MyKids'Mom

Rice bran oil. Love it. Neutral flavor - great for making mayo. For "high heat", I use ghee. Kathleen

Alan

I see they mention the Cultured Pickle. We're original from Redwood City. CP is over in Berkeley....really, awesome, traditional lacto-fermented pickles! One of my customers showed them my website, because she had never heard of creating lacto-fermented foods at home. They told her the Pickl-It is the same process - truly anaerobic - but just smaller-scale. Great article! Thanks!! Kathleen

One last note, Dakki - here's an article I wrote about botulism, which might answer any "safety" issues about lacto-fermentation: http://www.pickl-it.com/blog/342/what-about-botulism/ An FDA rep/researcher from N. Carolina has gone on record that lacto-fermented foods are SAFER than canned methods. Give me a yell if you decide to take the plunge. Did you see the "coupon" code I posted to another person? I'm also starting a special offer next week - any "bundle" order receives a 1-lb jar of Himalayan Pink Salt. I just received a huge shipment of it - very clean, high-end "gourmet" quality. LAB have complex "nutritional needs" and high-mineral salt, like the HPS, meets their mineral needs. Kathleen

The general rule-of-thumb regarding ANY lacto-fermentation is that ideal temps range from 68-72F. Practically-speaking, 60-85F works. Lacto-fermented foods need a few days (to a few months) at that temperature range, to develop. My sauerkraut, for example, remains on my countertop, in the Pickl-It for 3-10 days, depending on the room temp. If my home becomes warmer than 85F, I simply move the Pickl-It into the refrigerator (or cooler basement) until the temp falls back into the 60-85F range. After the initial fermentation time, ferments may be stored in the refrigerator or root cellar where the cooler temperatures slow them down. Unlike acetic-acid vinegar pickles which are more of an embalming process, lacto-fermented pickles are a living-food, and will continue to ferment, albeit, more slowly, when refrigerated or stored at cooler temps. I have half-sours stored in a garage fridge that are over a year old - still crispy, still loaded with flavor. Sauerkraut, traditionally, shouldn't even be eaten until it has aged for 6-months. I have kimchi in my fridge that is still aging after 1-year, growing more complex and lovely in flavor. Making lacto-fermented food is, in many ways, more similar to wine-making, because the focus is on flavor development. Other types of pickles? I'm going to answer that with a bit of history. Pre-1800, all foods, in every corner of the world, were either dehydrated/dried, salted/brined or lacto-fermented. When the French created canning methods, they did so with the intent of keeping their troops fighting. Troops that stopped fighting, in order to hunt their dinner, lost valuable warring-time. Therefore, feed troops out of tins? More battles! The English took the canning technology, turning it into an industry. The French were appalled, protesting, that their intent wasn't to create life-sustaining food. Science is now proving that to be true. Sterile, dead-nutrient foods, that don't benefit from the amazing microbial transformation, do not support life. Here's some latest research from Stanford on that: http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=6256&mid=56430 Chutneys were once lacto-fermented, and were far less sweet than today's versions. Condiments, like the ancient Roman garum (http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romanfood/g/garum.htm) were loaded with pungent, rich, complex flavor. That was a precursor to today's ketchup or Worcestershire sauce. Every culture, in every corner of the world, once had a huge range of beautiful, lovely, fragrant, foods. With lacto-fermentation, the excitement is in discovering new "old" flavors - traveling back in time. The benefit is that our "gut microbes" (okay, not exactly an appetizing topic to some) are restored, kept in balance, etc. (Food as medicine....Hippocrates...).... Pepper mashes are incredibly fun to play with in the Pickl-It - again, like wine-making. We have a wood pellet smoker, so we smoke some peppers, than create a mash; other peppers, we ferment whole, or sliced, or pureed. Here are some articles at Pickl-It on the topic: http://www.pickl-it.com/blog/410/3-way+pickled+peppers/ http://www.pickl-it.com/blog/304/japanese-miso-garlic-recipe-ninniku-miso-zuke/ http://www.pickl-it.com/blog/405/pickled+pepper+history/ http://www.pickl-it.com/faq/148/process-microbial-lacto-fermentation/ (How lacto-fermentation works) Can a mix of vegetables, such as chiles, onion, carrot, cauliflower? Yes! Think Italian antipasto - beautiful plates of roasted peppers, veggies, meats, olives, cheeses. At one time, ALL of those items would have been fermented, rich in complex flavor and textures. Traditional Mediterranean cuisine is rich in blends - whether vegetables, veggies with onions/garlic, or all of those plus herbs. Gremolata, for example - whole new level of flavor when fermented. (Many cultures today STILL ferment herbs/greens before eating them - they're a natural probiotic with great health benefits.) I've not yet run into a restriction on fermenting and am still discovering new "old" foods everyday...... Finely diced or pureed vegetables? Yes! Diced, sliced, grated, pureed. The key to lacto-fermentation is the amount of salt (too much isn't good) and creating an anaerobic environment as quickly as possible. The Pickl-It positive seal (oxygen can't get back into the jar, as it can with twist-on plastic lids or two-part canning lids that aren't heat-sealed)quickly creates the proper oxygen-free environment. The cut of your food depends totally on what YOU want your food to be. Finely slice cabbage for kraut, OR, ferment whole leaves, like traditional Bulgarian methods. I currently make chiles and mixed vegetables pickled in vinegar and am interested in experimenting with sour pickling the same. One of my favorite blends is broccoli, cauliflower, pearl onions, garlic, sweet onion slices and whole spices. It's an easy way to eat "raw" foods, and to get veggies down my children. Are the range of LAB present in (say) live sauerkraut the same as those in kimchee and/or sour pickle cucumbers? Can I use juice from live sauerkraut for example as a starter for other types of pickle? LAB are different in all foods, and that's why it is good to eat a range of lacto-fermented foods. They're all considered a natural probiotic, as well as loaded with living enzymes - both of which help digestion. Also, the vitamins vary from one ferment to another, with Vitamin C increasing in kraut and kimchi, folic acid increasing, etc. LAB in veggies, varies from LAB in real cheese, or real bread. And they vary from region-to-region. I was reading a research study - have to hunt for it again - but basic summary was Bulgarian cabbage brine has the widest array of lactic-acid bacteria, and that it is difficult to replicate in other parts of the world. It has to do with microbes - air, soil, water - specific to their area. If they knew how to market that, it could become the equivalent of San Francisco sourdough, or Camembert, or any number of amazing foods created by microbes which are specific to a certain region....... Yes, you may use the brine for "culturing" other ferments. You also benefit by drinking the brine, ignoring the kraut. A missionary friend in Bulgaria couldn't quite figure out why everyone in Bulgaria drinks a large glass of kraut juice every single day. It is brimming with life-giving properties, something which microbiologists are avidly studying, trying to unlock brine-secrets. That isn't saying, that kraut made here in the US isn't healthy, but that it is different. Still, the health-benefits of lacto-fermented foods, far surpasses that of acetic-acid, canned foods. That's more the bottom line for me. Well, I'd better close this before I reach "maximum overload" of this post. Great questions! We're working on adding forums to our Pickl-It site, something requested by our customers so there can be a recipe/idea exchange. Also, if you want help working through recipes, etc., just drop a note to me: kathleen@pickl-it.com Right now, I'm experimenting with creating creamed-honey in the Pickl-It, (using a "starter" from already-creamed honey, adding it to raw honey) as well, making old-fashioned (pre-1800) pickled watermelon rind. I just finished making cultured buttermilk, using the leftover buttermilk from making butter, I added a few tablespoons of yogurt, and voila! Thick, rich, creamy cultured buttermilk. I'm slowly reclaiming traditional "pickling" one recipe at a time and the LAB in a wide-variety of foods is all about creativity in food creation. Quarg....that's another fun recipe to play with - making traditional soft white cheeses in the Pickl-It.....or marinating soft-ripe cheese in sauerkraut brine - very traditional in Bulgaria.... I also used my Pickl-It to brine a brisket, making traditional Irish "gray" corned beef without saltpeter.... I've always loved cooking, experimenting, but the Pickl-It has opened up a whole new world of food to play with. Best regards, Kathleen

I'm interested in how traditional Korean kimchi pots stack up for anaerobic fermentation against modern methods like...uh, my lock n' lock method.

Hi, Dick Do you know what a Harsch crock actually is and have you used one? Are you sure they are using Harsch crocks and not the traditional ceramic crock without a water seal lid? http://www.simply-natural.biz/Harsch-Crock-Pot.php I have no problems with mold or scum of any kind,have made pickels, kraut, kim chee and fermented hot pepper sauce which we bottled and can't satisfy the demand for. This summer I am raising locally with a farmer hot chiles and we will use a 20 liter Harsch crock for the fermentation and then bottle. Your system seems nice but at 3 liters can't accomodate large volumes. If you can find a cost effective method for shipping, I'll take all the Harsch crocks you have. Please let em know what sizes are available, I especially want the 20 liter and larger. Thank you. Good luck on your process.-Dick

Hi, djyee! Thanks for your awesome reply! You made my day! Everyone has been so gracious and inquisitive on this site, with some great posts on-list and in private. I created a 10% Off Coupon, which you may also pass along to your friend or anyone else who might like to try our Pickl-It. Type eG10 in the coupon area at check-out, to activate it. My mission is to "take back anaerobic, one post at a time". Kathleen www.pickl-it.com

The Pickl-It is as simple as adding brine and vegetables to the jar, locking it, adding water to the airlock and walking away. There's no skimming scum, no picking out pancake-puddles of kahm, a yeast that grows as a result of the brine's exposure to oxygen and will affect the flavor of the food. An open-bowl method that you're proposing, is the way to make traditional acetic-acid = vinegar. Lacto-fermentation, if done the traditional way, is an anaerobic method. Lactic-acid bacteria do NOT function well with oxygen, and sooner or later, when the surface of your brine is exposed to air wafting across the surface, the acetobacter are going to get the upper-hand, weakening the lactic-acid bacteria. There's a good reason why traditional lacto-fermentation methods involved small caves, earth-pits, and closed water-lock vessels like the Chinese had a few thousand years ago - to keep oxygen out of the lacto-fermentation unit, giving the anaerobic bacteria a chance to multiply, producing a healthy amount of lactic-acid bacteria which is the desired acid for food preservation - NOT acetic acid which is what you'll get with open-bowl methods. HTH. I've included a lot of science and research at our site for learning about traditional lacto-fermentation techniques. I hope you stop by. Kathleen www.pickl-it.com

There's no way for the carbon dioxide to escape, using this method, or for the oxygen to be pushed out of the brine. Oxygen which has no means of escaping, oxidizes the food, in addition to reducing vitamins, as well as imparting an "off" taste. You're also using a plastic bag that is sitting in a lactic-acid, low pH brine. BPA and any number of other chemicals will leach into the food. There are any number of "issues" with this technique, especially for those who are immune compromised. HTH. Kathleen

Hi, Dick I looked at Harsch when I first began lacto-fermenting. One of the problems I had was that I needed more than two or three crocks. I regularly keep a supply of fermented garlic scape, garlic cloves, pearl onions, miso-fermented garlic, several pepper mashes, as well as half-sour, kraut, fermented carrots, beets, kimchi and preserved lemons, as well as limes. Then there's the vegetables - fermented broccoli, red peppers, cauliflower and batches of dosa going at all times, along with a dedicated unit to kefir. Because I make everything from "scratch", using predominantly local foods (we belong to a CSA), I use my Pickl-It as truly a food-preservation system. Between lacto-fermentation and 3 9-tray Excalibur dehydrators, I work pretty hard during growing/harvesting, but have a lot of foods already "prepped" - either dried or fermented, which makes cooking throughout the long, cold New Hampshire winters, a lot easier! If you'd like more Harsch crocks, I have several new customers giving up on theirs, complaining they're tired of mold, especially in the cukes. Kathleen

Hi, Alan Good to see you teach on the values of lacto-fermentation! And I'm thinking "beast" is a compliment? I'm Kathleen, the "inventor" of Pickl-It. You're right, it is fairly straightforward and easy-to-set up, once you have the right glass drill, right diamond bits, don't mind losing a few jars along the way, invest the money in a custom FDA-approve lactic-acid resistant silicone grommet, and spend a few years testing other configurations of anaerobic systems. Truth be told, we adopted a child with Autism, and he has a very low tolerance to yeast, mold, etc., so my motivation in designing this system (which no one else has done, other than Harsch) was to create a good, tight anaerobic, water-lock, toxin-free system. He was actually on his way to receiving a DX of schizophrenia when he was only four years of age (I've written an article for WAPF's Summer Journal) when one of the Harvard researchers on his medical team urged me to try lacto-fermented foods, before we put him on psychotropic drugs. I've detailed parts of that experience in the "About" on our website - www.pickl-it.com We've been selling our Pickl-It fermentation system to other mothers of special-needs children, at a greatly reduced price. We have also given systems away to residential care facilities. We've had several children removed from feeding tubes after receiving several months of lacto-fermented foods, their guts restored to the point they could begin eating solid foods. We've also had some of the husbands benefit, with reduced blood pressure meds, removal from statins, etc. Like my husband says, we're not much of a for-profit business and probably should have been a non-profit. We're just thankful when people do place orders with us, because it helps fund our site. I've spent the last 7 years volunteering my time, teaching mothers of special-need children to cook (many quit their careers, and had NO cooking experience), and most were giving up on creating fermenting foods. Most women who have children with health issues, don't have time to tinker with ferments or making their own equipment. And those who were trying the "you don't need any special equipment", promoted by Katz or Fallon, were failing, being discouraged. With Pickl-It, they have had successes the very first time. And I'm so thankful, and so passionate about the people Pickl-It has helped. I'd seen a lot of activity from this site, over on our Pickl-It user-logs and thought I'd pop on in and throw in my .02 Hope that's okay. But I do like my little Pickl-It being called a "beast". It is...a total workhorse beast and even though I created it for my own needs, I am still thankful, every single day, that it does what I need it to do - very simply, without hassle, and no tinkering. Best regards, Kathleen kathleen@pickl-it.com