Last time I was a recipient of a scoby from a local fermenter.   This time around I decided to grow my own. Took three weeks but here she is.

Not much to look at but

Yesterday brewed up a batch of tea with what tea bags I had on hand - white tea that was given to us free in one of our swag bags from one of the film festivals we attended.    This will be the first time using white since normally brew black or green.  So this fermenting batch should be interesting.

Not only am I curious how this brew will turn out but have been wrangled into a friendly fermentation battle of who's brew is better.

The showdown supposedly will take place at our upcoming event on Sunday August 23.  May the be best brew win!

Wild fermentation is the opposite of homogenization and uniformity --Sandor Ellix Katz

On the preservation front

Now that I got some beautiful cabbage heads (thanks to a local Freedom Farmer) I made a batch of sauerkraut - using Sally Fallon's recipe.  I did just plan cabbage for one batch and for the other I mixed a bit of beautiful turnips we had growing in the garden.  The turnips were sooooo sweet and incredibly delicious as was the cabbage.  I couldn't help but eat handfuls raw.

Fermenting is one of the easiest and oldest ways of preserving - not to mention it's fun.

Recently in the news, sauerkraut and pickled vegetables fermented the natural way with lactic acid fermentation are being credited with correcting bodily imbalances of intestinal flora, leading to problems including acid reflux for which doctors often prescribe harsh antibiotics.

Natural lactic acid fermentation is one of the oldest and healthiest means of food preservation. It allows natural, beneficial bacteria to perform a fermentation process in which vegetables develop a pleasantly sour taste and remain rich in vitamins and minerals. Lactic acid fermentation is the only method of preservation that retains all the natural plant ingredients while improving the quality, taste and aroma.

The preservation season has just begun!  Soon, apples, apricots, peaches, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes and peppers will be (God willing) pouring in and we'll be busy in the kitchen.  But the June gloom has delayed the harvest a bit so I have a feeling we are going get slammed in July & August.

Preservation is definitely food security at its best.

What new preservation methods will you be trying this year?  Care to share?

References

Wild Fermentation

Fermentation crock and cutting up the locally grown cabbage

Homegrown carrots (seeds available at FREEDOMSEED.org)

Homegrown carrots, daikon radish, green onions and local cabbage

Pounding with a wood mortar in whey, salt and spices to release the juices

After a few days in the crock, time to put the kimchi in cold storage

Last week we had a bit of fermentation fun here on the urban homestead.  With our homegrown daikon radishes, homegrown carrots and locally grown (bartered) cabbage from a Freedom Farmer it was time to get a'fermenting (thanks for the trade!)

Making My Own Whey

I've never eaten or tried making vegetarian Kimchi before so I was a little unsure how this experiment would turn out.   Days before harvesting the vegetables we made the whey from yogurt.  Then was time to cut, mix and pound!

It was fun making the kimchi (recipe courtesy of 'Nourishing Traditions' by Sally Fallon) as the whole kitchen filled with spicy fragrance.

On Saturday I put a spoonful of kimchi on crackers as we had some friends over for a potluck.  One of them happened to live in Korea and having eaten kimchi every day said this was the best kimchi she's ever tasted.

So I was quiet pleased with the positive review!