Apple Juice

 I know I talked about apples last month, but – the truth is – I’m still enjoying them. In fact, I became so addicted to kefir-ing apple juice in October and November that just last week I bought a case of Pippin apples from my favorite fruit grower, Prevedelli's, at the California Avenue Farmers Market so that we could kefir some more juice. We've always received great advice about fruit from this farmer from what type of fruit bakes well to what juices well.  He knows his fruit! And, he said that Pippins make the best juice. Making your own apple juice is easy to do once you purchase a juicer.  And, the fruit is less expensive if you buy in bulk. For example, a case of apples came to $.90/lb vs. $1.75 for regular amounts. Wahoo!  Not only that, but storing the apples in the garage where it’s cool will allow you to enjoy fresh apple juice a quart or ½ gallon at a time.

Kefir

Kefir grains are globs of beneficial bacteria and yeasts that look somewhat like a Lilliputian-sized cauliflower. Stick with me on this one – you’ll be happy in the end! You might have even seen a kefir’d product in the dairy section of the market. Typically, you’ll find kefir’d yogurt. In fact, when I traveled overseas 20 years ago, I remember buying kefir — I could drink my yogurt without needing a spoon – a great thing for a shoestring traveler! I didn’t see it in stores in this country until many years later.

If you move on to the “baked goods” section of the store, you’ll find kefir sold in a one-time use package. This is a great way to get started, but then you always need to buy the packages. The next step in this great adventure is to find a friend who will gift you some kefir grains. Or, if you are the first one you know who is looking for kefir, you can order your own kefir grains and then share them with your friends once you have increased your population.

Almost everything I have read about kefir talks about kefir’ing dairy products. Kefir does multiply faster in dairy, but it will also eat other foods with sugars. My housemate Christel decided that apple juice would be a perfect candidate for kefir (and would also put a dent in the 400 lbs of apples that we had just havested). In cold weather, it sometimes takes 5 days for the kefir to do its thing in a quart jar of apple juice. We then refrigerate it and get a slightly fermented, bubbly apple drink that does great things for one’s digestive system. Because the bacteria eats the sugar in the apple juice, the final product, although sweet, doesn’t taste quite as sweet as straight apple juice. The bubbly part is fantastic – and the slightly fermented part, well … is an acquired taste – but doesn’t take very long to get used to.

A great book for getting started on fermentation is Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. Jessica Prentice also discusses fermentation in some chapters in Full Moon Feast.

Kim Chee

Yet another way to take advantage of this season’s foods and to enjoy the benefits of fermented foods is to ferment a boatload of vegetables to make kim chee. The kim chee at the Valley of Heart’s Delight 100 Mile Thanksgiving Celebration last month turned out to be a surprise sleeper special. Who would have thought everyone wanted to hear more about the kim chee – what’s in it? How do you make it? Why is it pink?

First off – kim chee is “Korean pickled vegetables”. It’s typically made with napa cabbage and is very spicy. Our Thanksgiving version was made with 3 boxes of CSA vegetables that people neglected to pick up at our house. Last week’s version was made with a case full of vegetables I selected from Pinnacle Farms at the California Avenue Farmers’ Market. We’ve been making ours with cabbage (napa or head), cauliflower, carrots, peppers (red bell and some spicy), fennel, and “the secret ingredient” watermelon radishes, and lots of peeled & diced ginger and garlic. The watermelon radish is green on the outside and red on the inside. It turns everything pink in the kim chee! How cool is that! The trick with the ingredients is to use whatever sounds good to you in whatever quantities sound good as well. The only thing that needs to be measured out is the salt brine solution (see below).

Christel learned how to make Kim Chee from the Wild Fermentation book.  We basically chopped up all of the veggies and filled up a crock. We then covered the veggies with a salt brine (3 tablespoons sea salt  (don’t use salt with any anti-caking agents or iodine) to 4 cups water – and don’t use tap water with chloramine – you’ll need filtered water). Then, let the whole thing sit for 1-3 weeks. The crock is a special crock from Germany by Harsch.  The crock has weights and a water seal.  The weights keep everything from floating up.  And, the water seal allows the gas to escape and prevents air from entering. You can definitely make this in quart jars though  you'll just have a yeast build-up at the top of the jar which you need to skim & then submerge every evening.

Our counter tops are now generally home to some amount of bubbling and fermenting products which need a little bit of daily attention to stir. The results are fabulous!

Persimmons

 For a final note on winter abundance, I’ll remind everyone that we live in an area where persimmon trees thrive. Hachiya persimmons (the long ones best eaten when mushy) can be harvested while they are hard and then left to ripen on your counter-top. Fuyu persimmons (the short, squat ones) are best harvested before they are mushy as they are eaten hard like an apple.  To harvest these trees, you might want to invest in extendible a fruit picker from Common Ground in Palo Alto  Using a picker, you can reach 10-12 feet from the ground. Picking from a ladder takes you even higher.

If you have too many Hachiya persimmons to eat at their mushy stage, then think about investing in a dehydrator and drying your persimmons for that great taste throughout the year. Simply harvest them while they are hard, slice them into 1/3" slices, and dehydrate them until they are pliable but not wet. You’ll make a lot of friends! People just love dried persimmons!  Or, if you don’t have a dehydrator, place the mushy ones in the freezer for an ice cream treat during the summer.

Make a trip to the Farmers’ Market (or your neighbor’s tree) and partake in this season’s bounty!

Wildly fizzing & fermenting,
Susan O.