Fermentation and Preserving Blog 4

Blog #4 Fermentation and Preserving

The chosen raw food product that I decided on was baby Zucchini and Cherries. I decided on these 2 food products is because when I went to St. Jacobs Market I bought different kinds of fruits and produce, that is how I decided on what fruit and produce I wanted to use. After I am done with this blog I know that I am defiantly going to keep doing some pickling, fermentation and preserving, I had a lot of fun doing this blog there so many different ways to do these kinds of techniques with food.

I decided on doing fermentation method and preserving method.

The documentation that I use to for my research was Google and my neighbor he done picking, fermenting, and preserving before.

While I was doing my research there were so many ideas to choose from for fermentation method after about one hour looking at different ways to do fermentation of produce.

The other ideas I found while doing the research were quick sweet pickles, pickled peaches, tempeh, kimchee. I also was looking up research like jarred items there so

many ways to this as well. I decided on 2 different ways to do this blog the first one 

Probiotic Fermented Zucchini Pickles, and Cherry jam.

I got the information for these 2 recipes on the following websites www.cookinglight.com

type fermented zucchini pickles in the search bar.  The other website was www.allrecpie.com type in cherry jam.

The recipe I used for Probiotic Fermented Zucchini Pickles and Cherry Jam was the following.

Probiotic Fermented Zucchini Pickles                                                       

1 1/2 pounds baby zucchini

 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

 12 dill sprigs

 2 garlic cloves

4 cups room-temperature water

 2 tablespoons kosher salt                                                                            

Cherry Jam

3 cups pitted, chopped fresh cherries

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 (2 ounce) packages powdered fruit pectin

3 cups white sugar

4 half pint canning jars with lids and rings

The recipe ask for 4 Fresno chilies I couldn’t find any so I just skip that part in this recipe I added picking spice instead hopefully it’s just as good.

The Method or Steps for this recipe is the following.

Probiotic Fermented Zucchini Pickles

Step 1

Divide zucchini, coriander, dill, pickling spice, and garlic between 2 (1-quart) jars.

Step 2

Combine 4 cups water and salt. Stir until salt dissolves fully.

Step 3

Divide liquid between jars to cover zucchini, leaving about 1/2 inch of space between liquid and top of jar. (Add water as needed to ensure solids are covered.) Cover jars loosely with lids. Let stand in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight for 5 to 7 days. The liquid will turn cloudy, then bubble and fizz after several days as it develops lactic acid. Once fermented, refrigerate pickles. They will keep in sealed jars for up to 3 months.

The website is www.cookinglight.com

The Method or steps for Cherry Jam 

Prep 30 m

Cook 20 m

Ready In 50 m

Place cherries, apple juice, lemon juice, and pectin into a large saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, and mix in the sugar. Cook the jam at a rolling boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the cherry jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.

Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot and process for 15 minutes, or the time as recommended by your county Extension agent.

Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all).

 Store in a cool, dark area.

 www.allreceipes.com

Cherry Jam Documentation

Day 1 Probiotic Fermented Zucchini Pickles

Day 2                                                                          Day 3

                                

Day 4                                                                         Day 5

                                       

Day 6                                                                        Day 7
                               

The Sensory Evaluation of my findings for Probiotic Fermented Zucchini Pickles. The Smell was really good for my first time making this kind of fermented zucchini pickles. The taste of these Fermented Zucchini pickles salty and I could really taste the dill. I were to say it be a part of the green & grassy, also brine and salty on the flavour thesaurus. I would say for my first time it was not that bad could have been a lot better, Only 2 of 3 Jars I did came out not that bad. I don't know why it fail on me I did the best I could. I would do differently next time is maybe do a different kind of pickling or fermentation. I am going to do something different than pickles, I still don't like pickles but I wanted to see if this would change my mind. The pickles will be good for at least 3 months.

The Sensory Evaluation on my findings for Cherry Jam was. The smell and aroma from the jam was really good, I got great smell of cherries. The taste was amazing nice and sweet, cherry had great taste of fresh and fruity. I would say it was great success turn a lot nicer than the Fermented Zucchini pickles. The only mistake is that it was not as thick as I wanted it to be, little to watery should have made sure the lids were on tighter so no water would get in when boiling the jars. I would also make sure that I chopped the cherries little smaller next time. Overall it was good first attempt on making homemade jams. For my next attempt going to try and do Cactus Pear Jelly and Strawberry Rhubarb.

This Blog really open up my ideas of doing more of this in future I am going to try and brine some meats as well. I really enjoy writing these blogs. I will write about my next attempts using the steps I have learn during these blogs.