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fermenting What do you use for mash starter?
- Thread starter Dave79
- Start date
Hi Dave,
You may have read my 1st post, 1st mask kicking off, and here I first tried fresh sauerkraut. Nothing happened. I added cabbage twice. Nothing. In the whole batch, I had 6 (scotch bonnet) weight percent of salt added.
My second batch, used simply cabbage with the 6% salt, and seems to give excellent results. I have a feeling that it may be the temperature that plays a role. My 1st batch I made in February, at a temp of about 64 degrees (18 C), whereas for my 2nd batch I have upper 70ies.
If you don't see any gas bubbling, I would recommend not to give up. That is what I did, and although I did not see any fermentation, the smell turned sour after some weeks. And, what I produced after 6 months is excellent quality.
If I can draw a parallel with sourdough starter. The effect of temperature on sourdough starter is as follows. For temps of 20-25 C (68 - 77 degrees) the production of acetic acid is more pronounced, which gives it a stronger, more sour smell/taste. For temps above 32 C (90 degrees), you get lactic acid. For lower temps, there is little acid production.
You may have read my 1st post, 1st mask kicking off, and here I first tried fresh sauerkraut. Nothing happened. I added cabbage twice. Nothing. In the whole batch, I had 6 (scotch bonnet) weight percent of salt added.
My second batch, used simply cabbage with the 6% salt, and seems to give excellent results. I have a feeling that it may be the temperature that plays a role. My 1st batch I made in February, at a temp of about 64 degrees (18 C), whereas for my 2nd batch I have upper 70ies.
If you don't see any gas bubbling, I would recommend not to give up. That is what I did, and although I did not see any fermentation, the smell turned sour after some weeks. And, what I produced after 6 months is excellent quality.
If I can draw a parallel with sourdough starter. The effect of temperature on sourdough starter is as follows. For temps of 20-25 C (68 - 77 degrees) the production of acetic acid is more pronounced, which gives it a stronger, more sour smell/taste. For temps above 32 C (90 degrees), you get lactic acid. For lower temps, there is little acid production.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
kefir is similar to yogurt. It has friendly bacteria in it and apparently you can get kefir grains which can be used to make home-made kefir (think homemade yogurt). The kefir grains contain the beneficial bacteria and has been used as a starter for mashes.
I've used kefir, just salt, and I even tried bactoferm ( meat fermenting bacteria)
I think my best results were with the kefir but I've realised that I'm not really all that big on the flavor of mashes and usually prefer sweeter fresher tasting sauces. I'm going to try a cayenne mash soon just as a way to get rid of a couple hundred pods and I think I might try to collect my own lactobacillus for this one, sort of bokashi style
I think my best results were with the kefir but I've realised that I'm not really all that big on the flavor of mashes and usually prefer sweeter fresher tasting sauces. I'm going to try a cayenne mash soon just as a way to get rid of a couple hundred pods and I think I might try to collect my own lactobacillus for this one, sort of bokashi style