GAPS Diet Chat and Support - Page 7 « Back to Group Discussions

[Abraisme]

Unless canned veggies are going to be your sole source of vegetables, I would think it's fine.  Personally, I like frozen vegges a lot more, so I've never canned any.  Who knows though really, there always seems to be a good argument on either side of the debate. 

Originally Posted by LunaLady 

I've just always heard that if you're a natural or traditional 'foodie' that they are bad bad bad. NT says they should be avoided. I'll need to read the studies she posts, but it seems like they are fine to use.
I'd love to be able to can more veggies, so a pressure cooker/canner would be great.

[LunaLady]

Yep, I think you're right, Abra.

I am going to try my hand at kraut again this weekend. I'm going to do some pulses in the food processor to cut it up rather than spend forever chopping it. And, in watching that GAPS cooking DVD they said you can actually juice cabbage and use that juice to help cover your kraut. And you can ferment the juice itself, too!. They also had the great idea of taking a full cabbage leaf and using that to keep your kraut under the water. Like you would a plate. Genius!

[Abraisme]

I think that I've mentioned this before, but I don't even squeeze or crush my cabbage.  I just pack it tightly into the jar and cover with filtered water.  My sister (who's a chef), was SOO sure that it would be better if she massaged it and allowed the juices to naturally cover it.  You know, her batch was dry (she still had to add water) and it wasn't any better than any of my 'lazy' kraut.  It is a good idea to add cabbage juice to cover it, but that's also time consuming and fussy if you ask me.

Oh, and I always use a cabbage leaf on top to keep my kraut under the water.  It works great.

[Jaimee]

I've had to use rocks on top of the cabbage leaf to keep everything submerged.  I massage my cabbage for like 5 minutes after letting it sit for an hour or more.  I get a ton of juice out of it and don't need any extra water.  I also add the left over liquid from previous batches of kraut.  I did make the mistake of packing a jar too tightly and not having enough air at the top... explosion of smelly liquid all over the counter.  Yuck.

[Abraisme]

I'm in the process of making air-lock lids for all of my jars.  This will prevent it from leaking over the top and keep the ferment in a more anerobic environment.

[birdhappy85]

Abra, how much empty space do you leave in the jar between the cabbage leaf and lid? My kraut doesn't stay submerged with just a cabbage leaf either. I have to place a shot glass or something even taller between the leaf and lid, and I even have to open the lid on almost a daily basis to let out some pressure. It's kind of annoying! And I hate when little kraut pieces get around and above the cabbage leaf, so then I'm constantly paranoid they're going to get moldy.

My water kefir grains are multiplying so rapidly, I don't know what to do with them! I hate to throw them out, and I don't know anyone who would use some. I've been compensating by occasionally eating some (is that weird?) and then making multiple half gallon jars of water kefir to keep up with them. DH is probably shaking his head at the number of jars of fermented stuff that I've accumulated in our kitchen. LOL

[LunaLady]

Joanie, I really want to try water kefir! I did milk kefir a couple years ago and we didn't like it. We made several batches and different lengths of fermentation time, but it just never really turned into something we enjoyed eating.

I want to try making water kefir in coconut water... I hear that can be done. Or what about apple cider? From fresh pressed apple juice?

I need to order some grains... too bad we don't live closer! 

[Jaimee]

I've found I need about an inch of space or else things explode.  I would've thought a shot glass worth of space would have been plenty!

How are you making your lids, Abra?  Are they like the link I posted a while back?

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

reCAP fermenting cap kit giveaway on my friend's blog: http://www.nwedible.com/2012/11/giveaway-farm-curious-wide-mouth-recap-fermenting-kit.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NorthwestEdibleLife+%28Northwest+Edible+Life%29

I want one of these!

[Abraisme]

Here is a photo of a batch I made a week ago or so. There is about 1" of space and I find the leaf works fine on its own. The leaf doesn't stay submerged, but the kraut does.

[Jaimee]

So besides cabbage, what else are you fermenting?  I tried cauliflower and carrots, but no one was a fan of those.  Anything else?

[Abraisme]

Mostly just carrots and cauliflower, red cabbage, garlic, and ginger.  I've tried beets too, but I wasn't really a fan of that.  I like cauliflower and carrots though.

Edited by Abraisme - 12/7/12 at 5:10pm

[Jaimee]

Omgosh, I totally forgot I had this link!  Here is a lacto-fermenting cookbook that includes many other ideas!

From Nourished Kitchen: http://issuu.com/nourishedkitchen/docs/getcultured?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

http://nourishedkitchen.com/

Anyone done lemons or limes?  What do they taste like and what do you serve them with?

[birdhappy85]

I'm making my first fish stock. Wow does my house ever smell...... 

I've been eating a lot of brussel sprouts lately. I wonder how they'd taste if fermented, since they're like little cabbages? We could call it baby kraut! 

[Abraisme]

Oh, I've also tried zucchini and cucumbers.  The zucchini was totally awful mush and the cucumbers were also mushy and just not edible really.  I even tried cucumbers a few times, including an oak leaf and icing them down first.

Another thing that I do make on a regular basis is lacto-fermented salsa.  It's easy and really good.  Just add a bit of whey to any homemade salsa recipe and let it sit out for a few days.

I've not tried lemons or limes, but it might be good?  

Joanie, how did you fish stock turn out?  I've been meaning to make some, but it takes certain types of fish heads and they aren't readily available where I shop.  Maybe I'll try a batch of brussels sprouts and see how it works! 

[birdhappy85]

I haven't tasted the stock yet, but I'm wondering if I should toss it... I accidentally used an oily fish. I can't find a thorough explanation anywhere of exactly why it's bad to use an oily fish, other than unsaturated fats can become rancid in the cooking process. But other things I read say it just makes an oily broth and people don't like oily broths for soups. Well I wouldn't care about that. I just want to know if it's dangerous to consume now or not! lol

[LunaLady]

I made fish stock with salmon... and it was totally delicious! 

[Abraisme]

Mostly it's just a smell and oil thing.  I think it's probably fine to eat, I wouldn't worry about it.  

[Jaimee]

Elderberries are back in stock in my Frontier co-op.... maybe the shortage is over!

[LunaLady]

YES! I ordered some from MRH yesterday! YAYAYAYAY!

[birdhappy85]

Okay, I was not a fan of the fish stock I made... though I'm sure trout was not the ideal way to go with a stock anyway. lol. So dang fishy tasting! Ick!

I'm happy to have found a new favorite stock! I found lamb neck bones at the organic store and they had quite a bit of meat on them, so besides getting some yummy lamb to eat out of the deal, I also have the best tasting stock. I've found that I prefer my chicken and beef stocks to have been spruced up with some carrots, celery, onions, and garlic... but the lamb stock needed nothing but garlic from the start! Easy peasy.