It's a Matter of Taste

After fermenting on the counter for 3 1/2 days, the apple chutney made its way to the microbiology taste testing lab.  It seemed to be well received by the other students.  Here is what's left in my refrigerator right now.

Now it's been five days since I started this batch.  It tastes just a tiny bit tangy like you would expect from a fermented food product.  This  has been a great assignment though.  I would like to try making yogurt next and maybe some facto-fermented pickles. Watch out kids...gut-healthy microbes are coming to your plate! 

Try, Try Again!

I have the second run of Facto-Fermented Apple Chutney brewing on the counter.  It's already looking MUCH better than the first batch.

Searching the Web for additional recipes for the same product, I found most contained the same ingredients at about the same proportions.  However, the other recipes mentioned making sure to cover the apples with liquid, adding more whey or salt water if necessary.  That's where the first batch went wrong.  Very, very wrong.  So after filling the jar, I topped it off with a bit more whey.  I'm hopeful this trial is going to come out great.  At least not fuzzy!

Bad Apples!

I am very disappointed today.  After fermenting on the counter for 2 1/2 days (the recipe did say 2 - 3 days), I discovered hairy fuzz on the apple chutney.  So it's back to the drawing board.  

 

Do you see the fuzz at top?  I think I will only let the next batch ferment for a day before placing it in the refrigerator. It will take longer to ferment, but at least it won't get hairy!!

Chutney Under"Whey"

Finally!  The chutney is under"whey"!  I whipped up the first batch today.  I needed whey and had to obtain it by straining it from yogurt.  The first container of yogurt I bought was ate before I used it.  Not surprising with a teenage boy in the house!  This is a picture of the whey draining into bowl.

Once I had the whey, I gathered the rest of the ingredients for the chutney.

And now it's all prepared.  I made one small adjustment to the recipe.  Instead of 1-2 tablespoons of a  mixture of spices, I simply added 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.  Maybe this won't be enough, but I can add more if necessary when it's time to taste the mixture.  Until then, I will wait and watch what happens!

And So It Begins

I never expected to be blogging in my summer microbiology class but look!  Here I am with my own blog.  It's as much, if not more, of a challenge as the fermentation assignment which this blog is about, but I look forward to tackling both.

After much time searching the Web for the right recipe for my fermentation project, I believe I have found the one that will tempt my family into trying my experiment...apple chutney!  It's not so strange as to scare the kids away from the table.  It seems like a delicious addition to yogurt or a tasty topping for pancakes.  I like that there is maple syrup in the concoction.  How can you go wrong with maple syrup?

 

Lacto Fermented Apple Chutney

 

3 cups chopped apples, any variety
1/2 cup seeds or chopped nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans,

   walnuts, etc.)
1/2 cup dried fruit (dates, figs, apricots or raisins), chopped

1/2 cup distilled or filtered water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup starter (whey, water kefir, kombucha)

2 Tbsp unrefined sweetener (pure maple syrup, honey, sucanat, or

   rapadura) 
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 - 2 Tbsp spices to taste (can use pre-made apple or pumpkin pie 

   spice or make a combination of 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg,  

   1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp

   cardamom)

Mix ingredients together thoroughly. Place in a 1 quart mason jar with a tight lid. Leave on the counter to ferment 2-3 days, afterwards store in the refrigerator. Keeps about 3 weeks.

 

 

Now that I've completed the first step of my project by choosing what to ferment, it's time to buy some ingredients that I am missing in my kitchen.  After a trip to Price Chopper, I will create my first batch of chutney.  So stay tuned for more on my progress!