Yesterday I made my third batch of “Wild Child.”
What in the heck is “Wild Child”?
When I am in the lab kitchen and make something new, if it turns out, it gets named….in this case, I named my latest creation “Wild Child” the moment I tasted it.
The multiple flavors and textures exploded in my mouth,it was visually beautiful to behold and it was good for me…with all of that going for it, it had to have a name that popped.
I continue to work my way, slowly into the world of fermentation. As per Sando Katz’s suggestion to experiment with texture as well as with various fruit and vegetable combinations, I upped the ante and tripled the amount of peanuts sweet peppers, and apples yesterday.
Wild Child is 1000% more tasty than its cousin sauerkraut.
This lacto-fermenting colorful mixture will soon be “brimming with healthy probiotics.”
Raw ingredients of Wild Child
Don’t have the time to unpack the health benefits attributed to eating fresh unpasteurized foods this morning vs the pasteurized crap foods , but they are in two different leagues. Here’s a link if you’re curious. That article talks about Sauerkraut, but it applies to all fermented foods.
I’ve chosen to use air locks when I’m making small batches of fermented foods. You don’t have to, as long as you keep whatever you are fermenting weighed down below the brine. I just think those little gizmo’s look neat, plus when the fermentation process starts to kick in, (after a day or two) I like watching it bubble.
Yea, I know, I’m easily entertained. 😉
Ingredients ready to rock
in air locked jars
Wild Child
(1) head of cabbage
(1 or 2) colorful peppers
(1) small can of nuts (I used salted Spanish peanuts this time)
(3) large apples
(1) cup of raisins
(1) t cumin (Mrs DM doesn’t care for that spice so I made her a separate batch and skipped this. I prefer it, because it adds another layer of flavor, and is supposed to be good for you 😉
(2) T pickling salt or slightly less.
Directions: cut everything up in small pieces, then sprinkle the pickling salt over it. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes until everything gets limp and juicy…If you’ve never “kneaded” raw vegetables before with a dash of pickling salt, you’re in for a surprise.
At this point, I packed the above ingredients into a 2 qt jar. Keep packing it in until you absolutely can’t get any more in, and everything is submerged in liquid…I will add just a little water if needed. put the cap with the air lock on (or put it in crock that you can cover lightly..
Do not just put it in a jar with a lid, or it will explode.
That quantity of fruits, vegetables and nuts yielded about 3 quarts. I filled my jars and ate the rest fresh.
Time to run. DM
