Beets & Leeks in two weeks: A new ferment

The starting point

I found some nice-looking leeks (at long last), so I’m finally going to make a Beets & Leeks ferment. Here’s what I planned:

• 3 large leeks with long stems, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
• 3 good sized red beets, grated [bought 4, decided to use only 3]
• 1 large red onion, halved then thinly sliced
• 2 red apples, grated
• 1/2 Nantes (enormous) carrot, grated
• 6 red cayenne peppers, thinly sliced
• about 4″ ginger root, thinly sliced [I used that knob and another the same size]
• 6 pitted Medjool dates, chopped
• 1 packet vegetable ferment starter culture

I listed the ingredients yesterday, because I tend to assemble recipes on the fly, and sometimes I forget things. Having the list is a good reminder, and sleeping on the list overnight lets more ideas come to mind. The carrot, for example, was added after I initially made the list.

I’m expecting this batch to be around 3 liters, perhaps a little more. If it’s not 3 liters, I’ll shred some red cabbage and add that to bring it up to the 3-liter mark.

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And now it’s made! It will ferment for 14 days: July 7 it will go into the refrigerator.

Two 1.5 L jars of Beets & Leeks

I did a lot of slicing, using a good knife. I started by slicing off the green leaves right at the top of the leeks. I’ll save those, and (after carefully rinsing them — they often harbor quite a bit of dirt) will chop them and use them in cooking. For years I discarded leeks’ green leaves, and then one day I realized that those leaves are also leeks, and I could cook and eat them. No more discarding of good food.

I am pleased by the accuracy of my estimate: just a little less than 3 liters, allowing some room at the top. This batch (vegetables only) weighs 2.6kg (well, 2.592kg = 5.7 lbs), so I used 52g grey sea salt — 2%. (That’s 1.8 oz — it seemed about 4 tablespoons (I measured it into a 1/4 cup bowl for weighing), but I wasn’t paying strict attention to volume — the weight was what was important.)

After everything was grated and sliced and in the bowl, I added the salt and with clean hands massaged and mixed the ingredients thoroughly. I spent about 10 minutes at that, and some liquid gathered in the bottom of the (large stainless Rösle) bowl.

Once the vegetables were well massaged and mixed, I poured in 1/2 cup of spring water in which one packet of Cutting Edge starter culture had been hydrating since before I started slicing and grating. Once the starter culture was added, I continued to massage and mix to ensure that it was evenly distributed, about 5 minutes more.

I then loaded the two jars. I used a canning funnel on the widemouth canning jar, but the Weck cylindrical jar (a gift from The Eldest) needs no funnel. (That link is to a set of four jars from Amazon.com; you can also order a pair of jars directly from Weck.) I like the Weck because its cylindrical shape makes loading easy, and it’s also easy later to extract a serving of fermented vegetables. Once all vegetables were in the jars, I added the liquid left in the bowl, splitting it evenly between the two jars.

I have a kraut pounder (not this one, but same idea), and I used it to tamp down the vegetables. Then I took a table knife and pushed it down through the packed mass in several places, twisting it slightly, so the vegetables would not be too tightly packed.

Finally, I poured in enough spring water [and this spring water should have been brine] to cover the vegetables, added the fermentation weights, and covered the jars. The widemouth canning jar got a fermentation lock; the Weck jar will just make do with the weight of its unsecured lid. (Once fermentation is finished, I will use the two spring clips that came with the Weck to secure the lid tightly.)

I think this will be a good batch. I like how I can get the variety I want by fermenting my own selection of vegetables. My general post on what I’ve done and learned in fermenting vegetables might be useful if you decide to give it a go.

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Fermentation complete, and it tastes good

On July 7, two weeks after I started the ferment, I deemed it done. It turned out well. As noted at the link, I think I’ll skip the dates next time, but otherwise it’s quite satisfactory.

Update: It’s July 16, and I’ve been having a bowl of beets & leeks every day or two. It is extremely tasty. This one will be repeated.

Pink Grapefruit and iKon Shavecraft Short Comb

The pictured tub of Meißner Tremonia Pink Grapefruit is shaving paste — like a stiff shaving cream —And with my Plisson horn-handled HMW 12, I easily got a wonderful lather. The grapefruit fragrance is modified by eucalyptus, and the combination works very well.

My iKon Shavecraft Short Comb gave me a little trouble until I focused on using a good angle: riding the edge of the cap, with the handle held well away from my face. With good technique, it turns out to be very comfortable (not inclined to nick) as well as very efficient. I was interested to see that this razor is currently available for $35, which strikes me as a bargain. The stainless steel Bulldog handle is worth mentioning: hefty, comfortable, and of course can be used with another razor head.

A splash of Alpa 378 finished the job, and I had forgotten how much I like the traditional barbershop fragrance of this aftershave. I did add a couple of squirts of Hydrating Gel to kick up the moisturizing, but it’s certainly fine without.

The tea this morning is Murchie’s Storm Watcher: “A hearty blend inspired by the rugged west coast of British Columbia.” The blend is specifically of Yunnan and Ceylon tea.