New Experiments with Sourdough

 New because I experimented with sourdough in the past and had variable success. New because I now have a book by someone I have great confidence in; enough so that I'm willing to give it another go. (See this book review post for information on that.)

My starter took about five days to take off.

I've been following Kate's instructions since. 

One of the things I'm learning is how to use the "discard," i.e. the starter that is removed at feeding time. My first baking project was Kate's Sourdough Crackers (page 208).

I've made these a couple of times (they're wonderful as a snack with sliced cheese or with soup). I've also made pancakes with some of the discard (but forgot to take a picture). 

Then I tried a loaf of bread. This one is Kate's "45% Pre-Ferment" bread (page 76)

I admit it's a little wonky, but look at how nicely it rose!

There is so much good information in Kate's book. My first read-through was overwhelming, but after a few experiments and re-reading, it's starting to make sense, i.e., I see how it applies to what I'm doing. 

I'm off to a good start. 

New Experiments with Sourdough © 2026

by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com

Trying a New Technique for Making Sauerkraut

The best sauerkraut is said to be made in its own juices. The cabbage is shredded and pounded enough to bruise the juice out of it. The requires extremely fresh cabbage, which I don't often have, since cabbage moths make cabbage growing a real challenge for me. Cabbage is an inexpensive vegetable, so I don't mind buying it to make sauerkraut. The trade-off is that it's usually too old to pound out the juices. So, most often, I make sauerkraut by mixing and adding brine. 

Recently, I ran across a video with a different method for making sauerkraut. It's a four-part series with the first video here. Instead of shredding the cabbage and adding the brine, the cut cabbage was salted first and allowed to sit overnight. Salt pulls moisture from food (through osmosis, I reckon) and so helps the cabbage make it's own juice. I decided to give it a try.

The first step is shredding the cabbage.

After shredding, the cabbage was sprinkled with salt and mixed in. The video didn't mention an amount, so I used the same amount of salt as my old recipe, 2 tablespoons for a medium head of cabbage. I covered it with a clean dishcloth and let it sit on the counter overnight.

I use Himalayan pink salt for the minerals.

The next morning the cabbage shreds looked wet and I found that the salt had indeed pulled some juice from the cabbage.

The next step is pounding. In the video, the gal dumped her shredded cabbage into a 5-gallon bucket and stomped it like grapes. I opted to used my pounder.

That squished out more juice. Not enough to cover the cabbage, but the video said in that case, cover it with a light brine. The video used fresh dill and slices of horseradish for flavoring, but I used juniper berries and celery seeds.

After covering the crock contents with more brine, I submerged the cabbage shreds by covering them with a saucer and weighting it with a pint jar half filled with water. 

Then the crock is covered with a clean cloth an allowed to ferment.

I find that three days is good for our taste buds. Then I transferred it to a half-gallon jar with a lid to store in the fridge. 

Then the taste test. We both love sauerkraut and really liked this one. I especially like to use it as a relish on a good hamburger.

Bacon cheeseburger with sauerkraut.

One other really good tidbit I picked up from the video series is that sauerkraut can be frozen without destroying the probiotics. Canning will kill them, but I usually make it one cabbage at a time and refrigerate it after it's soured to the tartness we like. It does keep getting more sour, even in the fridge, so freezing sounds like a good way to go.

Conclusion? This method is a keeper! I'll have to try it with my other fermented vegetables as well.

Trying a New Technique for Making Sauerkraut 

© May 2023 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Naturally Fermented Elderberry Wine

Last summer, I put mesh bags on my clusters of elderberry flowers to protect the berries from the birds. I was rewarded with a ton of elderberries.

Elderberry harvest, September 2020

I made jelly, vinegar, and tincture with them; dehydrated some and froze the rest (the rest being 6 or 8 gallons-worth.) What to do with them? I'm not much of a wine drinker, but what the heck. I decided to try my hand at elderberry wine. 

I did a little research and found myself looking at two choices. One was the commercialized method, where I buy additives and yeast. The other was a natural ferment. Well, ya'll know me, it was natural ferment or forget it. I know the argument against it – inconsistent results. It's the same argument used for natural cheesemaking and natural dying. But let's face it, even a commercially prepared batch can flop. And since I'm not trying to impress anyone, who cares if the batches vary? Makes for a more interesting outcome without having to buy anything.

I didn't find many resources for natural fermented elderberry wine, but these two videos helped me work out a recipe:

• How To Make Elderberry Wine - Traditional Folk Method
• Wild Fermented Elderberry Wine

This last video is more generic but brought it down to bare basics along with the rationale for the steps (my kind of video):

• Easy Homemade Natural Wine

I made a one-gallon batch.

1 kg elderberries (defrosted okay), 100 gms
 unsulfured raisins, 2 L non-chlorinated water.

Both elderberry wine videos called for the raisins, although I'm not exactly sure why. One said as a source of natural yeasts, the other said for sweetness. Does anyone have a clue?

Mix the fruit and water, and mash to release the fruit juices..

Transfer to a gallon jar and cover
with clean cotton cloth. Stir daily.

The purpose of the cloth is to allow natural yeasts in the air to inoculation the fruit juice, while keeping out bugs and debris. 

After 3 or 4 days, strain the liquid from the fruit.

I used my wine (tincture) press to squeeze.

Add 1 kg sugar and stir till dissolved. Add more water.

Cover again with cotton cloth and stir daily. After 3 or 4 days
it should be producing bubbles, indicating fermentation.

The next step is to siphon again, this time into a carboy, avoiding any scum at the top or dregs on the bottom of the jug. A "real" carboy is clear glass; mine is actually a gallon glass jug that I bought organic apple cider in. Of course, I saved the jug. 

Air gaps in the siphon tube because
I had to step back to get this picture.

The jug was topped off with a little more filtered water and a water filled airlock installed.

Make-do carboy with airlock.

During fermentation gases are produced (mostly carbon dioxide, I believe). The airlock allows these to escape but keeps oxygen and contaminants from entering the jug. 

It's stored undisturbed in a cool place for three to four months, or until fermentation is complete. Experienced people use a hydrometer to test for alcohol content. I used a more beginnerish method and just watched the bottle. When fermentation is done, it no longer produces bubbles, and there is sediment at the bottom of the jug from the spent yeast. I did test it with my hydrometer because I was curious about it. The alcohol content is about 5%. 

The bottles must be sterilized to avoid contaminants which produce off flavors. I didn't want to use chemical cleaners, so I put the bottles into a cold oven, heated to about 225°F (110°C) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Bottles sterilizing in the oven.

Then the oven is turned off and the bottles are allowed to cool completely. The wine is siphoned from the carboy into the bottles.

Bottling is easier with two people.

The bottled wine is stored in a cool, dark place, where the final product is said to improve with age. We had a partial bottle leftover, which of course we sampled! I've already mentioned that I'm nowhere near a wine connoisseur, but I can tell you that it's the best wine I've ever tasted.

Something for special occasions.

I immediately started on a second batch! And I can see a little experimentation in my future. 

Naturally Fermented Elderberry Wine © May 2021

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Accidental Sourdough

I told Sharon (In Stitches), that two things I wanted to do this winter was soapmaking and sourdough bread. I used to make a lot of soap, but somehow stopped a number of years ago. I've tried my hand at sourdough bread too, but that was nowhere near as successful as my soap. The one or two loaves I made were heavy as a rock and as hard as one too. I figured it was about time to try it again soon.

I hadn't planned on trying a sourdough starter yet, but I did manage to make one accidentally. It happened because of what I've been reading about the benefits of soaking whole grains (a couple of good articles on that here and here.) For yeast bread making, one thing I've been trying has been to mix whole wheat flour with water and some whey, and letting it sit overnight. The next morning I prepare my yeast along with the other ingredients, mix, knead, and bake away.

Well, one morning I couldn't get to it. In fact the whole thing sat overnight a second time and by the time I got to it the following morning, it had risen just as though it contained yeast! I was amazed and figured that I had accidentally made a sourdough starter.

I started feeding it, and it kept on growing. After about a week I decided to try to bake a loaf of bread. I couldn't find a recipe I liked, so I made one up.

It worked! Not perfectly, but my bread rose and was not only edible but tasty. After my failure years ago, it was exciting to have my first success.

I by no means feel that I've got a handle on this sourdough thing. This first loaf had a muffin-like consistency rather than like yeast bread. Still, it's a start, and I hope to improve my loaves with some experimentation. I've also been experimenting with sourdough pancakes and muffins. I've even added it to cake in place of buttermilk. What I need is a sourdough cookbook or at least to start collecting recipes. Yesterday Sharon sent me her recipe for Sourdough Applesauce Cake. I can't wait to try it! Bread of course, is my main concern. Hopefully in the near future I can show you some real successes!

Accidental Sourdough photos & text copyright January 2010 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/