Ketchup, Cultures, and County Fairs

This long hot summer is almost over! We've had our first pickle in months at a friend's house on Monday.

We made ketchup from Nourishing Traditions but we spiced it up. We doubled the garlic and tripled the cayenne; Cajuns and Texas boys prefer strongly flavored condiments.

The ketchup will be featured in the Ft. Bend County Fair at the end of the month, BUT the judging is apparently all about presentation. What?!? No taste test? Strangeness

I'm just glad to be back in the kitchen, culturing good food and community connections.

Cultured Ginger = 'plop plop fizz fizz'

As is "oh what a relief it is". As reported by our good friend sailor and sometimes pirate, TJ. What she specifically said was that nothing had ever helped her celiac-like 'wheat bellyache' as quickly AND effectively as the cultured ginger she had at our house last week.

This particular batch has aged over a year, so the flavor was such that we were just snacking on the slices on their own.

She will be making a batch for her own shipmates at our next community pickle.

*yes* traditional food wisdom 1 : food sensitives 0

Carrots w/ ginger

Oh man!

We had nearly run out of everything pickled, so have been back in culturing party mode for the last few weeks. 2 words: gingered carrots. Just delightful.

We did carrot spears and carrot slaw in 1/2 gallon jars with about 2 Tablespoons of ginger finely diced in each.

I can't wait for our peppers to complete their ferment, so we can get back to mixing hot sauces. Hopefully Brooke will have pictures, soon.

Hello and happy holidays, my pickled friends!

So far this season, I've given our pickles as presents to three of my Dearies, and it has worked out well in two cases (the third loves my-quirky-self enough not to mind).

What I haven't managed is to eat much of the darn good stuff we've been making! I am hoping it is just a sign of the holiday crazy schedule and the whirlwinds, both of which will be abating with the ringing in of the new year tomorrow.

The Kvass is rather like radishes for me--I resist beginning to drink it, but once I've 'broken the seal' I really enjoy it. It is good & thirst quenchingly salty.

Let's make a date early in the new year to play pickles! And take that darn poll!!

Wishing you lots of peace, prosperity, & pickles in 2008!

IntraSpeck!

2 Dec at Stelly's, updated 11Dec, 12Dec

Stelly has a bangin' kitchen!
escabiche with cabbage and cauliflower added, eight jars
orange relish, four jars
ginger fermented with whey, five small jars (one fine-sliced, like for sushi)

Problem: cabbage, cauliflower, and small, whole peppers like to float- the oil seal isn't looking good. We'll have to pull the bits out of the oil once fermentation is done- they won't have fermented. Larger jars or using the crock can help with this, also require less oil.

Update: we'll pull almost 25% of the stuff out and eat it quick, depending on smell. We're waiting for the oil to congeal to ease this process- should be able to pull the whole layer out whole.

Possible solution: soak veggies in water overnight (cabbage would need to get cut first for this)

Chicken stock: three packs of chicken feet made eight ice-cube trays. Very clean flavor, very rich, too! Cooked for almost four hours, sufficient.

Materials cost is working out to about $5 per jar, not including glass. Folks, please be on the lookout for free/cheap jars with good lids... There is a chance that Central City Co-op will be able to offer wholesale pricing on vinegar and oil.

Update II: the sliced ginger looks great but there's mold at the oil/air boundary on top. If it passes the smell test upon opening, we'll try to cleanly scoop out the offending bits and see if the ginger below held its own. The rest of the ginger came out fine, so it's surmised that this particular jar wasn't cleaned well enough.