First steps to home fermentation (part 2)

Make your very own fermented hot sauce, yogurt, pickles and even a guilt free cola.

Ferment Like a Pro (At Home): Part Two

Thanks again for all the feedback on Part One. It’s been amazing hearing how many of you have started your first ferments.

This week, we’re taking it a step further.

In this we’ll cover:

• Spent coffee kombucha cola

• Carrots with ginger and garlic

• Fermented hot sauce (recipe)

• How to make your own yogurt

• Turmeric Kombucha (Second Ferment)

• Common Fermenting Hiccups (And How to Fix Them)

• Super delicious crunchy cucumbers, pickled in spent kombucha

Spent kombucha cucumber pickles in the making..

I remember watching Sandor Katz which a bunch of other chefs talk in Sydney many years ago. We were all so inspired by the possibilities that fermentation could bring to our cooking game. I had just joined Three Blue Ducks. The week after the talk we were trying to ferment everything.

Fermented Carrots with Ginger & garlic

Carrots were probably the first vegetable I fermented. I bought a whole bunch of jars, a box full of veggies and went to town. They’re an easy ingredient to start with, this recipe will give you carrots with a crunchy, slightly sweet, with a gentle tang. These are great with dips, packed lunches, cheese plates, or a cheeky beer. Don’t worry if you can’t get fresh turmeric, I have a load from the garden at the moment so I’m putting turmeric in everything!

Ingredients:

4 or 5 large carrots, peeled and cut into sticks

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, sliced

1 thumbnail - sized piece of turmeric, sliced

30g salt

1.5L filtered water

Method:

Dissolve the salt in water to make a 2% brine. Pack the carrot sticks, garlic, turmeric and ginger tightly into a clean jar, leaving about 2–3cm of space at the top. Pour the brine over to cover completely. Use a clean weight or a piece of cabbage leaf to keep the veg submerged. Seal with a lid (loosely) or use an airlock lid if you have one. Leave at room temperature (18–22°C is ideal) for 5–7 days. Check daily for bubbles and taste from day 4. When you like the flavour, move it to the fridge.

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Homemade Natural Yogurt

Creamy, slightly tart, and endlessly versatile. We were given 100s of litres of milk last week which was leftover from a music festival. Instead of letting go to waste, we turned it into Halumi at the restaurant. I took some home and make Kefir, yogurt and used it in my weekly 50 cups of coffee, It went to a good home!

Here’s a recipe for yogurt. The longer it ferments, the tangier it gets. Save a few spoonfuls of your homemade batch to use as your next starter. For thicker Greek-style yogurt, strain through cheesecloth for 1–2 hours.

Makes: 1 litre

Ferment time: 6–12 hours (or overnight)

Shelf life: Up to 2 weeks in the fridge

Ingredients:

1L full cream milk (cow’s milk works best)

2 tbsp plain yogurt with live cultures (your “starter”)

Method: