Very long, hands-off fermentation suggestions?

March 19, 2019 10:46 AM

I am a person who likes experimenting with lacto fermentation and also a person who will be traveling for a month soon, is there anything I can start now that will be delicious when I get back?

I'm happy to ferment stuff either on the counter or in the fridge (though I generally find that things ferment so slowly in the fridge that it's not really worth the trouble). My kitchen is cool now, probably in the mid sixties, but should warm up to the seventies over the course of the month. My husband will be around to burp jars occasionally, but I don't expect him to remember to do it on the regular and I don't think he's up for anything more involved than that.

Preserved lemons would be perfect, but I just made a big jar of them! I'm assuming something like miso will take too long, and something like kimchee will overferment by the time I'm back. Otherwise I'm wide open -- vegetables, grains, beverages, etc. are all of interest.

posted by LeeLanded to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Best answer: You can slather a block of firm tofu in miso and sake, chuck it in the fridge, and come home to a smooth, salty soy spread: tofu misozuke

That recipe has you pour off extra water and change the wrapping of the tofu, but it's worked fine for me without the extra steps.
posted by momus_window at 11:15 AM on March 19, 2019 [3 favorites]

Mead? Once it's mixed (which only takes a jiffy), you add nutrients the first few days, then it sits a good long while.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:44 AM on March 19, 2019

Best answer: Honey fermented garlic?
posted by beepbeepboopboop at 11:51 AM on March 19, 2019 [2 favorites]

There's always kimchi.

This is my favorite kimchi; my current batch has fermented for more than a month in the refrigerator, and it's delicious.
posted by spinifex23 at 11:54 AM on March 19, 2019 [4 favorites]

Best answer: If you start a new batch of kombucha from a commercial drink, that should probably be about ready to drink in a month, and I find it does best when you leave it alone and forget about it.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:05 PM on March 19, 2019

Sauerkraut! You can ferment it for a short or long time, depending on how you like the final product. At this time of year, when it's cooler (even just inside my kitchen pantry), I like a good 6-8 weeks to ferment for a 1/2 gallon of sauerkraut. I like to add slightly crushed juniper berries for flavor.

Sandor Katz's method for Sauerkraut
posted by carrioncomfort at 12:52 PM on March 19, 2019 [1 favorite]

I've fermented red wine that I didn't like into vinegar. One month will not be long enough. I put in in jars in the basement with cheese cloth over the tops. Then I taste it every month or so until it is good. Often it is horrible before it gets good.
posted by bdc34 at 5:47 AM on March 20, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks all! Marked as best answers the ones I'm most excited to try, I will begin praying to the fermentation gods.
posted by LeeLanded at 11:30 AM on March 22, 2019