Root Beer and Ginger Ale

Amanda Diamond's Fermentation Project Recipe(s)

Homemade Root Beer:

Equipment:Clean 2 liter plastic soft drink bottle with cap. (not glass- explosions are dangerous..)
Funnel
1 cup measuring cup
1/4 tsp measuring spoon & 1 Tbls measuring spoon

Ingredients:1 cup table sugar [alias cane sugar or sucrose]
Zatarains's Root Beer Extract (1 tablespoon)
Powdered baker's yeast (1/4 teaspoon)
Cold fresh water

How to Make Delicious Homemade Root Beer1) Assemble the necessary equipment and supplies.
2) With a dry funnel, add in sequence:
1 level cup of table sugar (cane sugar) (You can adjust the amount to achieve the desired sweetness. Cutting the sugar in half still produces adequate carbonation with much less sweetness.)

3) Add: 1/4 teaspoon powdered baker's yeast (fresh and active)
(Some have suggested that using champagne yeast may produce less of a yeasty flavor. I don't mind the complexity of this recipe,. and have not tried varying the yeast used. If you find a significant improvement with more esoteric yeasts, let me know.)
4) You can see the yeast granules on top of the sugar.
5) Shake to distribute the yeast grains into the sugar.
6) Swirl the sugar/yeast mixture in the bottom to make it concave (to catch the extract).
7) Add with funnel: 1 Tbls of root beer extract on top of the dry sugar.
8) The extract sticks to the sugar which will help dissolve the extract in the next steps. If you shake it, it will further help it to dissolve.
9) Half fill the bottle with fresh cool tap water (the less chlorine, the better since yeast does not like chlorine). [You can diminish the amount of chlorine by drawing water the night before, placing in a large pot, and letting it "exhale" the chlorine overnight.] Rinse in the extract which sticks to the tablespoon and funnel. Swirl to dissolve the ingredients.
10) Q.s. [fill up] to the neck of the bottle with fresh cool tap water, leaving about an inch of head space, securely screw cap down to seal. Invert repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve.
11) Place at room temperature (RT)about three to four days until the bottle feels hard to a forceful squeeze. Move to a cool place (below 65 F). refrigerate overnight to thoroughly chill before serving. Crack the lid of the thoroughly chilled root beer just a little to release the pressure slowly.

**NOTE-Do not leave the finished root beer in a warm place once the bottle feels hard. After a couple weeks or so at room temperature, especially in the summer when the temperature is high, enough pressure may build up to explode the bottle! There is no danger of this if the finished root beer is refrigerated.**
12) Move to a refrigerator overnight before opening.

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/ROOTBEER_Jn0.htm

Ginger Ale

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces finely grated fresh ginger
• 6 ounces sugar
• 7 1/2 cups filtered water
• 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Procedure:
1.) Place the ginger, sugar, and 1/2 cup of the water into a 2-quart saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
2.) Remove from the heat, cover and allow to steep for 1 hour.
3.) Pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing down to get all of the juice out of the mixture.
4.) Chill quickly by placing over an ice bath and stirring or set in the refrigerator, uncovered, until at least room temperature, 68 to 72 degrees F.
5.) Using a funnel, pour the syrup into a clean 2-liter plastic bottle and add the yeast, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups of water.
6.) Place the cap on the bottle, gently shake to combine and leave the bottle at room temperature for 48 hours.
7.) Open and check for desired amount of carbonation. It is important that once you achieve your desired amount of carbonation that you refrigerate the ginger ale.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ginger-ale-recipe/index.html

Kefir

Kefir

Fermented by Alice Spirito

1)  Add 2 T. milk kefir grains to 24 oz of fresh milk in a clean glass mason jar.

2)  Cover with close fitting lid.  Label the jar "kefir" so no one assumes it is normal milk accidentally left out and puts it in the fridge. (Eventually kefir would form but much more slowly).

3)  Leave jar out on counter at room temperature for 24-36 hours.  The warmer your house is the less time it may take for the conversion.  

4)  Every 6-8 hours gently tilt jar 1/4 turn or so to agitate & open jar to release air build up. Clearly this is an inexact science.

5)  Observe for "riddling", bubbling, and the transformation from thinner liquid form to thicker, more yogurty consistency.  Strain the grains from the kefir.  

6)  Also look for any curds/whey separation--this is a sure sign the grains need to strained out and placed into fresh milk to start a new batch or put away in the fridge for a few days until new batch start-up.

7)  Slurp up your super-nutritious kefir.  You'll now have approximately 26-28 ounces after the culturing process.  

If it has been at least 24 hours, I recommend straining the grains out and erring on the side of caution to keep from starving the grains.* If your house is colder (60 degrees or less) it'd be okay to leave them in for an additional 8-12 hours.  But not much longer than that.  *Grains are pretty darn hardy.  I have accidentally deprived my grains of fresh milk. They are revivable.  But why put them through it if you can avoid it?  

EXPERIMENT how long you like to culture your kefir.  You can always continue to culture the strained kefir if your palate prefers a "champagne-y" more sour flavor vs. a milder flavor (that is before you add in anything if you like to for sweetener or fruit juice, etc.

Kefirlady, Marilyn "FAQ About Kefir" (2012).  Retrieved Nov 2012. http://www.kefirlady.com/faqaboutkefir.htm

Kelly's CrockPot Yogurt

While I am the one that made this batch of yogurt it is based on recipes I found online. Overall it seems all crockpot yogurt is made pretty much the same.

Needs:
1/2 Gallon whole milk (pasturized)
1 cup plain greek yogurt
Crockpot
blanket/towel (to wrap entire crockpot)
thermometer
fruit/flavoring as desired

Procedure:
1. Pour the entire amount of milk into the crockpot. Turn to low and allow the milk to warm for 2 hrs and 45 minutes.
2. After this time is up allow the milk to sit as is in the crockpot for 3 hours. (Check temperature - needs to be 110-115 degrees).
3. If the milk is at the right temperature remove 1/2 cup of the warm milk and mix 1 cup of greek yogurt into it.
4. Once this is mixed, gently mix the culture into the crockpot. Wrap the entire crockpot with a heavy towel. (I used a fleece blanket) and let it sit 8-12 hours. I allowed mine to sit overnight.
5. After the time is up dump the yogurt into a colander lined with paper towels. This allows the whey to separate from the curds. It is suggested to allow this to happen for 2-3 hours but I think I let mine sit longer.

Once you are confident and happy with the thickness of the yogurt put into containers as desired. At this point you can mix in flavoring or fruit as you desire. I found it is not recommended to add the fruit to yogurt until you are going to eat it as it will make the yogurt a more runny consistency.

Kombucha, the mother of fermented drinks

Making kombucha:

4 cups purified water (no chlorine)
4-6 tsp organic black tea (or 4-6 teabags) (not one with added oils)
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup starter liquid (kombucha)  Better yet, get a mother and some kombucha liquid from someone who has extra (basically anyone who makes it will have mothers for adoption)
1 quart size mason jar - sterilize in water; do not use bleach or soap
cloth cover, or coffee filter
rubber band
    1.    Boil 4 cups of water.
    2.    Add hot water & tea bags to pot or brewing vessel.
    3.    Steep 5-7 minutes, then remove tea bags.
    4.    Add sugar and stir to dissolve.
    5.    Fill vessel most of the way with purified water, leaving just 1-2 inches from the top for breathing room with purified cold water.
    6.    Add SCOBY and starter liquid.
    7.    Cover with cloth cover and secure with the rubber band.
    8.    Say a prayer, send good vibes, commune with your culture (optional but recommended).
    9.    Set in a warm location out of direct sunlight (unless vessel is opaque).
    10.    Do not disturb for 7 days.
    •    After 7 days, or when you are ready to taste your kombucha, gently insert a straw beneath the scoby and take a sip. If too tart, then reduce your brewing cycle next time.  If too sweet, allow to brew for a few more days.  Continue to taste every day or so until you reach your optimum flavor preference. Your own Kombucha Tea Recipe may vary.
    •    Decant & flavor (optional).  Bottle and refrigerate.
    •    Drink as desired! Start off with 2 oz on an empty stomach in the morning, then with meals to help with digestion or as your body tells you it would like some more! Drink plenty of water as it is a natural detoxifyer and you want to flush the newly released toxins out.

Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Fermented by Jenn Arthers

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you'll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above). It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.

2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.

3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Day 1 - receive the starter (the recipe for the starter is below)

Day 2 - stir

Day 3 - stir

Day 4 - stir

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.

Day 6 - stir

Day 7 - stir

Day 8 - stir

Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.Day 9 - stir

Ginger Ale

Ginger Ale

Fermented by Randi Walters

September 18, 2012

I used the recipe for homemade ginger ale. I did so by using the following tools and ingredients.

· clean 2 liter plastic soft drink bottle with cap

· funnel

· Grater (garlic press)

· 1 cup measuring cup

· 1/4 tsp and 1 Tbl measuring

· Cane sugar (1 cup)

· Freshly grated ginger root (1 1/2-2 tablespoons)

· Juice of one lemon

· fresh granular baker's yeast (1/4 teaspoon)

· cold fresh pure water

I used the fllowing procedure to begin the process of making homemade ginger ale.

· Added 1 cup sugar to the 2 liter bottle with a dry funnel.

· Measured out 1/4th teaspoon fresh granular active baker's yeast.

· Added yeast through funnel into the bottle then shook to disperse the yeast grains into the sugar granules.

· Grated the ginger root on the back of a garlic press to produce 1 1/2 Tablespoon of grated root

· Placed grated ginger in a cup measure

· Juiced a whole lemon

· Added the juice of a whole lemon to the grated ginger.

· Stirred the lemon juice and grated ginger.

· Added the mixture of lemon juice and grated ginger to the bottle

· Filled the bottle to the neck with fresh cool clean water, leaving about an inch of head space, securely screwed cap down to seal. Turned the bottle upside down and back repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve sugar.

The recipe calls to leave the bottle untouched for about 24-48 hours until the bottle is totally firm. My concern is that the bottle was very firm when I first closed it and my fear is that the bottle may explode.

This is the link to my recipe

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Ginger_Ale_Ag0.htm

Fermented 'Soaked Pumpkin Muffins

Kristy's Fermented 'Soaked' Pumpkin Muffins:

(original recipe borrowed of course!) 

• 2 cups of whole grain flour, preferably freshly ground (My whole wheat flour was NOT freshly ground - still tasted good!)
• 3/4 cup sour dairy, such as buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, or clabber (I used powdered buttermilk)
• 1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, carrot, mashed banana or applesauce (I tried squash muffins without chocolate chips - equally as delicious!)
• 2/3 cup sucanat or granulated palm sugar
• 2 eggs, pastured or free-range organic
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Optional add-ins: ground flax seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dates, chocolate chips or crispy nuts

1. In a glass bowl, combine the flour, dairy, and melted butter together. Cover with a clean dish towel or plate and allow this mixture to soak at least 8 hours, or even better, 24. (Warning: soaking for three days or more results in MOLD) The longer it soaks, the greater the reduction of phytic acid. (This might be true but eventually you will have a concoction that is inedible!) It is also important that you place this mixture somewhere warm. A good place is your oven with just the light on, or a dehydrator set on low. A cold counter top in the winter is not going to reduce any phytates. You need warmth.

2. Once the batter has had a good soak, add in the rest of the ingredients. You will have to give it all a very good stir. Forget what you have learned about making muffins in the past. It’s not going to work here… but it doesn't matter, they’re still going to turn out fine! Fold in your add-ins at the end, if using.

3. Pour greased muffin tins (preferably not aluminum or non-stick — stoneware is good) (Despite the recommendation of NOT using a non-stick muffin pan, I did anyway as it was all that I had - they came out fine!). Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes. When they are done, a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. This recipe makes about 16 regular sized muffins.

Day 1 - Flour, Dairy, Butter

Day 2 - Soaking

 

Day 3 - Remaining ingredients added (and then baked)

 

Fermented 'Soaked' Pumpkin Muffin - Before Consumption

Alison's Kefir

For my recipe I used Dom's Kefir-making site: http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html

I especially liked his action Kefir photos ;-) 

To obtain kefir grains, I would recommend ordering them through Amazon or asking a friend who has already made kefir to donate some to you. If you get them through the mail, they'll take a good week or so to acclimate to your surroundings and begin to produce kefir of good consistency and flavor. So plan ahead.

Here's Dom's recipe. You, too, will soon be a "Kefir-Meister"!

RECIPE for TRADITIONAL MILK KEFIR Ingredients / Utensils For 2-cups of Milk Kefir 1 to 2 tablespoons milk Kefir-Grains. To obtain kefir grains please go here at my kefirpage3 to 4-cup clean glass jar with lid. Nylon or stainless steel mesh-type strainer and spoon. Suitable container with wide open mouth for straining kefir into, and clean sealable bottle to store kefir. 2 cups fresh milk [Suitable milk types-- Raw un-pasteurised or pasteurised whole milk, fat-reduced, non-fat milk. Goat, Cow, Sheep, Buffalo, Camel and Mare's milk. I prefer fresh, raw whole goat or cow's milk in that order]. COMMON METHOD for MAKING MILK-KEFIR
	Place fresh kefir grains in clean glass jar. It is wise to mark the out side wall of the jar with a permanent marker or an elastic rubber band, to indicate the volume of grains put in the jar. As your kefir grains increase over future batches, it shall be easy to tell the portion of grains to remove, for that portion will go above the mark. The removed portion are your excess, or spare kefir grains. These may be blended with kefir to amplify the probiotic and therapeutic value of kefir when consumed. Alternatively, use spare grains to brew other interesting, healthy culture-products, mentioned bellow and throughout this site. See Links to all my Web Pages at the bottom of this page [all my web pages have those same links to each other, so you can find a topic].
	Add fresh milk, place lid on jar, gently stir contents and let stand at room temperature for about 24 hours, or until the product thickens or sours to your liking. Designate a spot away from direct sunlight for kefir fermentation, in a cupboard e.g. Do not fill the fermenting jar more than 3/4, otherwise the milk will overflow after some hours of fermentation. If the jar is sealed airtight, a slightly carbonated kefir results. Kefir is mostly prepared with the lid ajar, so that gas produced through fermentation is allowed to escape. It is usually best not to ferment for too much longer after the kefir shows signs of thickening, or separation seen as small pockets or layers of a pale-yellow liquid [whey]. Otherwise a sourer kefir results, and quite likely with separation becoming more prominent as 2 layers consisting of a thick white curd with whey at the bottom of ther container. Note that this is not a bad thing, but it can make straining more difficult, and some folks may find it too sour for their palett.
	Pour contents into a strainer and strain the kefir into a suitable container to separate the kefir grains from the liquid-kefir.  Wash the fermenting jar and reuse the kefir grains for a new batch by repeating the whole process.
	What you've strained is kefir, also referred to as Liquid-Kefir. Store th eliquid-kefir in a clean bottle and seal the bottle airtight. Kefir may be consumed right away, or better yet, store in a sealed bottle and refrigerate for a day or two and serve chilled. Another option is to ripen liquid-kefir at room temperature for a day or more, preferably under airlock. It can then be refrigerated for longer storage or served as you wish. 1 to 2 days storage in the fridge or ripened at room temperature improves flavour and increases nutritional value. Vitamins B6, B3 and B9 [folic acid] increase during storage, due to bio-synthesis of those vitamins mostly by yeasts of kefir grain organisms. See section bellow Storing Kefir and Reducing Lactose for complete details about the ripening process, including ripening under airlock, which is by far the best method for maturing kefir.

To avoid damaging your kefir grains, never add kefir grains to a hot jar straight after washing the jar with hot water! First add fresh milk to the jar before adding any kefir grains. It's wise to make this a habbit. Now, you too are a Kefir-Meister.

Alison's Note: After you've made kefir that's the right consistency and flavor for you, let it sit in your fridge for a couple of days. Then you may add additional flavoring, if you like. I'd suggest a little maple syrup and/or blended fresh or frozen fruit (sweetened or not).

Drink and enjoy!

– Alison

Westerly's Kombucha

KOMBUCHA


Fermented by Westerly Miller

List of ingredients and quantities:

1 bottle of original, unflavored Kombucha (GT's raw organic, unfiltered original kombucha works well)

1 tea bag (green, black, or preferred flavor)

1 Tbs. sugar

Order of Operations:

Add sugar & tea bag to 1 cup of boiling water & allow to steep, then cool to room temperature.

Pour tea/sugar mixture into sterilized quart canning jar.

Add bottle of kombucha.

Cover jar with gauze, or similar material & secure with a rubber band.

Store in a warm area, out of direct sunlight where it will not be disturbed.

A scoby, or mother will form on the liquid surface (times will vary depending on strength & heath of kombucha strains.)  In general, the kombucha will be ready to drink any where from 2-4 weeks. The longer the liquid is left to ferment, the stronger it will be.

To start a new batch of kombucha, simply add a layer of the scoby (mother) to a new sugar/tea mixture & allow to ferment for a fresh batch. Enjoy!

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut 

Fermented by Lauren Insensee

Based on the recipe by Sandor Katz at http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sauerkraut-2/

Saurkraut Round 1:

Ceramic pot of some kind, approx. 12 inches across and 12 inches deep.
A round glass plate
A clean, heavy object (to hold plate down over saurkraut)

half a head of green cabbage, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
half a head of red cabbage, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
3 large carrots, shredded
2 T sea salt, dissolved in 2 cups warm water

Toss red and green cabbage in with shredded carrots.  Squish and knead the vegetable mixture until fluid begins to be released into the ceramic pot.  Once thoroughly the vegetables are kneaded, pour the brine mixture over the vegetables, and place the plate on top.  Place the weight on top of the plate and wait for the microbes to do the rest!  (The brine should rise over the plate within 24 hours.  If not, make more brine and add to the pot.)

The secret to keeping the mold away is to scrape off any spores that appear as soon as they appear. The brine level should remain above the plate as well. If it becomes too low, simply add more brine.

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Saurkraut Round 2:


Ceramic pot of some kind, approx. 12 inches across and 12 inches deep.
A round glass plate
A clean, heavy object (to hold plate down over saurkraut)

half a head of green cabbage, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
half a head of red cabbage, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
2 apples of your choice,  peeled, cored and chopped
1.5 T celery seed
2 T sea salt, dissolved in 2 cups warm water

Toss red and green cabbage in with chopped apples, then sprinkle with celery seed. Toss mixture until evenly distributed.  Squish and knead the mixture until fluid begins to be released into the ceramic pot. Once you feel the fruit and cabbage is thoroughly kneaded, pour the brine mixture over it, and place the plate on top. Place the weight on top of the plate and wait for the microbes to do the rest! This type of saurkraut should make obvious bubbles within 12 hours, and the brine should rise above the plate within 24 hours.  If not, make more brine and add to the pot.

The secret to keeping the mold away is to scrape off any spores that appear as soon as they appear.  The brine level should remain above the plate as well.  If it becomes too low, simply add more brine.

Horseradish

HORSERADISH

ingredients

• about 1 cup fresh horseradish root (peeled and chopped)
• 1 1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 1 packet starter culture for fresh vegetables (such as Caldwell’s or Body Ecology OR 1/4 cup fresh whey)
• 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup filtered water (as needed)

instructions

1. Combine peeled and chopped fresh horseradish root, unrefined sea salt and starter culture into the basin of a food processor.
2. Pulse for about one minute to combine ingredients.
3. Add two to four tablespoons filtered water to the ingredients and process for three to four minutes until a smooth paste forms, adding additional water as necessary.
4. Take a breath, walk outside, ’cause your eyes will burn and tears will stream down your cheeks. It’s worth it though. Promise.
5. Spoon the homemade horseradish mixture into a small jar, adding additional water to completely reach the top of the jar. Cover it loosely with a lid.
6. Allow to ferment in a warm location in your kitchen for at least three days and up to a week, before removing to cold storage. The homemade horseradish will stay good in your fridge for several months.

CREAM SODA

CREAM SODA

Fermented by Catherine Oliver

List of ingredients and quantities:
   1 cup organic cane sugar
   1 Tbs vanilla extract
   1/4 tsp powdered baker's yeast
   Cold Burlington city water

Order of Operations:
1. Add in sequence to a clean, dry, 2 liter soda bottle ; sugar, yeast
2. Shake to distribute the yeast over the sugar
3. Swirl bottle to make a concave spot in the center for the extract to sit
4. Add extract then shake to mix
5. Fill the bottle half full of cold water and swirl to mix the ingredients
6. Fill the bottle to the neck with cool tap water, leaving an inch of space at the top.
7. Screw cap on tightly and invert to dissolve any remaining particles.

Place at room temp. until the bottle feels hard. Then refrigerate until opening!

Sweet and Spicy Pickles

Sweet and Spicy Pickles
 
Ingrediants:

• 1 pound pickling cucumbers
• 1/2 cup mild onion, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup maple syrup (light amber)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 whole cloves
• pinch (1/16 tsp.) dill seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt (finely ground)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 Tablespoons whey
• plain yogurt
• 1 small bay leaf, organic is preferred
• filtered water, if needed

Other Items Needed:

• 1-quart sized wide-mouth jar
• bowl
• strainer
• double-lined cheesecloth

 The Process:

1.  Create the whey needed for pickle fermentation.
•  Line the strainer with cheesecloth. 
•  Place strainer over the bowl. It should be sized so that the strainer sits on the lip of the bowl and does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
• Pour the yogurt into the lined strainer and allow to drain overnight in the refrigerator. 
•  The liquid remaining in the bowl is the whey. Pour this whey into a jar, cover with lid, and keep in fridge for up to 6 months. 
2. If cucumbers are not freshly picked, soak in very icy water for a couple of hours. Keep in ice water until ready to slice.
3. Bring maple syrup and all of the spices (including salt, but not bay leaf) to a boil over medium heat. Immediately remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
4. Cut cucumbers into 1/4-inch slices.  Carefully arrange and alternate pickle slices with onion slices inside a 1-quart sized wide-mouth jar, laying them as flat as possible. Place the bay leaf some where in the middle of the jar, between the slices.
5. When maple syrup-spice mixture is cooled, stir in the lemon juice and whey. Pour this mixture over the cucumber slices in the jar, add additional filtered water to cover pickles as needed. Be sure to leave 1-inch of space from the top of the jar to allow for expansion.
6. Place lid on jar tightly. Give the jar a very gentle shake, from side-to-side, to mix any water you added with the syrup and spices. Open jar back up, push any cucumber slices back down into the brine if needed.
7. Place lid on the jar tightly. Allow to ferment at room temperature for 3 - 4 days.
8. Transfer to cold storage.

Makes 1-quart

Crockpot Yogurt

 I decided to try Stephanie O'Dea's blog suggestion of crock pot yogurt, found at: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html?wpisrc=newsletter

The recipe is as follows: 

The Ingredients.

--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. (Debbie recommends starting with whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt-making)

--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)

--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring

--thick bath towel

--slow cooker.

The Directions.

This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.

I used a 4 quart crockpot. 

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.


Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.



Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.


Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.

Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. I did mango, strawberry, and blueberry. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren't a big deal, and will settle eventually.

Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

**NOTE FROM JESSICA**

Don't open the lid extraneously, or you will have lumpy milk the next morning, instead of yogurt!  It seems like most organic milk is ultra-pasteurized, and Stephanie says not to use it, but I did and it did produce yogurt.  This is a very easy process, with delicious (though thin) results!  If you want thicker yogurt, you can strain the finished product through cheesecloth or a coffee filter in a colander.

Fermented Beets

This is a recipe of my own creation.  The method comes from a combination of sources- an old food preservation book I have (Well Preserved by Joan Hassol) and a You Tube video on vegetable fermentation by Sandor Katz  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i77hU3zR-fQ&feature=youtu.be

I've tried this twice.  The second attempt yielded better results, so I'll detail that attempt here.

The Recipe:
2 large beets (about 1.5 lbs)
1 small Spanish onion
4 medium carrots
1 tsp. salt

The Method
1) I grated all of the peeled vegetables in a food processor and placed them in a large mixing bowl. (You could certainly grate them with a handheld grater- just bring your muscles.)  

2)  I sprinkled the vegetables with the salt.

3) I got my hands dirty.  I used my hands to work the vegetables, mixing and squeezing them, for several minutes.  The squeezing is key; it breaks down cell walls and allows the veggies to release their juices.  It's the juices that create the brine that the mix will be submerged in.

4) Once my veggies were good and wet, I packed them into jars with my (now purple) hands making sure that they were covered with liquid.  The amount of mix that I had fit into 2 twelve oz and 1 eight oz mason jars. I placed the lids on the jars but did not tighten them to prevent pressure build up. I placed all of the jars on a towel and placed them near the coffee pot where I would be sure to keep an eye on them.

5) I waited...
After 2 days, bubbles began to rise to the top:)
After 4 days, the bubbles were replaced by scummy stuff.  This was my clue that fermentation was complete.

6) I scraped off the scum (which I'm told is totally normal), cleaned up the jars and sealed the lids. I put them in the fridge where they should last for a month or more .(I'll use my judgement on that.)

7) I ate them!  I was't quite sure how to best enjoy fermented beets; it turns out they are pretty good in a salad...

My Salad:
I topped a bed of mesculin greens with the beets and some crumbled goat cheese (I also tried Gorgonzola- not bad).  I tossed the salad with a dressing I made (olive oil, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup).  Some toasted nuts might make a nice addition here; I'll try that next time.

Sour Pickle Fermentation

Here's the pickle recipe that I tried for the fermentation project, with my observations/changes done in Red and Italicized:

Obtained from the following site:

http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sour-pickles-2/

Timeframe: 1-4 weeks

Special Equipment:

• Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket (I used a 5 gallon water cooler)
• Plate that fits inside crock or bucket
• 1-gallon/4-liter jug filled with water, or other weight
• Cloth cover

Ingredients (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

• 3 to 4 pounds/1.5 to 2 kilograms unwaxed
• cucumbers (small to medium size)
• 3⁄8 cup (6 tablespoons)/90 milliliters sea salt: my first attempt was way too salty, after I adjusted the salt to 4 TBS, it was much better, and mold was not a problem.
• 3 to 4 heads fresh flowering dill, or 3 to 4
• tablespoons/45 to 60 milliliters of any form of
• dill (fresh or dried leaf or seeds): I used 2 handfuls of fresh dill, no seeds.  Could have used more…I love dill!
• 2 to 3 heads garlic, peeled: Again, I used 5 heads of garlic and still wanted more….
• 1 handful fresh grape, cherry, oak, and/or: Used grape leaves first time, Oak a second, not much difference.  This is presumably to add tannins to keep pickle crunchy.
• horseradish leaves (if available). Definitely worth putting horseradish in!
• 1 pinch black peppercorns

Process:

1. Rinse cucumbers, taking care to not bruise them, and making sure their blossoms are removed. Scrape off any remains at the blossom end. If you’re using cucumbers that aren’t fresh off the vine that day, soak them for a couple of hours in very cold water to freshen them.
2. Dissolve sea salt in ½gallon (2 liters) of water to create brine solution. Stir until salt is thoroughly dissolved.
3. 3. Clean the crock, then place at the bottom of it dill, garlic, fresh grape leaves, and a pinch of black peppercorns.
4. Place cucumbers in the crock.
5. Pour brine over the cucumbers, place the (clean) plate over them, then weigh it down with a jug filled with water or a boiled rock. If the brine doesn’t cover the weighed-down plate, add more brine mixed at the same ratio of just under 1 tablespoon of salt to each cup of water.
6. Cover the crock with a cloth to keep out dust and flies and store it in a cool place.
7. Check the crock every day. Skim any mold from the surface, but don’t worry if you can’t get it all. If there’s mold, be sure to rinse the plate and weight. Taste the pickles after a few days.
8. Enjoy the pickles as they continue to ferment. Continue to check the crock every day.
9. Eventually, after one to four weeks (depending on the temperature), the pickles will be fully sour. Continue to enjoy them, moving them to the fridge to slow down fermentation.

I did this recipe twice, with the second attempt using less salt, as indicated, with better results.  In both attempts, the pickles seemed to be ready by the 7^th day, at average room temp of 65-70 degrees (done in the fall).

As with other recipes tried in class, this was so simple!  Getting the large container was the only thing I needed to source as I have a garden with all other ingredients (grape leaves had dropped and blown away by the second try, so I stole some Oak leaves from my neighbor during a walk – I didn’t ask, as they, too, were about to drop and I figured they wouldn’t miss raking a handful of them).