Fermentation Station

If my quail keeping wasn't an odd enough hobby, I also started fermenting stuff this year. I'm pretty much a wannabe homesteader now. 

Yogurt was my first ferment. I've been making yogurt for several years now. I make it with half and half and strain it a lot so it is super thick and creamy. It is delicious mixed with frozen fruit, chia seeds, and granola!

The new staple: Kefir! Pictured above is the kefir blended with frozen fruit to make a smoothie. We have been having a kefir smoothie as an afternoon snack for months now, so our gut bacteria should make us immortal or something. 

I love the origin story of kefir. Basically, a Russian cheese-school graduate was sent as a spy to seduce the prince of the Caucus nomads to get kefir grains from them. Kefir was highly sought after as a health food and was credited for the longevity of the Caucus people. The prince would not give her the kefir grains, because it was forbidden to share them with outsiders. The cheese making hottie was kidnapped by the prince's men on the way back to Russia. Russia retaliated and demanded that they hand over kefir grains as punishment for kidnapping a Russian citizen. All kefir in the world is from the growth of those original grains taken in that deal in 1908. Read the whole story at https://revolutionfermentation.com/en/blogs/milk-kefir/the-fascinating-origins-of-kefir-grains/

A snapshot of my fermentation projects: Raisin vinegar (flopped), kefir grains, and sauerkraut! The sauerkraut is especially delicious. We put it on all sorts of stuff. Elliot is frequently the one to say "I think sauerkraut would be good on this pasta," and he's usually right!

One other cool project was making fermented blueberry soda. All soda used to get the carbonation from fermentation before the days of mechanical carbonation. I did a batch of prickly pear soda later on in the summer.

The kiddos enjoying some home-brewed soda

Taste testing my pickles against store bought ones

I've learned a lot about food preservation and had fun doing experiments in the kitchen! "Shove things in a jar and leave it out for a while" is totally at my level.