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Kraut-making video, and a great way to avoid mold

August 10, 2011 | 3 comments

A few weeks ago, Chow aired this instructional video for making sauerkraut with Mark Frauenfelder of MAKE magazine and boingboing.net that’s an easy intro to making kraut. The coolest part for me was learning about the picklemeister as a way to seal your kraut from the air while it ferments. You can see it in the photo in the lower left corner. If you get mold on the surface of your pickle brine or sauerkraut brine, and that mold grosses you out, this clever setup could help you get rid of surface mold.

It works just like a homebrewing airlock by sealing the jar of sauerkraut or pickles or homebrew with a bit of water. As the stuff in the jar ferments, it releases carbon dioxide, which builds up enough pressure to push out the tube and through the water. But air, which carries mold spores, can’t get back in through the water. Soon, you have only carbon dioxide inside and no air at all. Here’s one in action:

You can buy the jar and lid set online, but it would be easy to make one, too, with a wide-mouthed gallon jar, an airlock, and a plastic grommet or plug, plus a little glue. You can find those parts at a homebrewing store. For those who prefer not to put plastic in contact with their food when weighing the kraut to keep it under the brine, I bet you could find a glass food storage bowl that would fit inside the jar, as mentioned at the picklemeister link above.

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Get your starter at the Mother Cultural Exchange in San Francisco

February 3, 2010 | No comments

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Wondering where to get a fermentation starter? On Saturday, February 20th, the folks at CRITTER are hosting a mini fermentation festival, with demonstrations on how to start and use cultures in your kitchen. There will be samples to snack on, presentations, and a culture trade, plus people will be on hand to give tips on making a better pickle. This is your chance to pick up a kombucha mother, sourdough starter, or whatever you’ve been hankering after. And if it isn’t on hand, I bet you could get the number of someone who can give you one the next time they have extra. If you’ve got a culture you’d like to trade, bring it with you or get in touch with the organizers. I’ll be there explaining how to make and eat kefir, and I should have some starter grains to give away.

There will also be demos on growing plants from cuttings and mushrooms from spores—the event embraces anything that grows from a starter.

These are the folks who brought us the kimchi contest last year, and I expect this event will be just as fun.

Here are the vitals:

Saturday, February 20 from 2-4 PM
Cost: Free!

Please RSVP to:
crittersalon AT gmail.com
Subject heading “Mother Cultures”

@ the Studio for Urban Projects:
3579 17th Street
between Dolores and Guerrero
San Francisco

Storing your pickles safely while they ferment

November 10, 2009 | 2 comments

In this post I run down different ways to store pickles mold-free while they ferment. Storage is a crucial aspect of making pickles and there’s more than one way to do it. Every technique achieves the same essential goal, though: keeping the pickles from being exposed to the air for too long. Otherwise, mold may gain a foothold and begin to grow. In most cases this means you want to keep the pickling food submerged in brine, away from the air.

On the other hand, it’s important to keep the surface of that brine open to the air. If you seal the pickle tightly with a lid, carbon dioxide—a natural byproduct of fermentation—will build up and create pressure that could cause leaks or even spray pickle juice everywhere when you open the lid. Salt-brine pickles ferment at room temperature, not in the fridge, and it’s best to leave them in a dark place like a cabinet. Because the jars stand open to the air, it’s a good idea to cover them with a towel to keep out dust and random flies. It is also wise to put your jar on top of a kitchen towel or in an open tupperware that will catch any drips.

Pickling can take as little as a week and as long as a month (or even longer) depending on the size and density of the food you’re pickling. The bigger and harder it is, the slower it pickles. The temperature of your storage space influences the timing too. The hotter it is, the faster the microorganisms will do their work. The good news is that it’s hard to over-pickle something. If you’re not sure your pickle is ready, give it a taste. When it tastes the way you like, remove your seal, put a lid on the pickle, and put it in the fridge. This will stop the fermentation, although the flavors of your spices will continue to soak into the pickle.

So, here are some techniques for keeping your food mold-free while it ferments: Read the rest of this entry »

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