Quoted from JJR

It's the non vinegar of vinegars.  Except I don't think it's acidic.  But the flavor is similar.  Kind of.  It similar enough to someone who doesn't eat vinegar any longer.

The bacteria produce lactic acid. The fermenting liquid IS acidic.

If you cook with it, then you get the acidic tang without harmful vinegar, but you don't get the beneficial bacteria you get from consuming it raw. It's best to drizzle on the liquid to foods after cooking.

If your fermenting goes bad, you might see fuzzy mold growing on the top. I've heard that it's OK to scrape off the moldy layer and a bit below it, and then consume the rest, but I've never felt comfy doing that. When something got moldy (usually from too little brine covering the top of the fermenting veggies) I've just tossed it. If it looks like slightly fizzy sourkraut, then it's fine.

Yes, it is slightly acidic, but different from sour, if that makes sense.

My body really doesn't do well with citrus juices which are very acidic in my stomach (I know, they're supposed to have an alkaline result, but not for me.) But the fermented vegetables don't really feel like acid.  Hard to describe.  

Today I started a new batch with cabbage, carrots and onion.  I'm loving it so much now...I don't want to be without it.  When I get to the end of a former batch, I start-up another batch.  I read that the sugar in the carrots speeds up the fermentation process...this is the first time I'm using carrots...I'll let you know if it works that way for me.  I may try adding beets next time.  My Bubby used to make sour-borcht in a large wooden barrel, covered with a large piece of cheesecloth, using the fermentation process.  I remember seeing her skin off the foam from the top until it reached the desired sourness.  Then we ate it with boiled potatoes and sour cream...I wouldn't add the potatoes or the sour cream now but remembering how it used to be is fun...great memories of days gone by that will never be again except in my mind.  

Rex- curious what is a Bubby?

geminisue..."Bubby" is what I used to call my maternal grandmother.  I never knew what the real word for grandma is I just know that's what we all called her...I never questioned it. It's a jewish thing...I called my grandpa Zada.  Perhaps some other jewish posters can elaborate on this more fully than I can.

That's a sweet name for your grandmother, Rex.

My mother called her mother "Mom", so that's what I called her, too.

So my mother was "Mother" and my grandmother was "Mom".

Quoted Text

the fermented vegetables don't really feel like acid.  Hard to describe.

enzyme laden!

well i made my first batch oF carrot, onion garlic fermented veges  this week and its started to get some ferementation action happening, its rather exciting and i have been mentioning it to everyone!! SO THANKS EVERYONE for your great ideas and advice !  i am a fermenter converter !!!   so good to have an alternative to yoghurt which i love but it does not go down well  with myu nonnie status

That's a great thing about cultured vegetables . . live beneficial micro-organisms!  

And they're also GOOD EATS    

If you've ever tasted ume plum vinegar (brine), it's very close in the sour/salty flavor that I'm looking for in my cultured/fermented veggies.

Thanks Rex, how interesting.

Quoted from Drea

If you've ever tasted ume plum vinegar (brine), it's very close in the sour/salty flavor that I'm looking for in my cultured/fermented veggies.

YES!  So true, and that stuff is awesome.  

dose any one have any sugestons on how i might make my own kombucha? it is a fermented tea and i love it, it is rather exspenive though, so i wondered if i might just make it myself.

Quoted from Rex

geminisue..."Bubby" is what I used to call my maternal grandmother.  I never knew what the real word for grandma is I just know that's what we all called her...I never questioned it. It's a jewish thing...I called my grandpa Zada.  Perhaps some other jewish posters can elaborate on this more fully than I can.

Bubbie and Zadie are the Yiddish words for Grandma and  Grandpa. Remember that these words can only be "correctly" spelled with Hebrew letters, so English spellings will vary quite a  bit.

Actually, I'm not even 100% sure that Yiddish is spelled with Hebrew letters, or if it's only  based on Hebrew letters- there might be a few variations (just as English and Spanish use mostly the same alphabet but Spanish includes accent symbols over some letters that English language keyboards can't easily do.) I can read Hebrew (if it includes the vowel symbols, which won't be included in anything meant for native speakers over age but I only know a handful of yiddish words and the proper spellings for none of them.

I was wondering if eating cultured veggies would give you gas.
It seems to make me gassy and also causes some reflux.
But I enjoy a small amount daily... it tastes so good!

My guess is you may have yeast and it's stirring it up.  But it could just be messing with you.  I don't know.  

Quoted from battle dwarf

dose any one have any sugestons on how i might make my own kombucha? it is a fermented tea and i love it, it is rather exspenive though, so i wondered if i might just make it myself.

My daughter has made kombucha for years.  The easiest way is to find someone who will give you a bit of the "mother" culture.  It looks like a big blob of pond scum, but in a friendly way.     Then you can use one of the countless recipes that are on the internet, substituting compliant ingredients.  My daughter made hers with green tea and sweetened it with maple sugar or honey.  I don't know if agave would work, since she never tried it.

I suggest a note on a bulletin board of your local health food store, or post a request on your local Craigslist, or Freecycle.

p.s.  This is if you don't want to buy the stuff.  If you don't mind paying for it, you can go to etsy.com and sometimes find two or three people who are selling the fresh "mother" sealed in plastic.  My daughter did that route once.  But usually she has been able to find someone locally who just gave her a start.

Quoted from battle dwarf

dose any one have any sugestons on how i might make my own kombucha? it is a fermented tea and i love it, it is rather exspenive though, so i wondered if i might just make it myself.

Do a search on YouTube.com. There are a number of detailed instructional videos posted. I thought about trying my hand at making a mother, but really don't have the space for it. Cultured veggies are about it for me.

or ask around in your community.....
someone might have a baby to offer!

re kombuchas...I've seen them asked for & offered on freecycle.com (insert your city's name) which is a worldwide site...
I have three babies in the fridge I got given when I thought I could use them... Must pack them up & give them away

Here's a link to a blog on how to make kombucha

http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-brew-kombucha-double-fermentation-method/

Is there some way to bookmark a thread so I can finish reading this when I get home from my trip?   I don't want to forget.

I don't beleive there's any way to do that with the forum itself, but you can always use your computer's browser to set this thread as a bookmark, similar to how I have the BTD main forum page bookmarked. Or you can email yourself the link to this thread if you may not be on the same computer later.