The Fermentation Continues

I made kimchi yesterday, and judging from the
small bubbles scattered around the jar today-
I'm going to assume that it went pretty well.

It still has 2 more days on the countertop
so fingers crossed until then.



















I looked through a bunch of recipes and
finally found one that a.) didn't require
me to inhale the scents of dried or jarred
seafood and b.) was a somewhat speedy prep.
So thank you, Jean Georges, for this recipe.

I also started a shrub yesterday, which I think
is less of a fermentation and more of an infusion.




















1 part fruit, 1 part apple cider vinegar and a big of sugar.
Some recipes call for 1:1:1 but I hate overly
sweetened things so I just did a half teaspoon just to see if
I could get away with it. One more day on the counter and
I'll find out.  Cannot wait to have this with some seltzer.

Just Like Honey: pt 3

We did it! We successfully fermented our own

honey wine.  It tastes like springtime in a glass.

I think the next step from here is to work on bottle

aging (it seemed a little intense for the first try).

Stay tuned :)

Just Like Honey pt. 2

So the countertop Mead is is happening.
Not necessarily bubbling up in the way the kombucha does,
but there is a release of pressure when you unscrew the cap
and the smell is definitely that of fermenting honey.

According to the book, there should be an intense bubbling
so we'll see if that happens. I'm wondering if I'm just expecting
something grand and the above photo is considered "intense".
Oh well, this is a learning process. I'll keep everyone posted!

Just Like Honey

I randomly pulled out my book on fermentation last night
and started flipping through it.  I landed on the page for how to
make Mead and it seemed so easy, the husband and I had to try.




















1 part raw honey to 4 parts filtered water in a jar with a lid
shake vigorously to combine and continue to shake a few
times a day for about 10 days. (a jar without a lid is recommended for
honey that isn't raw)  Be sure to release the pressure
that will build up by unscrewing the lid after shaking.
The natural yeasts in the raw honey should start the fermentation
and the bubbling should begin.

This is a shot of day 2, after shaking there is a thick foam of
bubbles at the top.  I was told our honey was raw-I guess
this will be the true test!




















After our little experiment last night I started really
reading through the book and it is extremely fascinating.
Just the history of fermentation, the current war on bacteria,
and all of the things that you can ferment.  I told the
husband that I thought it would be awesome if we had a whole
countertop of jars with fermenting foods in them.  We already have
the kombucha looking like an alien specimen-why not add a few more?