What Are You Preserving, and How Are You Doing It? (2016–)

[YvetteMT]

This is the start to a long weekend of preserving- cowboy candy, quick pickled red onions,and smoked salmon will all be done by Monday.

To start- marinated mushrooms from @HungryChris

Little odd color from using red pepper Italian dressing.

[FauxPas]

On 8/5/2024 at 1:41 PM, Shelby said:

Yes!  That's Nirvana.  I used to grow Silver Queen, and while it's really good, Nirvana is now my favorite and I only plant that.   The kernels are bigger and juicer and sweeter.

 

The largest of our local farmstands is operated by the Sieffert family. They grow several varieties of corn each year to extend the harvest times. I think Bolt was one of the earliest and not sure what they have today but here is one of their mid-season ones:  🙂

 

 

 

[YvetteMT]

The start of smoked salmon-

 

these are both Kings aka Chinook.

The bottom bright color fish is from Alaska. The top anemic looking fellow is a hatchery fish, Caught in freshwater at Fort Peck Lake in Montana. Many decades ago, someone decided that FT Peck needed a bigger draw for anglers. So there is a non-reproducing population of Kings in MT. These fish have no access to saltwater and so fish biologists "milk" eggs and milt from the population, and make baby fish at the hatchery. Those baby fish (fry) grow into fingerlings (not potatoes) and get dumped back into the lake. 

(I have not eaten one of these hatchery Kings before,  no clue how they taste compared to their vibrant wild relatives)

 

I'll be picking bones and trimming for a few hours,  I've got 4 or 5 fish to prep.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

@YvetteMT

To be honest I'm surprised that this sort of practice still goes on. Introducing non native fish species to an area, usually with 'the best of intentions', usually has unforeseen consequences and very few of them good.

Examples I can think of offhand are the deliberate  introduction of small mouth bass to northern Ontario lakes and pushing out the native lake and brook trout, the deliberate introduction of lake trout in Yellowstone and many cases of the accidental or plain stupid ones such as sea lampreys into the Great Lakes, Asian carp seemingly everywhere, snakefish, rock bass......

Just my opinion.

Do you cold or hot smoke your salmon? 

 

[YvetteMT]

@Senior Sea Kayaker I wholeheartedly agree with you. 110%.  Give humans a way to exploit the ecosystem to make a$ and we will. 

 

Cold or hot?

Both. I start the fish with a smoke tube then kick the smoker on later. I love lox, partner would rather eat rusty nails. So, I start cold, pull a piece (or 3) for myself and then the rest get another dose of smoke, hot the second time.  

[YvetteMT]

Catching the salmon up to this point- spent about 30 hours in a simple brine of water, kosher salt, and brown sugar.  Spent 10 hours in the fridge uncovered to get a nice pellicle. And currently it's sitting in a closed (turned off) Traeger with a smoke tube and will be for a few hours.  As the tube is dying, the grill will get cranked on to it lowest possible setting and the fish will get lightly brushed with maple syrup hourly. The bellys will get more maple syrup.

 

 

Yesterdays other project was 4 lbs jalapeños turned into cowboy candy.  (There was one jar left and with archery season coming, that's just not acceptable. There will be more made, this is but a start)

Edited August 25 by YvetteMT
Extra stuff (log)

[TicTac]

Love it!

 

How do you store the salmon once done?

 

 

[YvetteMT]

Just now, TicTac said:

Love it!

 

How do you store the salmon once done?

 

 

They will get individually vac packed and frozen.  But, only after a chunk of belly is inhaled still warm! 

One of the bigger pieces will be kept out,  I am taking salmon dip to a function on Thursday.

[TicTac]

3 minutes ago, YvetteMT said:

They will get individually vac packed and frozen.  But, only after a chunk of belly is inhaled still warm! 

One of the bigger pieces will be kept out,  I am taking salmon dip to a function on Thursday.

Gotta get me a vac pack machine at some point....that and a sous vide - cannot believe I still have not fell down that rabbit hole!

 

Have you ever tried slicing thin and drying out to make jerky?

 

Great haul, all caught yourself!?

 

 

[YvetteMT]

18 minutes ago, TicTac said:

 

Have you ever tried slicing thin and drying out to make jerky?

 

Great haul, all caught yourself!?

 

 

I haven't! I make jerky out of waterfowl breasts and venison but haven't done fish,yet!  The bellies end up drier and a little tacky from the maple syrup, wouldn't be a far reach to do jerky.  Thankfully we've got a bunch more in the freezer so maybe this is the year to try jerky!

 

And thank you. Partner or I caught all of our fish. We try to get to the ocean (WA or OR coast. Blessed to get to AK this year and last) every other year and also try to ice fish annually.  Some folks plan trips to Europe, I plan fishing trips. 

[TicTac]

5 minutes ago, YvetteMT said:

I haven't! I make jerky out of waterfowl breasts and venison but haven't done fish,yet!  The bellies end up drier and a little tacky from the maple syrup, wouldn't be a far reach to do jerky.  Thankfully we've got a bunch more in the freezer so maybe this is the year to try jerky!

 

And thank you. Partner or I caught all of our fish. We try to get to the ocean (WA or OR coast. Blessed to get to AK this year and last) every other year and also try to ice fish annually.  Some folks plan trips to Europe, I plan fishing trips. 

Amazing.

 

We would get along well!  My 11 year old son spent most of our week at the cottage on the end of the dock, caught about a dozen small mouth.  Beat his old man, that's for sure!

[YvetteMT]

8 hours later, off the smoker and cooling off. 3 hours with only the smoke tube, 4 hours at 120 and the last hour at 180.

[YvetteMT]

I said at the start of this round of salmon smoking that I hadn't tried the hatchery fish.  Well, I have now and there is a marked difference, enough that I added where the fish was from to each vac packed bag. 

 

it's not bad.  Its different.  Much milder in flavor. And soft.  Soft almost on the verge of what Id call mushy. Soft enough to nearly be off-putting, to me at any rate.  Next time,  the hatchery fish will get a way longer smoke , with heat, in an attempt to firm it up more.  Tonight I'm going to try it in a pasta dish.  Later this week it will go in dip for a function. It's edible, not bad.  Just different. 

[lemniscate]

I wonder if an overnight dry cure (salt/sugar/other flavors)  would tighten up that soft textured salmon.   The smoke and see if it improves.  Or keep it as a gravlox style.

Edited August 30 by lemniscate (log)

[chromedome]

Not as inspiring as what's immediately upthread, but before heading down to NS for this month's trip I managed to crank out a dozen pints of dill pickles. I got the timing right, this year, and my dill and cucumbers are both in "overdrive" mode at the same time. They're just run of the mill quick dills using white vinegar, but I did lay my hands on some "pickle pipes" for my mason jars at off-season clearance pricing, so when I get home I'll probably make at least a few pints of lacto-fermented dills for my own satisfaction.

I also have a glass fermentation crock my GF bought me as a surprise gift. I don't have it in front of me right now (because I'm out of province) but IIRC it holds about 4 litres/1 gallon. I'll probably do a small batch of kraut in that one.

[jbates]

On 8/25/2024 at 7:10 AM, TicTac said:

Gotta get me a vac pack machine at some point....that and a sous vide - cannot believe I still have not fell down that rabbit hole!

I don't use my vac chamber as often as I should but every time I do I'm very happy that I forked out for it. I got the VP215 on special at my local restaurant supply place, very nicely made machine. Perhaps you have an upcoming birthday/anniversary/"I got to have it!" day?

 

(Pro tip: the little filling bottle for the machine oil doesn't have a great seal; use a Nalgene squirty bottle instead and pour any excess back into the main bottle).

[jbates]

13 hours ago, chromedome said:

I'll probably do a small batch of kraut in that one.

I have to do one myself. Last year's effort was super tasty (I used the purple cabbage).

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

We had a very windy downpour and thunderstorm last weekend and did sustain some damage.

So when the weather gives you green tomatoes you ferment them. 5% w/v brine with garlic, tarragon and black peppercorns.

 

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

We had a very windy downpour and thunderstorm last weekend and did sustain some damage.

So when the weather gives you green tomatoes you ferment them. 5% w/v brine with garlic, tarragon and black peppercorns.

 

That sounds great. Another favorite: fried green tomato BLT.  For some reason neither stores nor farmers' markets in these parts sell green tomatoes. Unless you have your own garden they are scarce as hens' teeth. My big revelation when last in the South was a place in the Blue Ridge Mountains that fried them in a tempura-like batter, rendering them ethereal and way better than the typical heavy cornmeal crust. So delicious.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

6 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

That sounds great. Another favorite: fried green tomato BLT.  For some reason neither stores nor farmers' markets in these parts sell green tomatoes. Unless you have your own garden they are scarce as hens' teeth. My big revelation when last in the South was a place in the Blue Ridge Mountains that fried them in a tempura-like batter, rendering them ethereal and way better than the typical heavy cornmeal crust. So delicious.gr

 

Thanks. I've done 'oven fried green tomatoes' using a panko crust however my sister has already called dibs on any late season green tomatoes to make chow chow.

I would suggest asking a vendor selling tomatoes at a farmers' market 'any chance you could have some green beefsteak tomatoes?' and they'll most likely be happy to do so.

 

[FauxPas]

On 9/14/2024 at 4:33 AM, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

So when the weather gives you green tomatoes you ferment them. 5% w/v brine with garlic, tarragon and black peppercorns.

 

Once fermented, do you eat them as is? Or do you use them as an ingredient in something else or ??? 

[FauxPas]

A friend gave me some of her late season raspberries recently and I made some quick jam with 4 cups fruit, 1 cup sugar, lemon juice + zest, splash of Grand Marnier. End result was a couple of these little containers, just nice to store in fridge and use over next 4 weeks or so. With low sugar, not sure they will keep too much longer than that. 

 

 

Making some fermented hot sauce with mixed peppers. And another batch with cayenne peppers, onion and garlic. 

 

 

 

Edited September 28 by FauxPas (log)

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

13 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

Once fermented, do you eat them as is? Or do you use them as an ingredient in something else or ??? 

 

I just eat them as is. A nice sour pickle.

I haven't started any hot pepper fermentations yet since I have lots left from last year. I eventually will attempt a fermented hot sauce utilizing the Reapers I've been stashing in the freezer and another with Habaneros.

I usually use either peach or mango as the fruit component however this year I'd like to try wild blueberries or blackberries.

 

Edited September 29 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

[FauxPas]

4 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

I eventually will attempt a fermented hot sauce utilizing the Reapers I've been stashing in the freezer and another with Habaneros.

I usually use either peach or mango as the fruit component however this year I'd like to try wild blueberries or blackberries.

 

Do the frozen peppers ferment just as well as fresh? Do you do anything differently when you start with frozen ones? 

 

The blueberry/blackberry addition sounds lovely. Do you ferment the fruit as well or add it later?  

 

Your green tomatoes look so pretty in the jar!  🙂

 

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

5 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

Do the frozen peppers ferment just as well as fresh? Do you do anything differently when you start with frozen ones? 

 

The blueberry/blackberry addition sounds lovely. Do you ferment the fruit as well or add it later?  

 

Your green tomatoes look so pretty in the jar!  🙂

 

 

Frozen peppers most likely ferment faster as the cellular structure has been broken down by freezing.

If I do anything different is determined by the pepper. In most cases, such as cayenne, Habanero or Scotch Bonnets, i would just destem them, blitz them in the food processor with a measured volume of water then add the weighed amount of salt to get to the desired w/v ratio.

Post fermentation I add the fruit and herb flavourings and pasteurize the sauce for storage in the fridge.

With the Reapers I'm planning on destemming and deseeding while still frozen then proceeding as outlined above.

If fermenting, for example jalapeno slices as a pickle, one would only start from fresh peppers.

 

 

 

Edited September 29 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)