Any fermentation fans (fanatics?) here?

[FoodFreedomNow]

My dad keeps his sourdough starter in the fridge...

Right, you can do that if you don't need to use it immediately - the ferment slows down with colder temperatures, and you can feed it less often. I do that with my kefir grains when I need them to slow down a bit!

 

[crescentson]

Gotcha. Will it become alcoholic at all? It sounds almost like a melomel...

Not really. The process produces minute quantities of alcohol, but less than a non-alcoholic beer, < .50% by volume. I hold back a bit of liquid to act as a starter for the next batch. I have been playing with a one or two day secondary ferment, just to blend the flavors and add some fizz. The fruit gets composted after the second batch.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Right, you can do that if you don't need to use it immediately - the ferment slows down with colder temperatures, and you can feed it less often. I do that with my kefir grains when I need them to slow down a bit!

He uses it once a week(he makes waffles or bread on the weekend when he has time) and its fine. I assume if you want to use it more you can leave it at room temp?

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

He uses it once a week(he makes waffles or bread on the weekend when he has time) and its fine. I assume if you want to use it more you can leave it at room temp?

It'll grow more if you feed it daily, but it can get pretty happy and overrun its container.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Once he left it for two weeks and it got black on top. It survived lol

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Once he left it for two weeks and it got black on top. It survived lol

Yikes!!

That sounds pretty scary. lol

 

[Bogtown Chick]

x2 - glad you joined us, @Bogtown Chick . Feel free to share about ferments or ask questions!

Thank you!
I'll be a 'question asker.' I have canned before...but I have not Fermented...well not intentionally anyways. I've made some stewed tomatoes that got a nice bubbly champagne thing happening. LOL. Anyways...I'll start reading from the beginning.

But have been seeing tidbits on healthy gut flora and overall health in different media blurbs and am intrigued.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Okay I just caught up!

Well I guess I have fermented things more than I thought...anyways.

I forgot I did a stint of fermented feed with the chooks a couple years back. Feeding it in frigid temps in the winter may have stopped that. But when I see my flock thinning a bit (they free range) May/ June they look a bit raggedy from egg production increases and foraging ALOT and fending off rooster...etc. Then I should bump up into fermented feed mode again. It does put weight on them. They're getting those wonderful extra nutrients and better use of the feed. Also interesting to see the intestinal sloughing (for healthy tract lining). I should do a bit anyways this fall before we get too cold. Also helps with the feed bill I've noted. I should be clear...they always have feed...but in the spring they are more interested in foraging and totally leave the coop and feeders for spring greens, bugs, worms and frogs and such. And they probably feel svelt....LOL. But I like to help them get a little back of what they've lost.

Also I have done sour dough starter in the past for holiday breads and such. Ha! Forgot about that.

I think mainly ...I'm looking to expand on fermented veggies and maybe learn kombucha recipes. I should try it first before I become to vested in all of it.

DD LOVES Kefir....strawberry.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Great - you've already forayed into the fermenting realm! And I agree that animals also clearly benefit from the probiotics and increased bioavailability of nutrients that come from fermenting feed.

What kind of veggies are you looking to start with? Do you prefer to learn from books or online tutorials? Both fermented veggies and KT are easy once you get the basics down (and learn how to identify mold - this freaks most people out). Store-bought KT just isn't as good as homebrewed IMO and much of the store-bought stuff is pasteurized now, so it doesn't have the same probiotic potency as home brewed. I find the commercial KT very fizzy and vinegary, and that can be controlled when you're making it.

Strawberry milk kefir? Yum! How about milk kefir pancakes? If you like cheese blintzes, I'm pretty sure you'd like MK pancakes. You can also make bread, biscuits, ice cream, cheese...and lots of other fun things with it. My dogs love it, too (and the grains).

If you and your family like soda, you can make a probiotic "soda" using water kefir grains, too. You can probably imagine all the great flavors possible...

I've been making KT for a while now and would be happy to answer questions if you have any or point you to resources. I'm curious about canning, so may have some questions for you!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I recently discovered that you can make a fermented tea (and coffee) by combining water kefir with tea and letting it ferment for a couple of days as a second ferment. It tastes a bit like a carbonated iced tea drink - very nice! I like really dark coffee and will add chicory sometimes, and it becomes a nice "iced" coffee drink, carbonated, if you use this method. Theoretically, you could allow the tea or coffee to sit out at room temperature for longer than that, but I prefer to drink it cold and putting it in the fridge after a couple of days also reduces risk of overcarbonation.