Ttogull

Those Trinidad's look like they might hurt! I set up about 20 ghost chiles for a sauce, and a few pounds each of some Fatalii and chocolate habaneros for their own separate sauces. The Fatalii is my favorite because of its taste ( its name is cool too). This is my first year to ferment. I've been letting my sauces go about 3 weeks. There is no comparison to store bought and, IMHO, fresh sauce. My best one, I think, will be one I made with about 1/2 cup of yellow and black mustard seeds (pint jar) and yellow habaneros. I can't quit smelling it, it smells so good. It's only 3 days old, and I am hoping to ferment it about a month.

I don't know any specific places because I do not live near Tampa. Good places to try are real organic stores (I have not seen them at Whole Foods or Trader Joes, but this might be a regional difference) and farmers markets. Also consider making your own. I recently started this, and have had quite a bit of success. My understanding is that it can be difficult to find, especially in large chain stores, because fermented veggies are not pasteurized. And regional regulations can limit or prohibit the sale of such products, and these regulations can vary.

I don't understand why you'd want one designed specifically for an electric range. Uneven heat is uneven heat. Be it an electric stove, a gas range (yes gas is uneven too), a charcoal grill, or a campfire. In my experience, cast iron can't be beat. I use something similar to the following on my beanpots that can't take direct flame. http://www.amazon.com/Ilsa-7-Inch-Cast-Iron-Diffuser/dp/B000I1WO8C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377657634&sr=8-2&keywords=stove+heat+diffuser

I haven't fermented pickles, but I've done okra, corn, eggplant, sliced jalapenos, garlic, and some hot sauces. As Jonathan J says, it's pretty much the same. I use a 4% salt solution, but that's just a matter of personal taste. The one thing I will add is that you might want to use distilled water, not tap water. Municipal water can have chloride and chloramines added to the water to prevent bacterial growth in pipes. That might also inhibit bacterial growth in your ferments (a bad thing). As I understand, chloride can be evaporated off, but not chloramines. I am not sure if it matters. I have had a successful ferment and an unsuccessful one using tap water. I have had failures using distilled. By success, I mean the ferment has a pleasing, appetizing smell. By failure, I mean the ferment just doesn't seem right. The smell, while not bad, isn't particularly pleasing either. I figure if the smell doesn't entice me,t hen it's a failure.

I haven't seen the space, so my comment might be irrelevant. I had a depth issue with a DVD player. The fix was a (relatively) thin, inflexible sheet or board secured at the back (by screws) that extended the depth of the shelf. A longer shelf secured by the shorter shelf, if you will. If you are renting, any holes created could be filled easily. From a stability standpoint, I'd bet this could extend the depth to 18 inches at least. But whether it is would work depends on your circumstances.

I hope you do not mind, but I would like to try to answer your question without being an expert or even having any training. I would like to explain my logic. I have recently begun fermenting foods, and it has been quite an education as it seems to be, IMHO, an exercise in growing bacteria. Thus, if my logic is wrong, I would appreciate learning why to improve my understanding. Of course, if it is correct, I appreciate validation too! In short, I would dispose of the meat. I have seen with my own eyes that bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature. A couple of jars of ground chiles and a sauerkale have bubbled vigorously at room temp well within 12 hours, with the sauerkale expanding past the capacity of the jar within that time due to the bacterial activity. This is even with a "salt to taste" level of salinity. The goal of vegetable fermentation is to have the good bacteria win over the pathogenic. An anaerobic environment is created, but with conditions that favor the good. Good bacteria, however, are more susceptible to relatively high temperatures, whereas some bad bacteria, such as botulism, can survive beyond normal temperatures for cooking meat. Thus, at typical meat SV temps, the bad bacteria can survive while the good is killed. Thus SV'ed meat left at room temp, even after refrigeration, really leaves the bad bacteria with a good anaerobic environment to grow without any competition. As I understand things, this does not guarantee the meat is bad. But it opens the possibility. And the trouble with some bad bacteria is that it doesn't necessarily give signs that it is present. My understanding is that bad bacteria is everywhere, but kept in check by the good that is also everywhere. It's a question of balance, but SV cooking tilts the balance in favor of the bad. That does not mean that SV is bad, just that one needs to be careful. I have become more relaxed about bacteria. I have thrown out all the anti-bacterial hand soaps and dishwashing liquids in my house. Instead of automatically washing my hands, I ask if doing so is really necessary. If I know the entire history of a veg, I might not wash it except to get the gritty dirt off. That said, I would not eat your meat.

They can be fermented for years after attracting good bacteria, etc., that make long term fermentation safe. Simply storing this stuff after cooking, As I understand the OP did, is not necessarily safe. It's like canning without following any of the sterilization procedures. In this case, how long the OP stored it seems to be a minor issue compared to what he did before storing it.ETA what I mean is, after cooking the OP needed to inoculate the beans with either koji or by letting mold grow on it, as indicated in the related thread mentioned above

I've only done a little fermenting, but your method seems a bit suspect. I wouldn't touch them. The fact that they have been fermenting for a year seems to be a bit of a red herring.

Do you mind sharing how you made the mash? As I understand, making soy sauce is the same as making miso. I like (high quality) miso, and entertained making it myself. The thing is that, if you did things correctly, there seems to be no indication of a safety issue in your case. A taste issue maybe, but that is different. A couple of sources mention a post pasteurization if it makes one feel better, but as I said before this seems like it would kill all the good guys. I am curious how you set it up. Did you use koji? Or did you let bean cakes mold as some recipes call for? I am interested because I'd prefer not to use store bought koji, and I like to use nontraditional beans and spicing. A Mexican miso perhaps... Heresy, I know!

I am not an expert, but that never stops me! First, I'd think about asking a more specialized forum, perhaps like the one at wild fermentation.com, especially on the issue of safety. Second, as I understand things, boiling it will kill the bacteria that make it safe -if indeed it is safe - and afterward you'd have to use sterization techniques for canning and so on. Good luck!

So far I've only used really fresh cabbage from the farmers market, and it provides its own water. The info in this link is a really good summary. http://www.wildfermentation.com/vegetable-fermentation-further-simplified-2/

According to Sandor Katz (a guru of fermentation), salt is to taste. This includes the possibility of no salt. It seems unsalted kraut is not as crisp and not as sour because, yes, the usual bacteria have company that break the veg down more. Nothing pathogenic as I understand. (Raw kraut already has lots of company.) there are supposedly ways around this, like using celery seed or jump starting with a culture. I personally like 2% by weight for my salsas and krauts and about 4% brines by water weight for pickled veggies.

Everything I've read says it should be around 4 to 6 weeks, but that it ultimately depends on the temperature, the cabbage, the salinity, and other factors unique to you. My understanding is that refrigerating it is ok as long as you were clean about tasting it (no double dipping?). Nothing I have says what would happen if you were not clean. At the farmers markets, I buy refrigerated raw sauerkraut, and they tell me that if I want it more sour to just leave it out at room temp for a few days. I put my Serrano sauce on the sausage that I put the sauerkraut on, of course! What might be relevant to the sauerkraut is that my Serrano sauce was not the first to begin fermenting, but it was the first to seem done (about 10 days). In contrast to the others, it seemed listless - no bubbling, no hiss when I opened the jar, etc. the others, even older ones, are still quite lively. I'd guess one might be looking for something similar to tell whether sauerkraut is ready. Unfortunately mine is in a closed crock, so I have to wait. Yes fermenting is a kick. You can buy a bunch of high quality veg and preserve it quite easily. I've even taken to fermenting my oatmeal to improve its digestability. Fermented black eyed pea cakes are out of this world good.

One thing that you might not be factoring into this is that it will last several months in a fridge. You put yours in the fridge really fast, so it might last even longer. As long as you don't heat it up, it has wonderful probiotic properties. My grandparents ate at least a tablespoon of raw sauerkraut per day. It is also really good with mashed potatoes (lots of garlic and butter) and, of course, sausage. BTW, I pulled yt Serrano hot sauce today. The procedure is exactly the sme as sauerkraut. Just Serrano, salt, and water and it is just fantastic. Most complex sauce I've had, and I've had a lot.

Good luck! It looks similar to mine. I know what you mean. I always tell my wife what I've eaten so that she can give a sample to the ambulance EMT. also, I don't let her eat any until I've tried a small and a large sample over several days. My grandparents did this stuff, and I am disheartened by how far removed from it I've become. Good luck tomorrow!

Since beets are I season,I thought if share my latest obsession: charred beets. I start with beets that have the greens attached. When I get them home, I cut off the greens leaving about two inches of the stem attached to the root. When I am ready to cook, I lightly oil the roots and place the roots (still with 2-inch stems attached) over the hottest part of the charcoal fire. They can take an amazing amount of heat. I cover the grill and turn the roots occasionally. It is ok if the stems catch fire and smoke, as they seem to be inedible and the smoke adds flavor. I am guessing this takes out 20 minutes. When everything is nice and charred, the beets still seem to be hard. So I indirect cook them for a while longer, maybe 20 minutes more. Then I pull the beets off the grill, and put into a bowl with a foil cover to let them steam until dinner is ready. They are always perfect by eating time. For the greens part, I have a grill pan preheated on the grill over direct heat. I spread the greens over the grill pan, and let them cook undisturbed and covered until everything is wilted. I pull them off the grill trying to make the top layer on the grill the bottom layer in the serving dish - the top layer from the grill will be mostly steamed (with the familiar steamed texture) while the bottom layer from the grill will be crispy and charred (this makes a nice taste and texture contrast). I am informal, so I serve both together and let people trim the inedible stems from their own roots. But YMMV. It is very tasty, and I find myself buying beets and their greens quite frequently at the farmers' markets.

I was shopping and overheard guy telling someone he was one of the USDA food safety scientists. So I asked him your question. After some discussion, he admitted there is nothing inherently dangerous about what you are doing as long as you don't think that searing and refrigerating makes the meat safe to leave in the fridge for longer periods of time. He said partially cooked meat that is refrigerated should be treated just like raw meat, which makes sense I guess. Talking to this guy was a trip. My wife thinks I am a germaphobe...

If you have access to it, Heston Blumenthal's "in Search of Perfection" book (and show with less detail) discusses what he finds important in good pasta. I learned a lot reading it. Bronze extrusion was a consideration. Of the mass market brands, my recollection is that Barilla was one he liked. His highest remmendation went toa brand that I cannot find in the US at a reasonable price. I used to choose Barilla. But after reading HB I switched to the Fresh Market-branded pasta. I am probably in the minority and do not like Rustichella d'Abruzzo. I can't explain why, but preferences are sometimes like that.

A fennel-orange salad is incredible! I just picked a recipe at random; there are many. http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=458&S=0 ETA: the fronds are a wonderful garnish to the salad, or to cooked fish, whatever.

Can't rule out hydroponic farming, but it is possible to clean a leek and leave it somewhat intact. Particularly so if you label it "trimmed." I had to do this last week when I wanted to try charred leeks I read about in a magazine (no recipe). My leeks were from the farmer's market and dirty. This is close to what I did. The linked leek vinaigrette recipe looks good. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_clean_leeks/

I just finished pushing down some farmer's market kale for a sauerkale. I found some Kilner jars over the weekend, so I am doing it that way. I've heard sauerkale has a strong smell. That's putting it lightly. To borrow an Andrew Zimmern phrase, it smells kinda poopy, but in a good way. (He says that about the taste of intestine, and I think it's quite accurate!) Am I understanding correctly that weights are unnecessary with Kilner jars? I don't plan to open them until it is time to eat. TIA

Actually, I think the sauce is more intense with the pressure cooker. Steve Sando (Rancho Gordo) once wrote that bean broth from a pressure cooker seemed lifeless. I had a similar thing bugging me, but I characterized it as sterile (which, in writing this, reminds me that sterile implies lifeless). There is something about putting a pot of beans on and smelling their aromas as they go through the stages of cooking. It was nice to decide last minute with the PC, but the romance was missing.

I agree that it most likely is a problem with the bean. I cook at least two pounds per week do all different sizes and shapes. I do not soak, even the giant runner beans. I cook in salted water from the start. But I use very good beans from Rancho Gordo and Purcell Mountain. Or if I buy from the store, I buy from a Latin American grocery that turns its beans probably every week or so. I do cook beans very slowly in a clay pot. Simmer where I see a bubble or two once in a while. Runner beans can take most of a day. Slow is key because otherwise the bean will be uneven. I've also used the pressure cooker with no problems. Sometimes I will use a pressure cooker to finish beans that are still not ready after many hours. No issues there, and it used to be my favorite way. Now I prefer the clay pot. ETA: I always steam my beans at the end for at least 1/2 hour. I just turn the heat off and let them sit. I think this promotes even cooking too.

You too! I have probably 6 weeks of waiting. No peeking. I put stuff in my basement, and things seem to always take the outside of the time ranges for my tastes. My dream - my passion - is to do a Brussels sprout kraut this season. First, I have to find some really good Brussels sprouts... I like your rock setup. I saw the picture on the "Recent Pictures" front page, and knew immediately what it was. I've never used rocks. Second, I've got to find some good rocks... I read the thread from the beginning. Lots of conflicting advice. For a beginner coming through later, I suggest the books by Sandor Katz. I don't want to say much more other than some of the advice here seems to run counter to my understanding of Katz's experience.

Too funny, I finished my first ever batch about two hours ago. About 8 lbs of first head (?) cabbage. As I understand, these are the small heads (13 ounces) that are cut to make wat for the large heads that come later. All I know is they were very fresh and have a lot of water. I am using a Harsch crock. I just checked, and my stones are already completely submerged. I didn't think to take pictures. I just made a fantastic corn relish. I making several hot sauces, including one fermenting with mesquite wood. I love this stuff!