Re: making cultured veggies...

THanks for reply! Yes,I did use all organic, except for a little bit of ginger,which was commercial. I mixed green & white cabbate with a little carrot, some fresh dill, and ginger. Did you open and check (smell/taste) yours as you went along to see how it was "progressing?" THe directions with this crock for making saurkraut say to use a lot of salt and no starter, but you are supposed to store it in a cool place (I guess like a cellar or fridge, but who has a celler in the US anymore?) after you start to hear it bubbling (which for me has been less than 24 hours), and then NOT to open it for 4-6 weeks, or it will expose it to oxygen and ruin it. I'm basically using the Body Ecology recipe, which is quite different, but on a large scale using this crock with the weighting stones inside. It makes about 7 quarts, I guess, although my batch looks more like 4 or 5. I used 4 packets of starter. I think I read in the book you could dissolve a pack in water with some honey to get the cultures going, so I did that, except that I didn't stir it immediately and it lumped up into hard rocks. I blended it in with the pureed part of the veggies in the food processor, and then added another packet right to the puree just in case. I thought I would leave it at room temp for a week, and then refrigerate. I guess it continues to ferment in the fridge, but slower.

By the way, have you tried the store-bought variety? I have been eating the saurkraut(unsalted flavor #1 with dill) and the veggie delite mix from Rejuvanative Foods. They smell pretty funky when you open them, but I think they taste really good (sour and tangy, some milder than others), although I did get one jar of the veggie mix that might have been a little off, but I didn't get sick or anything. I thought I should familiarize myself with the taste so I knew what they were supposed to taste like. I'm not sure how mine will stack up. THey probaby really have the process down pat, and if mine don't taste as good, I'm not sure if that will mean they're bad. Anyway, I'm putting the cart before the horse, I guess. It's possible it might be easier and more economical in the long run just to buy them buy the case and save myself the trouble. Organic veggies aren't cheap, and my time is worth a lot to me these days. Still, I couldn't resist the challenge and the opportunity to make some interesting combinations.

I did soak or pour boiling water over all the utensils I used, and the veggies were fresh and washed. If this doesn't turn out, I don't know, it can only be the moon cycle or something.....

Keep me posted on your continuing efforts with this diet and the cultured food cuisine! Tweet