1 hour ago, curls said:Will try slicing my fruit in halves or quarters and see how much I can fit into one quart jar. Can always make more later when the winter citrus is in abundance. I look forward to trying her margaritas and lemon pie. Also using it as an addition to various recipes. The summer squash with citrus shrine is also calling my name.
Except for the kumquats, I've always cut the fruit in quarters. Makes it much easier to pack the jars full and Vivian's recipes all call for X # of quarters, so easier on both ends!
I agree the lemon pie sounds really good and that margarita sounds pretty great, too. Especially the mezcal version.
Ahhh, the kraut! If we count the day I made it as day 1, then mine reaches the 2-week point today. Vivian says after 2 weeks, "... this magical fairy has likely done all it will do..." and it should go into the fridge. Smells like something between a cucumber and pickle. The liquid looks a bit cloudy, but that was kinda the case in the beginning, too.
The Krautcakes with Fried Apples and Dijon on p 79 were what pushed me over the edge into making this. Now I just need to work up my courage to taste it. Maybe the avocado toast? I like kimchi on avocado toast. How much worse could this be?
Here it was at the beginning, as posted upthread:
And today:
Edited to add that while Vivian says this should sit where it's roughly 70°F, after putting this up, we had a heat wave. It was more like 80°F during the day in my kitchen so I moved it out to the garage which actually gets hotter but there's a small but non-functioning freezer. I put it in there, hoping the insulation would moderate the temp. The last week, on the other hand has been unseasonably chilly and it's currently around 50°F in the garage so maybe this got a hot start and cold finish?
I read over in the sauerkraut thread that mushy-ness was attributed to warm fermentation temps.
I braved a small bite of this and it doesn't seem mushy. Very salty, a bit pickle-y. Not as crisp as fresh cabbage but not mushy either.
