What Are You Preserving?

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 1:16 pm

I am excited about the big pink briney jar of radishes I have bubbling on my countertop. Next up, a bunch of fermented hot sauce. I'm using some red bell pepper and red onion along with all the chilies so it has a little sweetness under the zing. Still feels dumb to talk about my radishes (my radish!) right now but goddamnit, I miss you folks.

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:36 am

I halted my kefir water project because I found myself constantly forgetting to check it and struggling to care. Other house things are still feeling good and meaningful, but for some reason the ferment felt like a burden so it's cooling its heels in the fridge for a bit
:/
failure to launch

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:58 am

Feel that! I’m getting to the bottom of my sauerkraut stores, which is honestly saying a lot because I was making a batch a week for a while there, and replenishing them is low on my list of priorities. I think eventually when my garden (fingers crossed) provides more than I can eat I’ll get back into preserving my cukes and green beans into fun ferments.

It’s interesting how a lot of these quar pursuits are about building new relationships with time, creating things that develop/grow/mature more slowly so that we have something to hold onto as the structure of daily life evaporates...

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:56 pm

JUST KIDDING Y’ALL! I’m making miso now! Check back for an update in six months

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:46 am

I'm thrilled!

My radish(!)es are very pink and cute and pretty delicious on savory breakfast but BOY do they smell farty.

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Wed Jun 24, 2020 11:27 am

tell me more about making the radishes??

jamessumneriii · Post by **jamessumneriii** » Wed Jun 24, 2020 8:00 pm

i am enjoying lurking this thread and forming very very vague ideas of preserves etc

jamessumneriii · Post by **jamessumneriii** » Wed Jun 24, 2020 8:00 pm

long term planning, never been my forte

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:38 am

Radishes are literally: radishes cut in half, tossed into a big jar with ah garlic and some coriander seeds and topped with a brine solution of 2c water and 1T salt. The brine turns hot pink and the radishes get all delicious-rubber-crunch-funk. Easy peasy but v farty smelling.

[mention]jamessumneriii[/mention] do it! I am no planner either. There is no skill or even cooking to it. Just chuck stuff in a jar and let it rot for a while, then enjoy. I regard my ferments as temporary house plants. They are low-work/high-reward. You give them a little love and care and usually they live.

Just finished a load of hot sauce that is fucking delicious:

One chopped red onion, one red bell pepper, coriander seeds, garlic, a couple of green onions and a whole load of chilies. I would also add cilantro if I were me in the past or you in the future. Topped with the same brine of 2c water with 1T salt. Let it sit on the counter for a little less than a week (it is hot out). Strain but keep the brine. Blend everything up and add brine to make it the consistency you want. I do not own a blender

but it more or less worked blending it in batches in the mini-food processor. I keep the brine in a bottle in the fridge. It is basically a salsa flavored salty probiotic you can sprinkle or season with. It is a "sprinkle."

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 9:43 am

I planted A LOT of radishes in my garden (they seem relatively fuck-up-proof, as a plant) so I will be trying this in a few weeks!

infopetal · Post by **infopetal** » Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:45 pm

can we talk about how garlic can turn blue when you pickle it? trying my first ever quick pickle (shredded cabbage), and my heart started racing with fear when I saw that and didn't yet know it is normal.

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Wed Sep 02, 2020 6:05 am

Yeah, let's talk. It's weird!

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 3:35 pm

Wait, like blue from the cabbage, or blue on its own? I've never seen that!

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 6:28 am

Just weird very blue by itself, right? I always just assumed it was a "chemical reaction." You know, science?

Also, when I put sunflower seeds in my beer bread (but NOT my regular bread) they (or the bread around them?) turn blue/green. Some reaction with the chemical rising agent? Chemical Rising Agent would be a good punk band name, btw. That's a freebie!

infopetal · Post by **infopetal** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:18 pm

Garlic contains an odorless sulfur compound called alliin. It also contains an enzyme called alliinase. When a bulb or clove of garlic is in its natural, whole state, the two chemicals have little interaction (and the garlic is relatively odorless). When you cut or crush the garlic, the alliin and alliinase are mixed, creating an organosulphate compound called allicin. This is what gives garlic its pungent odor and distinctive flavor. And that's why garlic gets only stronger the more you chop or crush it.

When garlic is combined with an acid (such as vinegar), the allicin reacts with amino acids in the garlic to produce rings of carbon-nitrogen called pyrroles. Pyrroles linked together form polypyrroles, which throw colors. Four pyrroles clustered together create green (this is why chlorophyll is green). Three pyrroles linked together creates blue.

(source)

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:01 am

How about it, science?!

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 11:07 am

That's TRULY wild. Have either of you ever made black garlic?

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:04 pm

Never! Should we?

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 1:06 pm

I've made it once or twice on accident by leaving a garlic bulb lying around for months. Making it on purpose seems harder. This recipe calls for putting it in a rice cooker on "warm" for 3 weeks??

https://www.thespruceeats.com/black-garlic-4165384

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 4:09 am

I feel like I should not.

infopetal · Post by **infopetal** » Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:44 pm

…you will have that delicious garlic smell wafting in your kitchen for the entire cooking process…

ok but I live in a studio and I'm currently here about 22 hours a day! lol

marijke · Post by **marijke** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 8:41 pm

I just pulled the preserved lemon jars from the back of the cupboard and the liquid was super gelatinous, they've never done that before! I guess the peels were very thick/had lots of pectin. Popped them in the food processor and now we have mounds of preserved lemon paste. I guess if we can't eat it all I can clean the copper with it.

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:19 am

Whoa, that sounds really amazing. How would you eat it?

marijke · Post by **marijke** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:21 pm

I put it in all stir-fried and sauteed vegetables, salad dressings, roast vegetables, soup, marinades. It's just lemon and salt so it's pretty handy.

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:52 pm

It sounds like the perfect condiment. What is your recipe?

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 2:04 pm

I love lemon salt, so that sounds amazing

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:07 pm

That's such a fun idea. I usually just dice my preserved lemon peels on a per-meal basis, or toss a few wedges into the food processor when I'm making hummus or soup, but pre-gaming them into a paste is brilliant. Shades of my favorite condiment, Yuzukoshō!

marijke · Post by **marijke** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:20 pm

[mention]m o l l y[/mention] No recipe... it's really just quarter lemons, smash em down in a jar and layer with spoonfuls of salt. Squeeze extra juice on top to cover. Then hide them from yourself for at least a few months and there you have it. I've added peppercorn or bay leave before but it doesn't seem necessary. Once I didn't add enough salt and they just never broke down completely. So, lots of salt!

Yea, I think the paste will be convenient. I've always just chopped per meal too, but with the thick jellied juice this time processing seemed easier.

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:15 am

I just started a fresh batch of preserved lemons because my parents' lemon tree is obscenely prolific. I'd never done the thing where you add a bunch of fresh lemon juice to top it off—it's made a huge difference already. These guys got zing!

Related, another way to use up lemon abundance, which sounds pretty similar to @marijke's preserved lemon puree:

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/juiced-lemon-puree

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:17 am

More from the "whatever can I do with all these lemons" bureau:

- Dried lemon peel powder! Take juiced lemon halves and boil them until it's easy to scoop the pith out, leaving only the peel. Dry the peel in the oven at a low temp (or outside if you live somewhere sunny) and then blitz the rock-hard peels in a spice mill to make a fluffy lemon powder. Great stirred into yogurt, in a marinade or spice rub, dusted on top of pancakes, you name it. Full disclosure I do not own a spice mill, so I did this in the food processor and it was extremely tedious and made the food processor emit what I can best describe as a misty smoke of lukewarm lemon dust. Thinking of investing $40 into an electric spice mill.

- Dried lemon slices! This is easier. Slice lemons into 1/4" slices and dry them in the oven at the lowest temp, or outside, or a little bit of both. The finished lemon slices are super hard and pretty. You can make them into a fragrant garland, or do like we do: keep them in a Tupperware on the booze shelf and toss 'em in cocktails for aromatic decoration. You could also add them to stews and tagines.

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Tue May 04, 2021 9:51 am

Bought a big ol' bag of fresh Turkish chilis on Sunday. Threw together a big batch of white cabbage sauerkraut with sliced chilis and coriander & dill seeds and a batch of fermented hot sauce with chilis, sweet red pepper, green onion, garlic and coriander seeds. Bubble bubble.

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Tue Jun 01, 2021 11:08 am

Anyone ever made nasturtium capers? Giving it a try

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Tue Jun 01, 2021 11:35 am

whoa, tell us more!

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Thu Jun 03, 2021 6:35 pm

It's just fermenting nasturtium seed pods to make "false capers"! I have a huge nasturtium plant in my garden that just went to seed so I managed to harvest a half-jarful of pods. I'll report back on the taste profile.

https://foragerchef.com/nasturtium-cape ... fermented/

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 1:02 pm

Just learned about this bewitching-sounding potion, oxymel, an herbal tonic infusion of vinegar and honey. I've made fire cider before but I like the idea of mixing it up with berries or medicinal herbs:

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/make-o ... rbal-tonic

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:52 pm

I know about this because there was a moment in early photo history when it was used to prepare photographic plates! It always stuck in my mind, what romance to make images with honey.

http://www.mpritchard.com/photohistory/ ... oxymel.htm

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:33 pm

Whaaaaaaaat

More evidence that Sally Meadows needs to teach us all special Zoom school!!

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:00 am

ok ok I am prepping a lecture!

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:22 pm

honey-based Zoom school??

yourfriendclaire · Post by **yourfriendclaire** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:35 am

We got a bounty of peppers in last week's CSA so I made some hot sauce, so easy:

Chop & wash as many peppers as you can possibly bear
Pack 'em in a jar with chopped onions and some cilantro
Top with a mild brine (1 tablespoons of salt to 2 cups water)
Ferment a week
Blend

Amazing in a breakfast sando!