and
Figs waiting to be eaten!
Posted on 08/27/2022 6:29:31 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
and
Figs waiting to be eaten!
I’ve moved on to peppers, today Chop! Chop! ;)
Lactofermented Vegatable Escabech
If you’ve been to an authentic taqueria, you might have seen large containers of pickled vegetables (and sauces) which you can enjoy as condiments on your food or simply on their own. These might be whole or sliced pickled jalapeno, carrots, onions, cauliflower, radish, or a mix of some of these.
However, in my experience restaurant and store iterations of escabeche are always marinated or pickled in a vinegar brine. With just about any traditional, national pickled dish with a long history (like cucumber pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.) I think it’s important not to assume the original version was made this way. And even in the case of certain things that always were and are vinegar pickled, then I start to really want to know what it might taste like lacto-fermented instead. (This led to other recipes here such as this fermented chimichurri.)
(Instructions at the link!)
A lacto ferment pepper recipe in previous post! I did not use a lot of hot peppers! lots of carrots and onions. I did not use a ferment lock, but used a weight in a bag with salted water to hold the vegetables down. I used a Kilner Jar with a rubber ring placed in a ceramic tart ring (in case of overflow) and burped it once or twice a day.
We call that ‘Giardineria.’ Same stuff? Good stuff!
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/giardiniera/
I've gotten to a place with the canning that I'm able to take a break for a few days. I ran another 9 1/2qts of green beans and five pints of okra pickles last week. Might do more okra pickles but I'm good on green beans for now.
The sweet corn is over a foot tall now. Some of it is sideways because of the pounding it took Sunday, but it will stand back up soon enough. The cabbage we seeded last weekend is up. I'll give that a couple or three weeks to size up then stick it out in the dirt to finish.
After two years of trying I finally got the kimchi recipe that my buddy's Korean Granny-In-Law has used for the last 70-ish years so I'll be trying a batch of that when the fall cabbage is ready.
I noticed over the weekend that the doodlebugs have taken up residence in my greenhouse. Wasn't expecting them quite so soon but I'm glad to have them.
I also realized that I've been negligent providing welfare kitty updates. I named the tortoise shell Laney (cuz I found her in the lane. lol) and the tabby is Oliver. Both are doing well and just about ready to go for their first vet check.
I’m not familiar with Doodle Bugs. What do they do that is beneficial?
Loving those Kitties! :)
Look like ant lion pits.
Doodlebug = ant lion
For others reading; Safety; If you are making beer or wine or cider always use a food grade non reactive fermenting container, non leaded glass container food grade plastic, or stainless steel. In the beginning a food grade bucket bucket, after racking a carboy works well. The Glass 1 gallon container and plastic carboy in your picture works well for small batches of wine or cider! (I bet that a glass 1.7 gallon Sun Tea container would be a great low cost primary fermenting container!! )
From that site:
"Consider using a carboy or demijohn as a primary fermenter for your delicate white wines instead of a bucket. Oxidation and bacteria are more easily controlled because of the small neck. Use "food grade" buckets only if you're going with a plastic primary fermenter. There's a reason the grocery stores and bakeries use only food grade containers and bags. You don't want plastic toxins or off-tastes coming out in your wine.
The most economical are food grade buckets. For a larger batch - food grade drums work excellent. Both buckets and drums come in many sizes.
There are also stainless steel tanks and conical fermenters - these also come in food safe plastic too."
Containers not to use:
ME; A few tips from my time fermenting;
Clean your fermenting and beer and wine bottles with soda ash and or concentrated baking soda rather than detergent which can leave a residue. You can purchase large bottle brushes from brewing suppliers**
If you are fermenting with an air lock, its a good idea to use vodka rather than water to keep bacterial from growing in the air lock.**
Do not use table sugar in your ferments or to prime your beer when you bottle. The yeast has to convert the sucrose to a digestible form and produces an enzyme that can result in an off taste! You can boil sugar and turn it into invert sugar that yeast more easily digest and you can also purchase a specialty corn syrup made for this purpose and to prime beer bottles. (Link below.) ** https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/beer-food/invert-syrups-making-simple-sugars-complex-beers/
"Invert sugar is chemically similar to honey. While regular table sugar consists of the disaccharide sucrose, invert sugar is comprised of the monosaccharides that bond tgether to form sucrose—glucose and fructose. Invert sugar is great for brewing because yeast doesn’t have to work as hard to digest it—there’s no need to break sucrose down into its constituent monosaccharides for fermentation. But that’s not the only reason to consider adding it to your homebrew." more at link.
You get better results with yeasts developed for brewing rather than using bakers yeasts. Its worth the additional cost to buy them.**
Ale and Beer. Brewed with different yeast and methods, but not getting into it here!**
They also sell
Note that if you are using other fruits or fruit juices yeast will produce enzymes that can produce an off taste. (Plum or peach) It is also possible that a company will put something in their concentrate or frozen juice to prevent fermentation. I have no experience with anything other than beer or wine so its something to research further online.
Not getting into bottling. Search youtube for how to do it and the tools you will need! (Hated bottling!)
This and Pollard's posts just skim the surface;
If you are making fermented beverages you can be as simple or high end as you want.
Here is a source for supplies that looks pretty good. (Again, you can start inexpensively or go high end, they have both!) Other sources online using search. Also Amazon and Ebay.
(I am showing the links for the yeast for this place. You can explore the other things they supply including cleaning soda, sugar, kits and and containers.)
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/
**Note to any reader that if you are fermenting potatoes for vodka or corn mash for bourbon you would then distill them and I have little information on that process EXCEPT to note that you better use copper for your boiler and coil and not an old radiator and brake lines or you will poison someone with the result!
Have you enjoyed a perch fry yet? (Deep fried perch, French Fries and beer!)
Diana, pretty close except for the fermentation rather than vinegar pickling. Good stuff!
"Initial tastes of the aged champagne were described as containing “animal notes” and “wet hair”. But after wine experts exposed the champagne to oxygen by giving it the traditional swirl and allowing it to breathe, the taste altered dramatically for the better. It was then described as: “empyreumatic, grilled, spicy, smoky, and leathery, together with fruity and floral notes,” according to the paper."
The "Best By" date was about 165 years ago! The sad soul of the champagne escaping the dungeon of its bottle!
Given that ships went down from time to time, and alcohol has been a favorite cargo for a long, long time, I’d venture to guess that there are lots more to be found. :^)
Ah, but it just says, “best if used by”, doesn’t really have an expiration date. ;^) [adapted from Peg Bundy]
We were hoping for that on Sunday but it rained pretty much all day.
It will happen eventually.
:)
("Medical Definition of empyreumatic. : being or having an odor of burnt organic matter as a result of decomposition at high temperatures creosote and other empyreumatic oils.")
Not a term you do not see used much at wine tastings! (Maybe Retsina, the traditional wine of Greece since antiquity. It has its own unique style due to the addition of a quantity of resin from the pine tree "Pinus Halepensis" during fermentation. Turpentine! Appellation Controlee!)
S.C. Best by ??? "To Drink Or Not Drink??" Your call! :)
Going out now get back to gardening!!
(Don’t blame you for not wanting to go out to fish in Mrs. Augie’s pink paddle boat by the way!)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.