After posting yesterday, I pulled out my food processor, mason jars, and beautiful fresh produce to try the marinara-style cultured vegetable recipe I found at GoHealthGirl’s blog. How the final product will taste, I don’t know, but it surely looks like it’s going to be delicious. The shredded beets and carrots are gorgeous, and I’m excited about all of those fresh herbs.
In the interest of giving you a reasonable time estimate for making cultured vegetables, I kept an eye on the clock. From start to finish–from pulling out my equipment and rummaging in the fridge for the carrots, to piling the freshly washed tools in the dish drainer and wiping off the countertops–I clocked in at just over an hour. Maybe 1 hour and 5 minutes. I think that’s pretty good.
I did a few things differently this time around that helped with the time factor. First, since the recipe did not require a culture starter (like the one from Body Ecology found here), I didn’t bother using one. Whether or not I’ll live to regret that, stay tuned. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the good bacteria will proliferate and squash out the bad stuff. If it works, that would be great, because it will save me some money.
And I won’t die of bacterial poisoning.
Second, I didn’t sterilize my equipment by dipping each piece in boiling water. That took a while before, and, frankly, it seemed like too much trouble. Again, will I live to regret this? Only time will tell. The good new is that now I know how cultured veggies are supposed to smell and taste, so I should be able to spot a bad batch.
I hope.
Third, I actually collected all of my equipment and ingredients before beginning the process–or most of them, anyway. I know, I know. This is a no-brainer. But I don’t always listen to that voice in my head. See, it sounds suspiciously like the mom’s, so I like to ignore it until I’m driven out of desperation to heed its instruction. Then I discover it’s right about most things. Thanks, Mom.
Finally, I’m going to leave these babies out for a full 7 days, while I left my first batch out for only 4 or 5 days. Then, I’ll age them in the fridge for a week before consuming them. They’re supposed to get better, like wine, after resting for a while.
I’ll post an update on my results with this recipe in about 2 weeks. If they’re yummy and delicious, I’ll post the instructions here, since I didn’t exactly follow the one I linked to above. Then again, when do I ever follow recipes exactly as written?
[Edited: To read the follow-up post, go here. GoHealth Girl's blog is no longer functioning, at least for the moment, so you can click here to read the marinara-style cultured vegetables recipe.]
