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Post by maricybele on Feb 21, 2011 4:59:39 GMT -5
Didn't know quiet where to put this. With so many of us with like minds, I was wondering if any one was interested in a fermentia yogurt culture, kombucha, kefir, soy culture, dairy culture, exchange. Does anyone have viili or Caspian Sea Yogurt? I am looking for viili or caspian sea yogurt. I have kombucha scobies and some tempeh culture and I believe soy sauce culture. It's expensive to buy cultures and I would love to exchange rather than buy. It would be great to exchange kefir grains, yogurt grains, renet, effective microbes, starter cultures, cheese cultures, homemade bokashi cultures, soy cultures. Especially in this corporate food, chemical additives trying to take over the world food supply and the economy so weak trading is a great option. Attachments:
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Post by garnetmoth on Feb 21, 2011 8:14:13 GMT -5
Great topic! I personally have fallen a bit out of culturing. We have a great local company that makes kombucha, kvass, and all sorts of live kraut and kimchi. I had a Caspian Sea Yogurt that I really liked but I couldnt get it up and running again after we moved last. my husband doesnt care for kombucha enough for it to make sense for us to grow it here.
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Post by maricybele on Feb 21, 2011 14:36:01 GMT -5
Wow... I have never seen kvass in a store in the states, but I do make it every week. Must be an interesting company.
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Post by atash on Feb 21, 2011 21:37:52 GMT -5
I have "water kefir" aka Tibicos and many other names. It's sitting next to me trying to stay warm. My house is too cold for it this time of year. It has been sluggish as a result. I haven't cultured milk for a long time because milk prices are rising above my means to afford them. Not that sugar prices haven't also soared. Supposedly commercial equivalents of cultured products are not comparable; some are not even really cultured. Most yoghurts for instance are "milk jello" with some culture of questionable viability added so they can put it on the label. I remember when I did make yoghurt, only a few brands would work as starters. Commercial probiotics are expensive so I think I'm saving money growing my own, regardless of the cost of sugar. Haven't sprung for "ginger beer plant" which according to some sources is distinct from Tibicos at least if authentic. Not only a softer consistency, but works more slowly. Ultimately makes a more acidic product but I have a feeling the Tibicos would too if I left them long enough. Either one by the way will work for making ginger beer but the flavor is probably different depending on the culture. At first I doubted the Tibicos contain any yeast. For one thing, many people add raisins to their brews, and the skin of raisins is coated with a bit of wild yeast (the waxy stuff hiding in the folds). That's how you grow your own wild yeast, if you don't have commercial yeast. But after a few days on the second ferment, the yeasties finally produced some alcohol and CO2. So there is some, they're just not as active as other yeasts. Reputedly a different species, and perhaps a tropical species. The culture is suspected of being of Mexican origins, despite other names that suggest other origins. Supposedly works well as a starter for making lacto-fermentation pickles. I might try it on the fall harvest. There is probably at least one store in Seattle that sells Kvass, not that I have looked. Seattle and the eastern suburbs have a substantial Russian immigrant population. There is a small Russian market in Tukwilla of all places. Also handy is a beer-making supply store, where I bought the pop-top bottles. They have the clear type so that I can keep an eye on things. As soon as mine multiply, which won't take long, I will have some to spare. I had to start over after someone in my household (not me) killed the last batch.
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Post by maricybele on Feb 22, 2011 1:28:53 GMT -5
Atash ~ Tell me about the costs. I am hoping what I have can exchange for some yogurt culture. $18.00 for culture and mailing for 1 item seems a bit much, with prices going up so much, I would imagine folks are doing more food prep at home. Ginger beer sounds interesting as well. I agree that commercial yogurt is full of crap for many brands. I have water kefir as well, but it just developed a clear scoby on top. It tasted like fruit, so at least it wasn't kombucha. I have to wait to see if they start to multiply as well. Looking forward to seeing more of what folks are culturing.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 22, 2011 4:09:26 GMT -5
I would certainly be interested, but right now I just don't have the time for the learning curve. I need to get more knowledge and skill of fermentation under my belt.
I have never heard of a ginger beer plant. I'll have to look that up. I have sassafras growing wild if anyone is interested.
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Post by atash on Feb 22, 2011 11:52:13 GMT -5
Maricybele, it cost me $15. $10 for the starter and $5 for shipping and handling.
MNJRutherford, "Ginger Beer Plant" isn't really a plant, in case it's not obvious. It's a colony of Lactobacillis bacteria, and a yeast, that live in a gelatinous polysaccharide matrix.
You put the gelatinous stuff in the bottom of some dechlorinated water along with some sugar and finely-ground ginger into a bottle with a strongly attached lid, and let it ferment for a while. I dunno if you do one ferment or two, or whether it matters. It probably makes sense to do two, so that you don't have to figure out how to rescue the "ginger beer plant" from being stuck in the bottle after you drink it. One fermentation to get it started, then rescue the ginger beer plant and pour the liquid into a capped bottle with a little more sugar.
The resulting fermented liquid is "ginger beer", which I think was the original source of "ginger ale", before ginger ale was commercialized and artificially carbonated and flavored.
It is rich in probiotics, because of loose Lactobacillus bacteria and yeast floating around in the liquid.
Reportedly different than "water kefir" aka "Tibicos" aka "Japanese Water Crystals" aka "California Bees", which form more solid matrices that look a lot like the "water crystals" people use to keep their plant roots moist during dry weather, though they are soft and crumble easily.
In modern times people apparently got them from a culture bank in Germany that was reputedly the last source of them after they died out after ginger beer was replaced with commercial products that are not cultured.
Ginger beer does contain a tiny amount of alcohol but not much and probably below whatever the limits are for giving minors. Most of the kick is from the Ginger and the natural carbonation.
After the fermentation you rescue the "ginger beer plant" and save it for the next batch. It not only does not get used up, it grows. Eventually you give away extra, not to mention store some away to replace accidentally killed cultures.
The origins of milk kefir are fairly well known: it's from the Caucasus. The Russians got it by shaking down the Turks, reputedly demanding it in compensation over a Russian girl stolen for a harem.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 22, 2011 21:25:18 GMT -5
Sure sounds like a plant to me! Just, what kind of plant? A fungus? Lichen? Moss? That is some rather fascinating data there Atash. I knew a tad bit about kefir, but the water kefir and other monikers are previously unheard of by myself. Man, I've been wanting to expand myself into this area for a long time and I was content to allow the opportunity to pass for the moment, but you're right up sure does make letting go of it, even momentarily, difficult!
We did lose a case or two of homemade wines in the fire... I'll be claiming the bottles... maybe...
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Post by atash on Feb 26, 2011 3:55:51 GMT -5
Here is what Wikipedia says: Neither Lactobacillis nor Yeast (Saccharomyces) is a plant. The first is a bacterium, the second a fungus. The commercial version is non-fermented. There is a lady here who was fermenting it, but gave up after deciding it was easier to get the CO2 pressure constant by artificial means. seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/allyoucaneat/2014302735_rachels_ginger_beer_small_batc.html?cmpid=2628Too bad. The "live" stuff is probably healthier. After trying it, I think ginger is probably one of the best flavors for water kefir too. Doesn't turn bitter like the lemon slightly does, and complements the flavor of the ferment better too. I might try the Ginger Beer Plant because I am pretty sure that water kefir does not really contain any yeast (that's the reason some people add raisins, I suspect), and therefor does not fizz. I think too maybe it's a little too mellow in flavor. The GPB is supposed to produce a more acidic brew.
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Post by heidihi on Mar 13, 2011 15:03:44 GMT -5
I made two kinds of kimchi today ..traditional napa and I found a GIANT purple radish at the Korean market that promised me vitality and a long life ..it was a massive purple diakon
so I made a lovely purple kimchi with the radish as well
and some ginger beer is fermenting
I have no cultures to share I just want to share my love of fermentation
I have to find a link however there is a guy online who gives away free Oregon Trail Sourdough start (it is a dried smear on paper) I used it for a long time and made great sour dough ..but who knows yeast is everywhere!
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Post by rustybucket on Mar 13, 2011 17:33:16 GMT -5
You can get the sourdough starter from carlsfriends.net. Carl Griffith used to send out his starter to anyone who asked for a SASE. After his death in 2000, volunteers continued in his name and send out his culture for the same SASE. I got the original while Carl was still alive. It is a very active culture. I would highly recommend it to anyone just starting out with sourdough cultures.
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Post by heidihi on Mar 13, 2011 19:29:10 GMT -5
You can get the sourdough starter from carlsfriends.net. Carl Griffith used to send out his starter to anyone who asked for a SASE. After his death in 2000, volunteers continued in his name and send out his culture for the same SASE. I got the original while Carl was still alive. It is a very active culture. I would highly recommend it to anyone just starting out with sourdough cultures. I can not believe how long ago I did that if he passed away in 2000! he was alive when I got mine it was a SSAE inside an enevelope and he would send a smear of sourdough starter ..
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