Wild Fermentation was Re: [Sca-cooks] My Christmas dinner & LOOT

[Susan Fox-Davis]

On 12/30/03 2:26 PM, "Phlip" <phlip at 99main.com> wrote:

> 
> Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...
> 
>> How about if I share the recipe once I have some results?
>> Sheeze guys, I'm a cook not a time traveler!
>> 
>> Selene, exasperant
> 
> Oh? I had the impression your new book had a Kim Chee recipe. Do you not
> have the book yet?
> 
> Saint Phlip,
> CoDoLDS

I hesitate to share a recipe that I have not actually used yet, successfully
or otherwise.  Sandor's instructions give you a lot of latitude for
experimentation.  He basically has you mix a brine of 4 cups of water and 4
Tablespoons of salt, chopped cabbage and whatever other veggies you like.
Soak these in the brine, with a weight on them to hold them all under water,
a few hours or overnight.  Drain, add spices including 1 to 2 onions, 3 or 4
cloves of garlic [or more!] and 3 or 4 hit red chilies [or more!] and 3
Tablespoons of grated ginger.  Pack back into the jar with enough brine to
cover.  Ferment in kitchen or other warm place, or more slowly in a cold
place like a hole in the ground or cellar.

The book ranges from easy stuff like this to more advanced stuff like the
care and feeding of kombucha, miso and tempeh, sourdough starter, beers from
scratch and a few that are totally gross like Chicha, Andean chewed-corn
beer.  None for me, thanks.

My main caveat is that he emphasizes cleanliness but not chemical
sterilization, in there interest of maintaining a natural balance.  This is
not going to sit well with the big believers in chemical sterilization
agents but I can see his point.  This is an art of life, and sometimes
"compost happens." 

We will see what kind of compost we come up with.

Love and Growth, Selene C.