since my kitchen temp is high 80*-90*s this time of year I've had quite a few ferments that just didn't turn out well, until I changed technique. 

You might try keeping the initial room temp for fermenting at 68-72* and then move to 55*-60* for storage.  It takes 3-4 weeks for the ferment to be "done" that way, but the results are worth it.
If I want to use something right away, I'll leave it at 70*ish degrees for 5-7 days up to 2 weeks for saurkraut.

I STILL want to try airlocks on some ferments. Seems like a good way to solve some of these issues.

[herbalmom]

Just found some great info on making vinegar. Including vinegar from honey, clover blossoms, dandelions & raspberries.

Also includes info on testing acidity of homemade vinegar.

Make Your Own Vinegar at Home

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