Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Fermentation Fascination

A new wave of interest in fermentation
Traditionally fermented vegetables, including kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles, appeal to healthy eaters and those craving authentic, locally grown foods. "It's kind of magical," one fan says. "You have one thing and expose it to another process -- maybe it's a salt -- and it totally becomes something else." San Francisco Chronicle

1 comment:

Unknown said...

After polishing off my last Claussen kosher dill half, I set the vinegar filled jar on the counter, thinking that it would make a great home for screws, bolts, pins, and other miscellaneous hardware. Minutes later, after preparing a cucumber for a salad, I collected the discards. They were rather thick, due to my inefficient and unsafe method of skinning with a french knife. As I scooped up the discards, preparing to shove them down the disposal, for reasons of 1) laziness involved in opening the trash door, and 2) placing organic material in a fresh trash bag which may not be emptied for days, I thought of what you or Grandpa may have had to say. But hey, at least they weren't potato skins. During this thought process, I was tonguing out a stowaway peppercorn (because Claussen is fancy like that), from my molar, and eyed the empty pickle container. You can guess what came next. So now the contents have been in refrigerator for about 10 days, well, except for the peppercorn.

Surely, this is nothing close to true pickling, but it has inspired me to look into the process, and experiment soon. In any case, I find the thought of vinegar and cucumber on the same pallet, simply mouth watering, reguardless of the method.