Fermented Goodies

Crème Fraîche

This is a sour and rich tangy treat that is easy. Just takes a bit of time.

  1. Allow heavy cream to sit in a glass bowl in the kitchen until it reaches room temperature.
  2. Add culture, and stir until combined. This could be yogurt (couple tablespoons), buttermilk (couple tablespoons) or a freeze dried culture (1/8 tsp per quart of heavy cream). I used mesophilic MM100 and had great results.
  3. Let sit for 9-72 hours in glass with a cheesecloth wrapped on top. Warmer the room, faster process occurs. Slowly, mixture will thicken and start to smell sour.
  4. Once it’s sour enough for your liking (try it), move to fridge. It lasts a while because the bacteria adds additional shelf life.

Yogurt

Yogurt is actually very easy and inexpensive to make. I use up extra milk that I fear will expire soon and adjust the quantities as needed. The steps below produce a very tart yogurt that is a bit thinner than what you’d get in a store. If you want Greek style or for it to be thicker than what it is, you can always strain with a cheesecloth to remove some of the whey. Here are the basic instructions:

  1. Heat 4 cups of milk to 180 degrees, stirring regularly to avoid the formation of a skin.
  2. Remove from heat.
  3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
  4. Keep an eye on the milk, checking it every few minutes until the temp is down to 110-115 range. Stir it every once and a while.
  5. Take 1/4 cup of existing yogurt (can be from the store or from a previous batch), and mix with 1 cup of the milk in a separate bowl until yogurt is absorbed.
  6. Now, move that mixture into the pot, and stir until the mixture is a smooth consistency.
  7. Put a lid on it, and place in the warm oven.
  8. Turn off the heat to the oven.
  9. Leave undisturbed in the oven overnight.
  10. In the morning, move to the fridge.
  11. Eat once chilled. It will keep for a week or two.

Sauerkraut

This is another easy product to make, but it just takes time. It just requires salt and cabbage and a few days. Here are the basic steps:

  1. Thinly slice 4 pounds of cabbage (two medium heads).
  2. Place in a large pot. I use one that’s about 10 inches across and 15 inches deep.
  3. Combine cabbage with 2-3 tbsp salt. You can just dump it in – no need to measure.
  4. Stir it around with your hands until it’s evenly mixed with the cabbage.
  5. Place something flat on top of the pile of cabbage. I use a 9 inch cheesecake pan bottom.
  6. Place something heavy on top of the barrier. I use a heavy bottle of vegetable oil, but anything will work.
  7. Ensure the cabbage is tightly packed and squished down in the bottom of the pan. Leave it out at room temperature.
  8. After a few hours, check the cabbage. Mix it around with your hands. You’ll notice there is a salty liquid forming on the bottom of the pan.
  9. Keep checking it a couple times a day. Eventually all of the cabbage should be submerged.
  10. If it’s not fully submerged after a few days, you can add your own salt water until the mass of cabbage is fully under the liquid. This sometimes happens with store bought cabbage that was picked a long time ago. I’d recommend using 2 tbsp of salt for every 4 cups of water.
  11. Keep stirring it around once every couple days. It will start to smell. It has a vinegary funky scent to it.
  12. After a week or so, start tasting it when you check on it.
  13. Once it’s reached your desired level of sour, pack into glass jars and refrigerate. Refrigeration significantly slows the fermentation, and the taste will remain fairly stable.
  14. Eat it!

Purple variety:

Lacto-fermented vegetables

This is a great way to utilize extra liquid whey. It’s also quick and easy. Here are the basic steps:

  1. Put sliced vegetables of choice into a glass jar.
  2. Add whey to cover.
  3. Sprinkle in some salt (not iodized but any other kind works).
  4. Top with lid, and shake until contents are evenly distributed.
  5. Let sit on the counter for a few days.
  6. Occasionally, burp the jar and check on it.
  7. After 5 days, start tasting. It will get more funky and sour with time.
  8. Once it’s reached your desired level of funk, move to the fridge.
  9. The fridge will pause the fermentation process, and you can eat whenever you’d like.

Here I used under ripe cherry tomatoes:

Here I used sliced red onions:

These are lacto-fermented carrots: