View allAll Photos Tagged Fermentation
The fermentation is regulated by temperature, which is warm. Here, fermentation progresses beneath severed banana leaves. Note the thermometer.
Much like making a bread starter, I'm interested in harvesting wild yeast from the air for beer. So far? I've managed to get it fermenting, but without tasty results.
[START HERE] My latest batch of kefir, fermented 24 hours in a one-pint mason jar, ready to be processed. Read on to see how to prepare the finished kefir and start the next batch.
I've been assembling some electronics this week for a ice chest hack.
The problem I'm trying to solve is holding specific temperatures for
prolonged period. When fermenting foods and beverages the temperatures
are often between 60F-90F. The duration is as little as a few hours to
several weeks. I came up with a control system and where the user can
set a desired temperature and then follow the progress via a LCD or on-
line via pachube for data logging purposes. Holding the actual
temperature will be done with a peltier unit because it can both cool
and heat, but I need to build the H-bridge circuit so I can use one
peltier unit and drive it for both hot and cold. Today you can see the
schematic and breadboard. Feedback is welcome.
Once most of the kefir has drained you'll see the kefir grains. At this point I'll shake a little more vigorously. (I'm beginning to wonder if my shaking technique is disturbing the grains and keeping them from getting larger. They seem very vital but are not increasing in size much.)
Fermentation research by Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Jonathan Mielenz confirmed that The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation had developed a strain of switchgrass that produces about 33 percent more ethanol than conventional switchgrass. (ORNL photo/Jason Richards)
Our favorite local restaurant Cafe Bella Luca has recently added pear
and apple cider to their beer menu. Both the beverages are delicious,
but the pear is exceptional. I was so inspired by the clarity and
scent that I decided to resume my pear fermentation experiments. The
ingredient list is short and the concept is simple.
Ingredients:
- 15 small pears (pureed in vitamix)
- 1 lime (juiced)
- .5 gallons of water
- 1 packet champagne yeast
Plan:
Ferment for 3 days @ 75F.
Rack into bottles 3 days @ 70F.
Move to cool place 30 days @ 60F.
I'm using my temperature
controller to hold the 75F. The setup is simple with a light bulb
(for heat) and chest cooler to act as a insulating container.
Here you can see the cauliflower-like structure of the grains. Some kefir instructions recommend washing the grains with pre-boiled cool water. I did that the first few times but now I put them right back in the bottle and start the next batch.
This is the more traditional Finnish mead with brown sugar, syrup and lemon.
Made according to my family's secret ancient recipe.
I wanted to take a video to show how active the yeast was in my beer. So I think you can kind of see it if you dont blink.
Here I'm transferring the grains into a fresh bottle to start the next batch. I use a clean (dishwasher-sterilized) bottle every other batch or so (i.e., I reuse the same bottle half the time, especially if I'm in a hurry). To avoid bacterial contamination, if any of the grains fall out of the jar, I don't put them back in the bottle. Some kefir sites say it is traditional to eat some of the grains. They have an odd rubbery texture but taste no different than the kefir liquid.
This is sauerkraut after fermenting for 16 days in these jars. About 4 pounds of cabbage fit into these 3 jars. I burped the jars twice daily for the first 4 days, then daily after that. After the first 7 - 10 days, I began burping them about once every three days. The small jar really smells like sauerkraut. The contents taste like sauerkraut too. The larger jars smell like sauerkraut, just not quite as strong. They are kept in the dark inside a cupboard that has a temperature around 68 - 70 F. The sauerkraut is kept submerged under the brine with larger folded cabbage leaves. I also placed shot glasses on top of the leaves to keep everything submerged under the brine when I screw on the jar lids.
I've checked the jars regularly for any kind of mold or off odors. So far so good. I will probably ferment the larger jars at least another week and a half. I may soon be refrigerating the smaller jar. This is the second batch of sauerkraut that I have fermented. The first time I fermented the batch for only three days before refrigerating. This was based on recommendations from a youtube video I saw. That was not long enough. The first batch tasted like salty cabbage. I still ate it over time.
Since then I did a lot more reading and research and felt confident in trying a longer ferment period. This batch definitely is proving to be developing a nice sauerkraut smell as the fermentation proceeds.
One important lesson I learned: Leave plenty of space at the top of the jars. During the first 3 - 4 days, when fermentation is vigorous, the brine levels can rise a lot and in my case, two jars fermenting became three. Hence the smaller jar.
Here I'm pouring the kefir through the strainer. The kefir grains at the bottom of the bottle will be caught by the strainer.
The depulped coffee goes into the fermentation tank where the sticky, sugary mucilage will start to ferment and break down over night
An open fermentation vessel, containing red grape must fermenting on the skins to extract colour, complexity and aging potential. The wooden baton is used to stir the skins occasionally to increase contact, and to extract the tannins and anthocyanins which aid aging and provide the health benefits.
At Oinolpi Vineyard, Machairado, Zakynthos.
Here's the strainer and whisk I use. Because the kefir grains will come in contact with the strainer, I sterilize the strainer in boiling water before starting. I put an inch of water in a pot, put the strainer in the pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil. After several minutes of boiling/steaming, I take the strainer out. It cools very quickly.
"Stones" is a Sheffield icon, and the beer is prominent in two of the most iconic films set in the area: When Saturday Comes (the protagonist works at the Cannon brewery) and The Full Monty.
During the 1980s it was sold as Stones Best Bitter. Sometime during the 1990s the canned and keg versions were reduced from 4.1% to 3.9% and finally 3.7% ABV.
Making small batch sauerkraut and sour pickles by natural fermentation. Being my first time trying fermentation, I only allowed these to ferment a few days before refrigerating. The cabbage did not have enough time to ferment into a true sauerkraut. Tasted more like salty cabbage. The pickles tasted sour-ish, but I am sure they needed more ferment time also.
I was using old (nearly 50 years) Ball mason jars here. When I tried making sauerkraut in one of them at another time, the jar proved to be too fragile and cracked on the bottom. Now, I just use those old jars for decorations.