A while back, in the General Discussion forum, we had an awesome thread on fermenting. It's full of great recipes!
http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/forum/topics/any-lacto-fermenters-out-there
So I thought I would create a thread here, where it's easier to find, so people could post up their projects and questions.
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Thank you!
Thanks Grrlscout. That kind of coincides with what Jean Groen said in her class on olives the other day. I am very leery of lye and if I get the chance I wanted to brine or ferment olives - she noted that with any process other than lye there will be just a bit of the bitter of the 'element' in them. The article mentions minute amounts.
And here is batch #3, which is made primarily from prickly pears. Probably the closest I have come to making colonche. Though, I can't say for sure, having never tried the real thing.
It turned out quite dry and tart, and a little boozy, with no fizz. I think I may have let it go a little too long. Pretty tasty, but could use a squeeze of simple syrup.
Yet AGAIN, I forgot to measure the sugar before and after, to gauge the alcohol content. D'oh!
After that one, I've decided to take a break from prickly pears. Going to back to simple kefir waters instead.
This time, I made an apricot, clove, and ginger version.
Thank you for the update Grrlscout - they both look good!
Alright, here's batch #2. For this one, I used the simple syrup for the primary ferment. Then I added a small amount of prickly pear syrup, the juice of one orange, and another dash of sugar to the secondary. It bubbled like mad for about 4 days!
When it seemed to have stopped, I racked it off.
This batch is also dry, fizzy, and mildly fruity. But still doesn't seem alcoholic. However I think it will be an excellent starter for batch #3, in which I will use a lot more prickly pear, now that I've finally managed to go pick some.
I read that, in additional to allowing it to ferment longer, adding more sugar will help to increase the alcohol content. Good to know, for the next batch.
They look nice! Why did you cut them in half? And how do you process them?
I'm cleaning mine now and plan to put them through a juicer.
I have two methods of processing them. Both start with washing and freezing them. I don't even bother de-spining them. Freezing them helps break down the tissue, so you get more juice, and it's a little easier on your juicer.
Method 1 - I put the still frozen or defrosted into a pot with a little water, and simmer them. As they heat up, I mush them with a potato masher.
This is why I split them. Whole, they burst and splatter everywhere when you mash them, plus I don't feel you get all the juice and flesh out of their tough skins.
Then I pour the mash through a colander, which gets all the big stuff. Then a mesh strainer. And finally, a grain bag, to get any tiny stuff, like glochids. Though, I find they are usually already destroyed by the freezing and cooking.
Method 2 - I defrost them, and then run them through the juicer. My juicer has a pretty fine mesh screen, so I'm not worried about glochids. Splitting is not necessary for this method, but it does reduce the splatter factor, and I think it's a little easier on the machine.
I'm currently using my grain bag to dry some dates, so I will be using method 2 this time.
I like your 'freeze' method Grrlscout. The glochids are the biggest challenge. I'm going to pass this on to a friend who is gathering and juicing PP now. Thank you.
Thanks for the latest update, Grrlscout. This gets more intriguing to me as you go through these stages.
YW!
I had a full glass sample of batch #2 last night. I do believe it has moved on to the alcohol stage. It tasted like a young, light wine, and there was pretty much no fizz.
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