This winter we've been fermenting crazy - kimchee, sauerkraut, miso, vinegar, beer and wine, idlees and yogurt. We have our beautiful sauerkraut crock which has a special groove for water to keep everything nice and sterile, but also bought a few antique crocks to supplement. Here are some photos of the goods:
In the Kimchee: We first brined napa and savoy cabbage, onions, radishes, carrots and green onions overnight. The next day we mixed these with a paste of 3 kinds of chilies, garlic, ginger and dash of sesame oil. Pressed into the crock, weighted, the week-long wait... and voila, tongues on fire!
Below, Conor was calling me the 'Bandit Queen.' I was worried about the koji spores (something I read on the internet) innoculating my nose. In this photo I'm innoculating the rice with the koji, an aspergillus mold, and keeping it at the proper temperature in the cooler.
