From The Web This Week

Found a few interesting things on the web this week.

Switchel looks like it might be an alternative to Kombucha if you use vinegar that still contains the mother.

I enjoyed this post from Becoming Minimalist

Here is a tool for successional planting

I often feel we are starting our farm late but I liked this article and I think it never really is too late to do anything you want.

A good introduction to Permaculture

Preserving Autumn Produce

While we were away over Easter we picked up a couple of boxes of apples as the area where we were staying is renowned for it's fruit growing.

We came home with 8 kg of granny smiths for cooking and preserving and 8 kg of royal gala for eating.

Hubby likes to take dried fruit for lunch a few day a week so we decided some dried apples would be nice.  We have now done a coupe of batches and are pleased with the results.  When we are doing it we set up a little production line.  I peel the apples and slice them and then hubby cores the slices and puts them in a bowl of water that has the juice of 2 lemons squeezed into it.  Once we have done enough to fill 2 trays we lay them out on the trays and repeat the process to fill the the remaining 2 trays.
Once I think they are getting close I turn the dehydrator off and let the slices cool completley.  It is then much easier to tell if they are dry enough to store.

The other thing I have been preserving are the late planted cucumbers that I have turned into lacto fermented dill pickles.
I used the method from Nourishing Traditions which is so easy and the pickles are ready to eat in just a few days.  You can also use this method for other types of veggies too and if you want to give it a go the recipe is posted here.  I was all out of whey from cheese making so for this batch I strained some yogurt and collected the whey for use.  I suspect that since yogurt bacteria ferment at a higher temperature the pickles will not be as 'fermented' as if I was using whey from cheese making which ferment at lower temperatures.  I  just use Lebanese cucumbers and pick them when they are small.  I stuff as many into jars along with layers of dill and dill seeds.  I do not even bother to chop the dill I just stuff it in there.  Once all the cucumbers are in I pour over the whey and salt water mix and put the lids on the jars.  I burp my clip top jars and just sit the lids of screw top jars on tops so that they can release any gas build up.  Hubby opened the first jar today and declared them delicious and from the bite I had I agree.

I think my cucumbers might hang on just a little longer and I might get another batch done but it will all depend on the weather.

What have you been preserving?

The Weekend Kitchen - Herman Style

Over the weekend I finally got to make my first Herman the German Friendship Cake.

When reading the recipe I suspected that the cake would be too sweet for our tastes but I thought I should make it as per the recipe to start with and modify it from there.

Well I was right it was too sweet for my liking but that is not to say it is not tasty because it is.  In fact the cake really moist and the inclusion of the fruit made it much more interesting.  I used plain yogurt to tone down the sugar but I will make some adjustments next time I make it.  I also cooked mine for longer at only 160 degrees fan forced.

Overall I thought it was very tasty and I really liked the big chunks of apple.  I am looking forward to experimenting with some of the other flavour combinations.

What flavour do you make?

Herman The German Has Come To Stay

Over the weekend we caught up with some friends for lunch and when we left my friend gave me some German Friendship Cake Starter also know as a Herman Cake.

Herman the German Friendship Cake is a sourdough cake starter that has been passed for person to person and works in a similar way to a chain letter in the fact that you pass it on to others.  You can read all about it Wikipedia or on this website.  Herman even has his own facebook page.

Herman in his bowl

So I brought Herman home and since he had been stored in my friends fridge (some of the instructions say not to, but then on another page of the same website it says you can) I poured him into a bowl and covered him with a tea towel secured over the bowl with a rubber band.
Because my friend only gave me a small portion I only fed it a 1/4 of what was recommended, I also fed it on the first day to get it going and then I will start counting the 10 day cycle from there (I am sure it will be fine in our warm climate to do this).
So in just over a week from now I will be doing my first bake.  I will also be on the look out for some friends who might a portion of Herman.

Have you ever made a sourdough friendship cake or been involved with passing Herman on?

Growing Your Own Kombucha SCOBY

So you have decided that you quite like kombucha and you think you might like to start brewing your own.
But you don't know anyone you can get a SCOBY from and you are not sure you want to spend the money buying one.  Well not to worry you can brew your own.
The first thing you need to do is go out and buy yourself a nice big bottle of kombucha. You will need at least 500ml of raw kombucha.  When you are choosing your bottle of kombucha get one that has floaty bits in it if you can because these floaty bits a little bits of SCOBY culture/mother.

Once you have your kombucha at home you need to pour it into a very clean glass jar along with 2 tablespoons of sugar that have been disolved in 1/4 cup of boiling water and cooled.  I suggest you wash it and rinse it well then add a few tablespoons of vinegar swish it all around then give it a rinse with water again.
You then need to cover the top of the jar with a clean piece of cotton fabric like a hankercheif and leave it on your kitchen bench.
Over the next few weeks a SCOBY will begin to form on the top of your kombucha.  It may start of looking like a mold spore floating around in the tea and gradually it will form a thin skin over the top.

The SCOBY starting to form

Over a period of about 3 weeks (depending on the temperature) the SCOBY will thicken up and once it gets to between 1/2 and 1 cm thick it is ready to use.

A new SCOBY still building the top layer.  All the pale spots will
eventually join up

As your SCOBY forms it can be anything from a pale creamy colour to a darker brown and sometimes it can be splotchy too.  Be patient and don't freak out that something has gone wrong, just wait.  If it has gone wrong it has gone wrong, and there is no harm in waiting a bit longer to see what happens.  If it turns out that it does grow mold of any sort you should throw the whole lot away and start again.

Once you have you home grown SCOBY you can make your first batch of kombucha.  Because your SCOBY is just a baby you should only make a third of a batch of the recipe I posted here.  You can then gradually increase your brew by a third every second batch until you reach the full quantity.

And that's it.  So easy just a little patience required.

Have you brewed your own SCOBY?  Are you tempted to give it a go?

Kombucha

Kombucha is an ancient fermented beverage that is believed to have started in China and Russia and then spread around the world.  Kombucha is made by adding a sweet tea to a Kombucha mother/fungus and then being left to ferment.
The mother is known as a a SCOBY which stands for a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast and it is a living organism.  Once fermented the Kombucha has probiotic properties just like other fermented foods and drinks such as Kvass, Sauerkraut, Yogurt, Kefir and Kimchi.

Kombucha is a health giving beverage that claims to detoxify the body, energise the mind, prevent illness and restore good health.
The Kombucha SCOBY works on the sugar and tea to produce acetic acid, lactic acid and small amounts of a detoxifying substance glucuronic acid.
Glucuronic acid is normally produced in the liver and assist with the neutralising and removal of toxins from the body.  The additional glucuronic acid is said to aid the body in its natural cleansing process, boost the immune system and be a proven prophylactic against cancer and other degenerative diseases.

But the best reason for drinking Kombucha is that it is a delicious, refreashing and epervesent drink that is slightly sweet (depending on how long you brew it for) and acidic and so much better than soft drink.

Kombcha is brewed using just the SCOBY and sweet tea (green, black or herbal) but you can add herbs (non oily ones), spices and fruit juices to create a range of flavours.
If you are interested in making your own Kombucha it is really easy but you will need a SCOBY which can be purchased on line, gifted from someone who is already brewing Kombucha or you can brew you own (more about that tomorrow).

Kombucha should be brewed in either a glass or stoneware with a non toxic glaze vessel  with a breathable cover.  You need the open top so that you can get to the SCOBY and remove it.  The reason you need to be able to the SCOBY is that it grows and multiples with every batch you make so you need to be able to remove them when the build up.

The basic recipe I use is as follows:
Take a 2 liter jug and add 3/4 cup of sugar.  Boil your kettle and add approximately 3 cups of boiling water to your sugar and still until dissolved.  Then add 2 black tea bags and 1 green tea  and leave to brew for 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove your tea bags and top up the jug with cold water to the full 2 liters.

The 2 liters of Tea Mix

Add you sweet tea mix to your kombucha vessel that contains your SCOBY and at least 1 cup of kombucha and leave to brew.

About a cup or so left from the last batch.
The brown stuff on the bottom are dead yeast cells, you can clean
them out but as you can see they sit below my exit spout.

The number of days it takes will depend how warm it is, here in QLD mine can take as little as 3 days when it is warm.  It is best to judge when it is ready by taste.  You want it to taste only slightly sweet and more like cider.  It will have a slightly apple cider vinegar taste when brewed but if you let it go too long it will taste very much like apple cider vinegar and you will probably want to use it for something other than drinking.
Once mine is brewed to how I like it I bottle it in large glass bottles and store in the fridge.  The bottles help capture all the little bubbles and it remains slightly fizzy as you use it up.
Once I have bottled it I get another brew on the go.

So what does a SCOBY look like?  Well it looks like a rubbery floaty thing and can be pale or even a bit blotchy

The SCOBY floating in the Kombucha

As I said before the SCOBY multiplies and you often need to remove some of it.  If you need to handle your SCOBY wash your hands well with plain soap and water and rinse well.  Have a clean plate ready to place your SCOBY on once it has been removed.

Once you have removed your SCOBY will see that there are layers of SCOBY, some thick, some thin, and you can peel them apart.

The layers of SCOBY separate easily.

You only need one to add back in so separate one off and add back into your vessel.

One layer ready to be added back in

Back in my Kombucha Crock ready for a new brew.

With any extra SCOBYs you have there are a range of things you can do with them including give them away to friends, adding pieces to a smoothy, making a face mask, drying them into a jerky, feeding them to animals or adding to your compost or worm farm, just check the internet for ideas.
Tomorrow I will share with you how to grow you own SCOBY.

Do you drink Kombucha?
Do you have any tips to share or flavour combinations you like?

Learning About Fermented Foods And The Recipe For Fermented Fruit Paste

A few months ago I attended a Cheese Making workshop and during the workshop the host touched on fermented foods.

Fermented foods are present in a number of cultures across the globe and even here in Australia there has been a resurgence.
Some examples of fermented foods are: Sour Dough, Miso, Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kombucha Tea, Tempeh, Kefir, Cultured Butter and Liz over at Eight Acres has been making Beet Kvass.

In earlier times people preserved fruits and vegetables through the process of lacto-fermentation, using the lactic acid as the preservative that prevents the bad bacteria from growing.  These days most preserving is done using acetic acid.  Otherwise known as vinegar.
One of the advantages that lacto-fermentations has, over more modern forms of preserving, is that the lactobaacilli in the fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels.  It also adds good bacteria back into the stomach.

For me some variations of fermented food can be a bit challenging to the taste buds but his is a great recipe for a fermented fruit paste that I think everyone would enjoy.
I enjoy it with yoghurt and it also goes well on cereal and smeared on a slice of sour dough.

I have made a few people try it and only afterwards told them how it was made.  Most people have said that it was quite tasty and a bit fizzy.
Some people were generally interested and a few said they would not have tried it if I had told them first how it was made.
I think it is crazy because I know some of these people are quite happy to eat pseudo foods.  By this I mean  highly processed and overly packaged foods that have ingredients you have never heard of and more numbers that a maths book.  
But  they say they would not want to eat something like this as the are worried that is has been left out on the bench for nearly a week.

To make this recipe you will need some sour whey as this recipe is a lactic ferment (meaning that the lactic acid acts as the preservative and is what ferments the food).  Sour whey can come from yoghurt, kefired milk or from cottage cheese and will inoculate the new ferment with lactic bacteria.  Sweet whey is what you would get from making hard cheeses.  The whey is the watery liquid that separates off from the above foods.

Notes:

• I made mine using whey from my kefir so that is what I will refer to but the process is the same. 
• This recipe needs to be made in a container that a plate (or similar)can fit inside of as the mix needs to be weighed down.  I used an old yoghurt container and a saucer.  Then filled a tall narrow container with water to act as the weight.
• The amounts are approximate but the dates and prunes should form the bulk of the recipe.

Fermented Fruit Paste

1/2L Water

3 Tbls Sour Whey

750 gm Pitted Dates, cut in half

250 gm Pitted Prunes, cut in half

300 gm of Nuts and Seeds, nuts bigger than a peanut should be cut or crushed

100 gm of Firm Fruit cut finely, pineapple, rock melon, apple etc  (I used apple)

4Tbls Peeled and Grated Ginger

Prepare all of the fruit and nuts mix together to combine the different elements.
In a 4 litre bucket or container add water and enough salt so that the water tastes just a little salty.  Mix until mostly dissolved.  Add the whey and mix.

My Kefir where you can just make out the layer of clear whey
sitting on top of the kefired  milk

Add the fruit and nuts and mix breifly with the liquid.

Place your clean saucer or plate on top of the mix inside the bucket and press down firmly.  All of the ingredients need to be submerged underneath the liquid.

Weigh your saucer down with a large glass jar or similar filled with water.

Cover your ferment so that bugs cannot get in and leave to stand at room temperature for 5 days.

After 5 days the liquid is bubbly.

The liquid should have almost almost if not entirely disappeared..  Transfer to a glass jar and store in the fridge.  It is ready to eat.

My first batch is just about coming to the end so I will need to get another lot started this week.  It lasts a very long time in the fridge and I really reccomend you give it a try as it is a great way to get so more good bacteria into your system.

What fermented foods have you tried or do you enjoy?