fermenting Is fermenting that complicated?

[Koreansoul]

I have a question for all of you who ferment. I make Kimchi all the time. I learned how to do it from my mother when I was pretty young. Is there a reason I can't use the same process on peppers? While the fermenting information is great, it seems very complicated for a simple process that kimchi has been undergoing for years. 
 
Thoughts? 

 

[Lucifer]

stickman...have you ever tried adding other spices(including hot pepper flakes) to your sauerkraut ferments?
 
I use caraway seeds a lot to make a Bavarian style kraut. and a couple years back, another THP member (from one of the Scandinavian countries) suggested dried juniper berries...which I tried and have now become a favorite of mine. 
 
Then last summer, I harvested some lavander flowers from one of my wife's plants, and after drying them I tossed them in a batch and was quite thrilled with the unique depth of flavor that brought to my Grandma's simple and basic sauerkraut recipe.
CM

I make a Russian style kraut. With cranberrys. Very similar to the Scandinavian juniper berry kraut.

 

[Chili Monsta]

Were the cranberries fresh or dried?
I've not tried them before....don't know why...because I eat them frequently in the fall and winter.
The juniper berries I use are dried and I pick them up at a health food store. I use 5 or 6 in a half gallon of kraut and the flavor, while clearly distinguishable,  it's very subtle.
CM

 

[Lucifer]

The cranberries r dry. I add about a handful for a head of cabbage. It adds both, a bit of sweetness and tartness to the final kraut, but a different kind of tartness than the actual ferment has

 

[Chili Monsta]

Cool...I have a quart baggie full of cranberries that I dehydrated a few months back....I'll have to give them a try very soon.Always looking for a new flavor twist.
Thanks for the input and sharing your experience.
CM

 

[Lucifer]

Cool...I have a quart baggie full of cranberries that I dehydrated a few months back....I'll have to give them a try very soon.Always looking for a new flavor twist.
Thanks for the input and sharing your experience.
CM

You're very welcome. I'm sure you'll like it. My family has been making kraut this way for generations. Its a Russian and/or Ukranian thing.

 

[Chili Monsta]

I used to live in Massachusetts, and saw the bogs on several occasions,but somehow my little brain never considered cranberry bogs in Russia.
That being said....one of my regular cocktails while living in Ma., was called a "Cape Codder" ....cranberry juice and Vodka, with a twist of lemon(or lime) Here I thought that was a "Yankee" inspired drink...when actually it is Russian. Who would have thought....a history lesson in a THP thread on fermenting.
Regards
CM