I've never fermented anything before... except yogurt, but that comes with clear instructions, and it still makes me nervous. Really, the thought of leaving perishable food on my counter for a while and then eating it goes against all the food safety rules I've had to learn over and over again to keep my food handler's license, and it's just hard for me to trust that what's going to come out at the end isn't going to kill me and my family. But, I've come to the point that I have to try it. I bought some real sourkraut at the store and liked it, and I sent my husband to the farmers' market without me a less than a week before we were going to be leaving town for 10 days. He bought enough fruits and veggies for 3 weeks, and there was no more space left in my freezer, and it was just the motivation I needed to try it. Unfortunately, I was still second in line for "Wild Fermentation" at the library, and I was missing certain important tools (a kraut hammer), so I improvised.
I followed the instructions for pickled beets in Nourishing Traditions, and I think they turned out pretty well. I've had pickled beets before, and while my homemade pickled beets are stronger tasting than the ones I remember from childhood (not homemade), they taste good, and I haven't died from eating them yet.
My carrots concern me. They weren't exactly at their peak quality when I started. Since I didn't have a kraut hammer, I mashed them with one of the beaters from my hand mixer, since that was the closest thing in my kitchen to a kraut hammer. I thought they were pretty well pounded, but I don't really know. I thought I had more carrots than I did and probably put in twice as much salt and whey as I should have. I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I skipped it. They only had 2 days and 3 nights to ferment instead of the recommended 3 days. I used a plastic bag full of water to weigh it down and to prevent mold (I'm still too scared of letting mold form on the surface). I didn't get a chance to sample it before I left on my trip a week and a half ago. I just put it in the fridge before I left, and it's been there ever since.
There is no sign of mold on the surface or otherwise. It looks a lot like it did when I assembled the whole thing (except I've removed the bag. It smells slightly, and the odor is unpleasant to my nose. My husband thinks it hardly smells at all and certainly isn't a bad smell, but he has a cold, so I'm really not sure I trust him. I'm just wondering what to do with it. I really don't fancy having food poisoning, but I do want to try to get into fermenting vegetables, and I need to get over some of my fears. I'm just wondering if this endeavor has too many strikes against it, and I should just throw it out and try again later. Is there a way I can save this, or should I just throw it out?
I followed the instructions for pickled beets in Nourishing Traditions, and I think they turned out pretty well. I've had pickled beets before, and while my homemade pickled beets are stronger tasting than the ones I remember from childhood (not homemade), they taste good, and I haven't died from eating them yet.
My carrots concern me. They weren't exactly at their peak quality when I started. Since I didn't have a kraut hammer, I mashed them with one of the beaters from my hand mixer, since that was the closest thing in my kitchen to a kraut hammer. I thought they were pretty well pounded, but I don't really know. I thought I had more carrots than I did and probably put in twice as much salt and whey as I should have. I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I skipped it. They only had 2 days and 3 nights to ferment instead of the recommended 3 days. I used a plastic bag full of water to weigh it down and to prevent mold (I'm still too scared of letting mold form on the surface). I didn't get a chance to sample it before I left on my trip a week and a half ago. I just put it in the fridge before I left, and it's been there ever since.
There is no sign of mold on the surface or otherwise. It looks a lot like it did when I assembled the whole thing (except I've removed the bag. It smells slightly, and the odor is unpleasant to my nose. My husband thinks it hardly smells at all and certainly isn't a bad smell, but he has a cold, so I'm really not sure I trust him. I'm just wondering what to do with it. I really don't fancy having food poisoning, but I do want to try to get into fermenting vegetables, and I need to get over some of my fears. I'm just wondering if this endeavor has too many strikes against it, and I should just throw it out and try again later. Is there a way I can save this, or should I just throw it out?
