Adding vegetables during fermentation

February 27, 2020 3:02 AM

I'm pretty new to fermentation processes, but am enthusiastically getting the hang of it. I've got a batch of sauerkraut going right now, two days in and bubbling away, and was inspired to add a bunch of fresh cilantro and jalapenos I came across. Can one just toss them into the mix and then pop the lid on again? Also, as a side note, I had no scale when I started this batch and have no idea how close to 2% salinity I'm at. How exact must one be?
posted by St. Oops to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

Best answer: I am coming from a place of making kimchi, not sauerkraut, and I would do this. When I make kimchi, I often add things like spring onions as part of the process but they do not go through the salting process like the cabbage is. I don't think the two days later would make a difference in adding them, so long as they are fresh and thoroughly clean. I'd mix it through though, not just toss them into the top.
Also, I have never thought about salinity. But again, this is kimchi, not sure if there's much difference in the science.
posted by like_neon at 3:42 AM on February 27, 2020

Best answer: I think it's fine. The combination of lactobacillus and lactic acid already in the sauerkraut should be stable enough that introducing more clean vegetables won't cause any problems. If you were adding a large volume, I'd also possibly add more salt, but some extra herbs and chillies shouldn't make a difference.
posted by confluency at 5:06 AM on February 27, 2020

Best answer: Sauerkraut is a pretty resilient and flexible creature. I'd follow like_neon's suggestion to thoroughly mix the additions in, rather than just adding them to the top of the jar.

As for salinity, again, kraut is flexible. I tend to measure out salt (1 tablespoon for 1 head cabbage/3 lbs or so) then add about half when I'm first massaging the cabbage. Pause, taste, examine brine creation. Aim for pleasantly salty, not overwhelming salty.

Brined ferments will be better with more precision, so if you experiment with those in the future, you might want to measure the first few times.
posted by carrioncomfort at 5:41 AM on February 27, 2020

Response by poster: Thanks folks. Directly after posting this I went into a meeting with a fellow, it transpired at the end, has a little side business making and selling kimchi. He basically confirmed what you all say, so I'll give it a go. This is my fourth batch, but the first one I started in an under-equipped kitchen, so I just eyeballed the salt and hope it's good.

I smoked some pastrami the other day, and then the thought of reuben tacos, with a spicy kraut and chipotle mayo, and maseca-rye tortillas with carraway kind of got me going on a weird fusion path I suspect will lead to a nice place.
posted by St. Oops at 7:46 AM on February 27, 2020 [11 favorites]