[CH] Brine-fermented things
A.Paysinger (asenji@earthlink.net)
Thu, 15 Oct 1998 08:57:50 +0100
>>>>David Cook wrote
With brine-fermented things --
sauerkraut, dill pickles, green tomatos, etc. -- you will normally
develop a scum on the surface as the process is underway. The solution
is to skim this off every few days. The scum is not desirable, but it's
not considered deadly. The important thing is to make sure that the
peppers (cabbage or whatever) is completely submerged in the brine. The
easiest way to put a large plate on top of your mash and weight it down
with something. This will keep your peppers well away from air (a
villain) and slime.
This is absolutely correct. When I make sauerkraut (in a deep
60-quart crock (antique, weights a ton)
I weight the stuff with a plexiglass round which fits in the crock
with about 1 inch clearance on all sides (which can be sterilized,
unlike the wooden ones we used when I was a kid) and on top of that I
put another crock, also sterilized, that weighs enough to press the
kraut down so it is at least 3 inches below the surface of the liquid
(some people use bricks that they have boiled to sterilize).
Occasionally I have to skim some scum off the surface but I have never
had a persistent strain of mold grow on the brine.
--
Andie Paysinger & the PENDRAGON Basenjis,Teafer,Cheesy,Singer & Player
asenji@earthlink.net So. Calif. USA "In the face of adversity, be
patient, in the face of a basenji, be prudent, be canny, be on your
guard!"
http://home.earthlink.net/~asenji/