Lactofermented Mushrooms

Why, oh why had I not thought of this earlier?  Pickled mushrooms are one of my favorite pickles and I’ve only ever had the vinegar pickled kind.  Of course mushroom ought to make a great lactoferment!  These are great on their own or as a salad topping.  Flavoring with thyme and marjoram just seemed right.

Ever on a mission to perfect my mad fermenting skilz, I mixed things up quite a bit this week.  First, I ordered some Caldwell Starter Culture for vegetables from Cultures for Health.  Why use this instead of whey?  Because it contains bacteria that is found in soil not milk, which is perfect for vegetables.  It contains b.plantarum, Ln.mesenteroides, and Pc.acidilactici. Yes, whey works and I’ve never had a problem with it, but that’s not the case for everyone.  The thing that kept me from using it all my fermenting years was the price.  I have a ready supply of whey and didn’t want to spend money on something extra.  But curiosity got the best of me.  I want to see the difference.  In the coming weeks as I’ll use the culture more and more, I’ll let you know my opinion.

Second change?  I’m going to be using a 3.6% salt brine solution instead of just guessing.  I don’t like guessing.  It usually works out but sometimes it doesn’t.  I put too much salt in one of my ferments making it unpalatable.  To obtain a 3.6% solution, mix in 4 tbsp sea salt per 8 cups filtered water (or for smaller batches, 2 tbsp salt per 4 cups water).  If I wanted to be extra cautious, I would weigh the salt but I haven’t reached that level of crazy yet.  Fermenting for me needs to be easy.

I expect great things from these changes.  Here is the first great thing.

Lactofermented Mushrooms

• 8-16 oz mushrooms (I used crimini)
• 1/4 cup whey or vegetable culture or an extra tbsp of sea salt
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• a few sprigs of fresh marjoram
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 3.6% salt water brine to cover (4 tbsp sea salt dissolved in 8 cups filtered water)

Makes 1 quart.

Quarter mushrooms and layer into a quart sized mason jar with thyme, marjoram and garlic.  Fill to the top with the brine solution. Use a weight to hold the mushroom under water (I just used a small spice jar filled with water that fits nicely inside my jar). Cover loosely and let set for 3-5 days.  If you don’t use all the brine, place remaining in the fridge for future use.

One thing to keep in mind with mushrooms, they are filled with quite a bit of air.  I found that I had to add some brine throughout the week to keep the mushroom submerged and take extra care to hold them under the water.  Try placing a few cabbage leaves on top of the mushrooms and weighing it down with something.  You’ll also notice this jar is only half full.  It was full when I started.  Next time I might try pressing more mushrooms in.

Part of Friday Food Flicks, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Living Well Blog Hop, Fight Back Friday, Traditional Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesday

Lactofermented Purple Eggs!

In honor of our chickens finally starting to lay eggs, I tried making some lactofermented eggs this week. This is something I’ve been want to try for a while now.

They turned out beautifully! And they taste as good as they look.

Since I was unsure of the outcome, I only made 4 eggs which fit perfectly in a 1/2 quart jar (1/2 qt equals 2 cups or 1 pint, a little math lesson for you). Feel free to double this recipe for a full quart. I know I will!

4 hard boiled eggs

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp reserved liquid from lactofermented beets or fresh whey (for a darker egg, you can use up to 1/4 cup of juice)

Filtered water to cover

Stuff eggs in a 2 pint jar. Dissolve salt in the beet juice (add a little water if needed to dissolve salt). Add to jar. Add filtered water to cover eggs completely, leaving at least 1/2″ head space. Make sure eggs remain submerged and leave at room temperature for a day. Move to the fridge and let marinate for a few more days.

How to Boil Eggs

Since I’m amazed at how many don’t know how to hard boil eggs, here is how to get the perfect egg. The older the egg, the easier they peel. A 3 week old egg usually peels beautifully.

Fill a pot about 1/2 full of cool water, add as many eggs as you want (gently, you don’t want to crack them).

Set on the burner at medium heat. Too high of heat and the eggs will crack.

Bring to a gentle boil.

As soon as the water begins to boil, remove from the heat, cover and set the timer for 10 minutes (6 mins for a soft boiled egg).

Once the timer goes off, gently drain off the water and start running cold water over them. You can add ice to make them cool faster if you would like. If you let them sit too long, the yolk will start to turn green and get rubbery.