Fermentation Virtual Cooking Class
Here are all the recipes from our recent Fermentation Cooking Class! Join local farmer Kaitie Adams and Co-op staff member Sarah Buckman for a class covering easy ferments for your winter pantry highlighting peak harvest produce. Kaitie and Sarah will cover the basics of lacto-fermentation and show how easy it is! These powerful fermented foods will keep your taste buds (and gut) happy and healthy through the cold months of winter.
The menu includes:
- Wild Berry Soda a fermented bubbly soda made with champagne yeast, berries, and herbs
- Curtido with cabbage, carrots, and chilis
- Chili Sauce made with garlic and peppers
What You'll Need
- Mixing bowl
- Glass jars
- Plastic bottles
- Food processor, blender, or immersion blender
- Saucepan
- Mesh strainer
- Box grater
- Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and lightly knead (or let sit for 30 minutes).
- Pack jar, in stages, to ensure all ingredients are submerged under juices. Leave at least an inch of headspace.
- Optional: add fermentation weight.
- Close with a fermentation lid or a standard lid. If using a standard lid, do not close lid fully or ensure that ferment is burped daily.
- Place in a temperature-controlled space out of sunlight for 2-5 days. Taste daily until ferment has reached the desired consistency.
- Move to refrigerator and eat within 2 or so months, although it won't last long!
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until it's the consistency of salsa. Or, finely dice all ingredients until salsa consistency.
- Pack jar, in stages, to ensure all ingredients are submerged under juices. Leave at least an inch of headspace.
- Close with a fermentaiton lid or standard lid. Sealing the lid is fine for this ferment as it moves slowly. Open once every few days to check on it.
- Place in a temperature-controlled space out of sunlight for 14 days to 14 months. It's ready when it has a vinegar-like kick to it.
- When it's ready, puree into a sauce and store in the fridge for up to a year or more.
- For a sweeter variation:
- Once you've reached step 5, add the following ingredients before pureeing and sticking in the fridge: 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar of choice, 1/2 cup soy sauce.
*Note: You can also use a full pound of just sweet peppers or just hot peppers.
- Warm the berries, sugar, and water together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves.
- Turn off the heat, add your herbs, and allow the soda base to cool to room temperature.
- Strain the soda base into a pitcher, discarding (aka eating) the fruit.
- Put your soda base into plastic bottles, allowing 1 to 2 inches of headspace. If you don't have enough liquid, you can add some water.
- Add the yeast. Screw the top on the bottle and give it a good shake to dissolve the yeast. Seal the bottles, and allow them to ferment at room temperature, out of sunlight, for 1-5 days.
*Note: They will ferment faster in a warm spot and slower in a cool spot. Transfer to the fridge or open to enjoy with ice when the carbonation fits your taste. When the bottle is rock hard, it's at max bubbles capacity. So drink it or fridge it before it explodes!