In the past year, I’ve read or skimmed numerous books from the library on fermentation. Most were OK. None of them seemed complete. Until now.
The Joy of Pickling: 250 Flavor-Packed Recipes for Vegetables and More from Garden or Market (Revised Edition) by Linda Ziedrich is the best book I’ve seen on fermentation. It covers salt proportions better than Wild Fermentation. It goes into vinegar types, spices, storage, and supplies. The author even has a witty writing style.
I made spicy fermented cauliflower using a recipe in the book. It took three weeks, but the results were worth it. It tasted slightly pickled with some heat, all while maintaining a little crunch. The recipes are clearly edited and the fermentation times are not wild ranges, but clear estimates.
If you are interested in fermentation, this book belongs in your kitchen library. The last chapter covers pickled meat, fish, and eggs, which is something I hadn’t even considered. Pickled beef tongue? See page 368.
Joe Crawford
May 5, 2011 — 1:31 pm
Pickled pig’s feet!
sheila
May 5, 2011 — 4:42 pm
I am glad to see the successful fermentation of the cauliflower!
MAS
May 5, 2011 — 4:52 pm
@Sheila – Thanks for the idea. It was your comment that prompted me to seek out this book.
Mike
May 7, 2011 — 11:22 pm
I’m told commercial pickling process pretty much kills off any bacteria resulting from the fermentation. So, no pro-biotics there.
The home- made pickling should result in lots of good pro biotics, though I suppose there is always the botulism danger.
MAS
May 8, 2011 — 10:14 am
@Mike – The Joy of Pickling covers botulism risks. It states that to prevent botulism the pH levels should be 4.6 or lower. I also learned that you can buy a pH meter, which sounds like a must have if you get serious about this hobby.
Nick
May 10, 2011 — 10:32 am
I just contributed a few more pennies to the Michael Allen Smith Retirement Fund. 🙂
Thanks for the tip!
MAS
May 10, 2011 — 10:34 am
@Nick – Thanks my brother!