Making Fermented Dill Pickles

Timeframe: 3 to 4 weeks

Special equipment: 1 quart-sized glass jar

Ingredients for 1 quart:
- 1.5 lbs of 4-inch pickling cucumbers
- 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/8 cup vinegar
- 4 cups water

Process:
1. Wash cucumbers. Cut off the stems if you desire.

2. Place half of the spices (garlic, pepper flakes, dill weed) at the bottom of the jar.
3. Add cucumbers. Pack tightly.
4. Add remaining spices.
4. Dissolve the salt in the vinegar and water. Pour the mixture over cucumbers.
5. Put a lid on the jar and store it where temperatures are between 70 and 75 degrees F for about 3 to 4 weeks while fermenting for "full-sour" kosher dill pickles

Ta dah!

Caught in a Pickle!

A pickled cucumber (commonly known as a pickle in the United States) is a cucumber that has been pickled in brine and left to ferment for a period time through souring by lacto-fermentation, the process by which bacteria turns the present sugar into lactic acid. The earliest known examples of pickled cucumbers are from Mesopotamia around 2030 BCE, when inhabitants from northern India brought cucumber seeds to the Tigris Valley.

Pickles galore!

Tigris Valley, where pickles originated.

My personal favorite kind of pickle is the kosher dill pickle. A kosher dill pickle is not necessarily kosher in the sense that it has been prepared under rabbinical supervision. Rather, it is a pickle made in the style of Jewish New York City pickle makers, with generous addition of garlic and dill weed to a natural salt brine. Although dill pickles have been prepared in Germany and Poland for hundreds of years, they didn't come to the United States until New York restaurants (owned by Jewish immigrants) began serving them in late 19th century. In New York terminology, a "full-sour" kosher dill is one that has been fully fermented, while a "half-sour", given a shorter stay in the brine, is still crisp and bright green. Elsewhere, these pickles may be termed "old" and "new" dills. 

Jews <3 pickles.
[Courtesy of JewishJournal.com]

Making Sauerkraut

Timeframe: 1 to 4 weeks
.
Special equipment:
- 1 gallon-sized glass jar
- Plate (or any heavy, flat object) that fits inside glass jar
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Ingredients for 1 gallon:
- 5 pounds cabbage
- 3 tablespoons sea salt
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Process:
1. Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts, however you like it. Place the cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it. I chose to mix green and red cabbage to end up with a bright pink kraut!

2. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls water out of the cabbage (through osmosis) and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour without rotting. The salt also keeps the cabbage crunchy by inhibiting enzymes that soften it.

Shakin' ze salt.

4. Mix ingredients together and pack into the jar. Pack just a bit at a time and tamp it down using your fingers. The tamping packs the kraut tight in the jar and helps force water out of the cabbage.3. Add other vegetables, if you like. Grate carrots for a coleslaw-like kraut. Seaweed, greens, Brussels sprouts and beets work as well. I kept this batch simple, just adding a pinch of ground garlic. Experiment with herbs and spices (caraway seeds, dill seeds, celery seeds and juniper beers are classic).
5. Cover the kraut with a plate or some other weight that fits snuggly into the jar. This is to force water out of the cabbage and keep it submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.

Easy as heck.

Sauerkraut: The Scoop

Sauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. These bacterias transform the sugars in fresh cabbage to lactic acids which give it a sour flavor and good keeping qualities. Lactobacillus is the bacteria found in kimchi, cheese, cider, beer, dark chocolate and yogurt (as well as the human digestive track and vagina!) which has therapeutic anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. In addition to inhibiting the growth of some harmful bacteria, lactobacilli restore physiological balance in the vaginal eco-stystem by maintaing pH levels and generating hydrogen peroxide against pathogens. Pedioccoci are used as probiotics to aid digestion and are commonly added as beneficial microbes in the creation of cheeses and yogurts. 

Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus are all examples of gram-positive bacteria.

Sauerkraut is made by a process of pickling called lacto-fermentation. Fully cured sauerkraut keeps for several months in an airtight container stored at or below 60 degrees F. Neither refrigeration nor pasteurization is necessary, although these treatments prolong storage life. Fermentation by lactobacilli is induced naturally, as there is air-borne bacteria culture on raw cabbage. The fermentation process has three phases. In the first phase, anaerobic bacteria lead the fermentation and begin producing an acidic environment. The second phase starts as the acid levels become too high for many bacteria and Leuconostoc bacteria takes dominance. In the third phase, various Lactobacilli species ferment remaining sugars, lowering the pH. Properly cured sauerkraut is sufficiently acidic to prevent a favorable environment for the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the toxins which cause botulism, a rare but serious disease.

Sauerkraut in a stage of fermentation.

Although sauerkraut is best known as a German food, the art of preserving vegetables through a lactic acid fermentation process did not originate in Germany. Preserving green cabbage this way was discovered by the Chinese in 221 BCE as a way to provide substantial nutrition to the builders of the Great Wall of China during the winter months. Mongolians brought the Chinese Suan cai ("sour vegetable") to Europe in the 13th Century. Its popularity began in Eastern Europe then quickly spread throughout Western Europe. In the 18th century, it was discovered that sauerkraut was an effective cure for scurvy due to its high vitamin content (especially Vitamin C). It became a favorite food of sea travelers who had no access to fresh vegetables. James Cook, the legendary captain of the British Royal Navy, always took sauerkraut with him on long sea voyages. During World War I, due to concerns that the American public would reject the German name, American sauerkraut makers relabeled their product as "Liberty cabbage" for the duration of the war. Meanwhile, British troops used "Kraut" as a derogatory term for the German military personnel.

The veggie that started it all.

Making Kimchi

This recipe for Baechu (Cabbage) Kimchi is adapted from Wild Fermentation. Check out that book, if you haven't already! Baechu Kimchi is a basic kimchi.
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Timeframe: 1 week
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Special equipment:
*Optional* Food processor (such as cuisinart / magic bullet / blender)
- 1 quart-sized glass jar
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Ingredients for 1 quart / 1 liter:
- Sea salt
- 1 pound Chinese cabbage (bok choi or napa)
- 1 daikon radish or a few red radishes 
- 1 to 2 carrots
- 1 to 2 onions and/or leeks and/or a few scallions and/or shallots
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic (or more)
- 3 to 4 hot peppers or a 1.5 tablespoons dried hot pepper flakes (without chemical preservatives)
- 3 tablespoons (or more) fresh grated ginger root
~
Process:
1. Mix a brine of about 4 cups (1 liter) of water and 4 tablespoons of sea salt. Stir well to thoroughly dissolve salt. The brine should taste good and salty!
2. Coarsely chop the cabbage, slice the radish and carrots, and let the vegetables soak in the brine, covered by a plate or other eight to keep the vegetables submerged, until soft, a few hours or overnight.

Veggies in brine.

I used a ceramic plate to keep them submerged overnight.

3. Prepare the spices: grate the ginger; chop the garlic and onion; remove seeds from chilies and chop or crush. 
4. Mix the spices into a paste. For this step, I used a small cuisinart machine.

5. Drain the brine off the vegetables, reserving the brine in another bowl. Taste vegetables for saltiness. They should be decidedly salty, but not unpleasantly so. If they are too salty, rinse them. If you cannot taste the salt, sprinkle with a couple teaspoons salt.
6. Mix the vegetables with the spice paste. 

7. Stuff the mixture into a clean quart size (liter) jar. Pack it tightly into the jar, pressing down until brine rises. If necessary, add a little of the reserved vegetable-soaking brine to submerge the kimchi. Cover the jar with lid.

Voila!

8. Check on the kimchi once a day, using your (clean!) fingers to push the vegetables back under the brine. 
9. Ferment in your kitchen or other warm place. Taste a bit of the kimchi every day. After about a week of fermentation, when it tastes ripe, move it to the refrigerator. 

Kimchi love.

Eggs with homemade kimchi for breakfast!

Kimchi: Magic Food

The average Korean eats 40 pounds of Kimchi (김치) per year. No wonder natives say “kimchi” instead of “cheese” when they are getting their pictures taken! Although there are hundreds of varieties of the super-spicy condiment, kimchi always consists of a main vegetable ingredient such as bok choi, napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. The oldest references to kimchi date back to 600 BCE. To this day, kimchi is the most popular banchan, or side dish, in Korean cuisine.

Various kimchi

Kimchi is part of a low-fat, high-fiber diet that has kept obesity at bay in Korea. Kimchi is loaded with vitamins A,  B and C, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium and iron, but it’s biggest benefit may be its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, which is found in other fermented foods such as yogurt. Lactobacilli promote healthy digestion. The bacteria also help stop and even prevent yeast infections. While kimchi is traditionally served alone or mixed with rice and noodles, some Korean-Americans have integrated it into an Anglicized diet by using it as a pizza topping or scrambling it with eggs.

Scrambled eggs 'n kimchi

Making T'ej

T'ej is fun and simple to brew. After all, it only requires two ingredients! Honey and water. Let it ferment for 2 - 4 weeks and it will be approximately as alcoholic as the average "light" wine such as red or white (10 - 14% alcohol.) After one month, your t'ej will be about 20% alcohol, the same percentage as most low-end fortified wines. However, t'ej is anything but low-end. The sharp, spicy, piquant alcoholic t'ej is a true gift of nature.

My recipe is adapted from Sandor Ellix Katz's Wild Fermentation, a must-have book for any fermentation fetishist. 

Timeframe: 2 weeks - 1 month

Special equipment:

- 1/2 gallon (or larger) wide-mouth jar / plastic bucket / ceramic crock

- 1/2 gallon (or larger) glass jug

Ingredients for 1/2 gallon: 

-1.5 cups honey (preferably raw, unpasteurized)

- 6 cups water

*Optional* A handful of fresh, unwashed fruit.
I recommend blueberries, blackberries or raspberries. The unwashed fruit is covered in wild yeast that will help ferment the t'ej plus add wonderful flavor. I used raspberries.

Process:

1. Mix water and honey in the jar / bucket / crock until the honey is thoroughly dissolved. 

2. Cover with a towel or cloth and set aside in a warm room for a few days, stirring at least twice a day. Trust that the yeast will be drawn to the sweet honey-water from the air.

3. After 3 or 4 days (more if it's cold, less if it's hot), the brew should be bubbly and fragrant. Once it gets to this stage, transfer your t'ej into the clean glass jug. If the jug is not full, you can add water and honey in a 4:1 ratio to fill. 

*Toss in the handful of fruit*

4. Cover the jar with a cheesecloth, balloon or any lid that can rest on it loosely and keep air out without holding pressure in. 

5. Leave for 2 weeks to a month, depending on how alcoholic you would like it to be. Bottoms up!

1/2 gallon raspberry t'ej. 3 weeks fermented.
"YUM!" -My mom, after drinking a glass.