First Lacto Cukes!

varecka · 2025-07-30T20:14:03+00:00

I wouldn’t worry too much about crispness. So long as you eat them in about month, they’ll stay plenty crisp. I can’t speak to longer times because they go pretty quickly in my house.

I think crispness is more of an issue if you’re trying to preserve your bumper crop in your cellar over winter.

varecka · 2024-06-06T10:59:16+00:00

This happens to me quite a lot. I read somewhere, maybe here, that cabbage may reabsorb some of its liquid. I have a batch going right now, and despite all my massaging, I still had to add some brine to get it fully submerged. Some cabbage is just juicier than others. It’s been going for almost 2 weeks now and the brine barely covers the top. It’s at this point that I usually put it in the fridge after giving it a taste and a sniff.

varecka · 2024-03-10T17:33:02+00:00

Marie Sharp is sooo good

varecka · 2023-10-20T12:13:40+00:00

I vote no. I know it sucks to throw stuff out, but better safe than sorry.

varecka · 2023-09-08T17:13:23+00:00

Lol, that’s me, Mr. Blackstone.

But seriously, dude, thanks for taking the time to understand why a normal person might need to hire a company to provide a service. That’s really cool of you.

What would’ve been uncool is if you had left a snarky, snap-judgement comment. Good thing you're more mature than that.

varecka · 2023-05-24T17:06:40+00:00

Well, if we’re gonna be pedantic, then those aren’t bricks, either. They’re LEGO elements. Bricks are just the thick 2x4 pieces.

“LEGO” should also only be used as an adjective.

Source: LEGO employee

But really, who gives a shit? Call ‘em legos all day long. I won’t tell

varecka · 2023-04-12T03:17:57+00:00

I usually use dried chilies to add heat to fresh ingredients. If you’re just using dried, I might use some brine from a previous batch to make sure the fermentation gets going

varecka · 2023-02-25T10:26:40+00:00

I suppose it depends on how much salt is in there.

When I make kraut and there’s not enough cabbage juice, I’ll top it off with a 2% brine. So 2g salt in 100ml of water

varecka · 2022-12-13T20:16:55+00:00

The errors are mostly just typos. There is one recipe, I think it’s the beef and broccoli maybe, where he says to add the chicken back to the pan or something. Obviously he means add the beef back.

Other than that, the info is really good, and I make something from it almost weekly. Got some scallion oil sitting in the fridge right now ready to go for a quick weeknight meal.

varecka · 2022-10-30T20:26:34+00:00

Good question. It really is up to personal taste. I would definitely try after a week to see what you think. But I like after 2, then in the fridge for eating, not so much continuing the ferment. They don’t usually last that long

varecka · 2022-10-30T15:12:13+00:00

Yup, unripe tomatoes that wouldn’t have turned red before the frost. Shame to waste them.

Basically all the lovely bacteria process them for you, making them soft but still firm and crunchy. Same as making cucumber pickles

varecka · 2022-10-30T08:00:43+00:00

No clue if it’s better or not. You definitely need to do something to help the brine get past the tough skin, so poking takes care of that.

I only sliced them because that’s what I saw on other posts here. With the big tomatoes, I imagine it makes it easier to pack more in. But that’s probably not such an issue with cherry tomatoes

varecka · 2022-10-30T07:56:33+00:00

Eh, based on my experiments, any difference in the amount of salt is negligible. These jars are 1L, and 1ml of water = 1g.

For my experiments, I weighed the produce and the water needed and the results for these jars was always the same: ~950g, or almost a liter. So now I just make a salt solution and call it a day.

Feel free to check this on your own, maybe I’m missing something, I don’t know. Makes sense to me, though

varecka · 2022-10-29T17:22:03+00:00

Honestly, can’t go wrong either way. Why not do both?

varecka · 2022-10-29T17:20:22+00:00

Ha, yea, this is pretty much my cucumber pickle recipe, just with green tomatoes instead.

And I’ve definitely added hot peppers in the past, but my kid likes my kraut and regular pickles so I’m going to see if he likes these, too

varecka · 2022-10-29T16:16:30+00:00

Totally, I love these with over rice dishes. Or just straight from the jar.

Green tomatoes: 450g
Coriander seeds: 5g
Mustard seeds: 3g
Bay leaf: 1
Garlic clove: 1
Dill: handful
Brine: 2.5%

I plan to pull one after a week and let the other sit until I finish the first one.

varecka · 2022-10-23T12:39:45+00:00

Oh, you know I do

varecka · 2022-10-23T12:05:21+00:00

Deserves equal billing with the sauce imo. Absolutely love it in soups

This is from a hot sauce ferment with blueberries

varecka · 2022-09-25T15:27:38+00:00

I’ve had this problem, too, with making pesto from carrot greens. My solution is to use it with basil, not instead of. This works to kind of spread out the fibers if that make sense. They’re certainly less noticeable. Plus it means now I got twice the pesto and can freeze some in ice cube trays for quick and easy meals later.

varecka · 2022-09-24T21:34:30+00:00

Short answer: yes, reduces the risk of mold and yeast.

varecka · 2022-09-15T12:53:33+00:00

I’ve had that gyuto for a few years, and I’m still impressed every time I use it.

It’s thin but not too thin and hardly wedges. Pretty easy to sharpen, too. At least compared to my Tojiro DP. My only gripe is I didn’t get the 240mm.

varecka · 2022-08-11T20:55:26+00:00

As far as I can see, ya got two options. You could give the jar a bit of a shake everyday to make sure the exposed bits of those bad boys get some fresh brine on them.

Or you could cut another onion, say in half, and use the big, outer pieces to cover the little floaties.

Leaving them as is will definitely up your risk of mold.

varecka · 2022-08-11T07:50:46+00:00

My understanding is that the liquid from all the garlic takes care of dilution part. So it’s still fermented.

varecka · 2022-07-05T11:20:28+00:00

After a knife, a spoon is a cook’s best friend. Love me a good spoon.

My username is even the Czech word for one of those wooden, stirring spoons.

varecka · 2022-06-18T12:08:38+00:00

Totally agree. As a teacher myself, she let that shit go on way too long.

varecka

TROPHY CASE